Great Book - Cornelia

Last night I finished the book Cornelia and the Audacious Adventures of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M.M. Blume. What a GREAT book for the tween set.

The book is set in modern day NYC. Cornelia is the eleven year old daughter of two famous pianist, one of whom she has never met (her father). Her mother is a jet setter, playing concerts all over the world and Cornelia is often left at home with the French housekeeper. Cornelia loves words, especially large, outrageous words and loves to intimidate people using her large words.

One day she stumbles upon her new neighbors, an older woman named Virginia Somerset, her companion Patel and her dog Mr. Kinyata. Virginia is quite taken with Cornelia and she starts to tell Cornelia stories of the adventures that she and her sisters had traveling the world in the late 1940's and early 1950's. Not only do Virginia's stories take Cornelia to far away places, the rooms in her house do also, she has decorated each room in her house to reflect the different countries she has lived in.

I love how this books is set in today's world, but takes you away to far away worlds in Morocco, France, England and India. And I love the characters, I can just picture what Cornelia and Virginia look like!

I actually acquired this book as part of a promotion for my upcoming book fair, so I am excited to recommend it to my 4th & 5th grade girls (although I do think some of the boys would enjoy this book too!)