Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters
  • Published: 15 January 2008
  • ISBN: 9780440421108
  • Imprint: RHUS Children's Books
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $21.00

Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters

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Lesley M. M. Blume is a bright new star in the world of middle grade fiction. Cornelia is a story that you want to curl up with on a rainy day and never put down. It is full of unforgettable characters--from the ghost of King Arthur to an opera singer who sounds more like a howling dog to a lovable black French bulldog named Mr. Kinyatta to four winsome, independent sisters--and envelops the reader in its descriptions of both far-off places (India, Morocco, and Paris to name a few) and nearby places (the West Village). It is a contemporary novel, but has a fanciful quality to it--much like the Penderwicks--that gives it a timeless feel.

Eleven-year-old Cornelia is the daughter of two world-famous pianists—a legacy that should feel fabulous, but instead feels just plain lonely. She surrounds herself with dictionaries and other books to isolate herself from the outside world. But when a glamorous neighbor named Virginia Somerset moves next door with her servant Patel and a mischievous French bulldog named Mister Kinyatta, Cornelia discovers that the world is a much more exciting place than she had originally thought.

An unforgettable story of friendship and adventure that takes readers around the world and back again, Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters is a dazzling first novel by Lesley M. M. Blume.
  • Published: 15 January 2008
  • ISBN: 9780440421108
  • Imprint: RHUS Children's Books
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $21.00
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Praise for Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters

"The realistic, emotionally awkward heroine of Blume's first novel will remind readers of the protagonists in books by E. L. Konigsburg and Louise Fitzhugh." --Booklist
"[T]he blossoming bond between Cornelia and Virginia is central to this tender story, and their passion for words is infectious. When Virginia suggests to Cornelia, "Did it ever occur to you that your mother speaks through music and not words?" her question opens up an opportunity for Cornelia to begin to heal her relationship with her mother. Blume is a writer to watch." --Publishers Weekly
"Blume has woven a touching and humorous story within a story. Her unique approach, combined with her diverse and colorful characters, the variety of informative settings and the witty adventures within different cultures around the world, make this book a memorable and joyful experience." --Kidsread.com