Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters
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.