Lesley M.M. Blume is fast becoming one of my new favorite authors. Her books are all so different, but all
amazing. I was excited to have Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters on my reading pile for the 48 Hour Book Challenge because I knew I just had to read it. I was not disappointed and it may well be my favorite book of the challenge so far!
Cornelia is a lonely little girl, the daughter of two famous concert pianists, whose father abandoned the family when she was a baby and whose mother spends all her time traveling the world and giving concerts. Cornelia spends all her time reading. Her favorite books are dictionaries and words are her first line of defense against her classmates, adults who want to use her to get to her mother, and her annoying housekeeper. However, everything changes when her elusive new neighbor moves in next door. Cornelia sees exotic belongings being moved in, items that are rarely seen in Greenwich Village apartments. When her new neighbor’s French bulldog escapes and Cornelia is able to coral him with Magnolia cupcakes, she is invited in and meets Virginia Somerset.
Virginia is the last of the Audacious Somerset sisters, the family of four who traveled the world in search of adventure. Cornelia quickly grows to love her and even Mr. Kinyatta, the crazy bulldog. Virginia shares her adventures with Cornelia, all while writing a secret book. This friendship with Virginia and her “butler”, Patel, helps Cornelia to open up and begin seeing her life in a new light.
This was a wonderful book, which I will highly recommend. I loved all of the characters, and Blume does a wonderful job of making the setting, Greenwich Village, into a character, it seems. I didn’t want to put this book down! It captures the bookish 11-year old girl perfectly (I should know, I was one!), and the adventures of the Somerset sisters had me laughing out loud! A beautiful book, and Blume is a new favorite of mine!
Filed under: books, kidlitosphere, reviews | Tagged: 48 hour book challenge, Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Si, lesley m.m. blume | 3 Comments »
I hated physics in high school. Hated it with the fire of a thousand suns. I think there was just too much math involved, plus the concepts were always difficult to grasp. But I think if I had this book, I might have had an easier time. 
secretary for her reporter uncle. She always thought her town was boring, but now that the trial and inevitable media circus have moved into town, she isn’t so sure if being exciting is worth it. As she watches the trial unfold, including the eventual guilty verdict, she struggles with her feelings on the American justice system and the media. Does she really want to be a reporter when she grows up? Can a man be partly responsible for the death of a child but not deserve the death penalty? Is there a such thing as a fair trial?
Violet lives with her mother in Mitchell Hammock, a tiny town in Florida. Mitchell Hammock is small enough that she and her Ma don’t need a car to get around because everything they need is right there in the neighborhood. Violet’s best friend in the world, Lottie, even lives right down the street. Together Violet, Lottie, and their friend Eddie explore the woods around town, hang out in their secret hiding places, and collect BrainFreeze cups so that they can redeem them for a free BrainFreeze.
with no friends forever. Her entire journey is documented in her blank sketchbook, which serves as a journal, sketchbook, and confidant. While life in her new town isn’t perfect in the beginning, she learns that it isn’t so bad once she opens up and gives it a chance.
