Taking Tuscany by Riva
I admit the main reason I snatched this book was because it was about Italy! That’s all I needed to know. But now that I’ve read what it’s a fourteen year old girl who’s uprooted from Idaho to Italy, I’m so excited to read this. I went to Italy with my grandmother when I was 15 and had the time of my life. I’m sure my experience will be very different from the main character A.J., but I look forward to reading it just the same and making taking a detour down my own memory lane!
Renee Riva writes humorous stories with a message, for both children and adults. Having been raised in a large Italian family with a great sense of humor, she has much to draw from for developing quirky characters.
She loves sharing her secrets for story starters at Young Author events, helping to spark the imagination of young minds. Renee and her husband live in Richland, Washington, with their three daughters, a dog, a cat, and until recently, her beloved hamster—may she rest in peace.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A. J. Degulio loved the idea of a visit to the Old Country… until her family decided to stay. It’s 1972 and she’s turning fourteen in a crumbling castle on a hill in Tuscany, wishing she were back in Idaho with her beloved dog, Sailor. In Italy, her blonde hair makes her stick out like a vanilla wafer in a box of chocolate biscotti, and she’s so lonely her best friend is a nun from the local convent.
The challenges of roots and relatives are nothing new to A. J., but she’s going to need more than the famous Degulio sense of humor to survive. Can’t anyone see that Italy isn’t really home? It will take a catastrophe – and a few wise words from a friend – for A. J. to understand that sometimes the only thing you can change is your perspective.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Taking Tuscany, go HERE
