Book Descriptions
for Aldabra, or the Tortoise Who Loved Shakespeare by Silvana Gandolfi
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
A story set in contemporary Venice starts out as realistic fiction and slides seamlessly into delightful fantasy. Ten-year-old Elisa has a great relationship with her grandmother, Nonna Eia, with whom she shares a love for Shakespeare and art. She also has a great relationship with her mother. But for some unknown reason, Nonna and her mother do not speak. When Elisa begins to notice subtle changes in Nonna’s habits and behavior, she isn’t sure where to turn. It is not long before Elisa realizes that to thwart death, her grandmother is transforming herself into a tortoise. Specifically, she’s becoming a tortoise indigenous to the remote island of Aldabra. When Elisa learns the reason for the stalemate between her mother and grandmother, she is convinced that she must protect her grandmother in any way she can in a fast-paced novel with a preposterous premise that works. Despite rising tides and a lurking predator or two, feisty Elisa uses her wits and every resource at her disposal—including, with some relief, her mother— to help her grandmother reach her next destination in a wholly satisfying story. (Ages 9–14)
CCBC Choices 2005 . © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2005. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
Recipe for a mouth-watering read: A family secret, a miraculous transformation, an Internet stranger, a friendly American scientist, and a girl with the strength to make it all come out right.
"The way to outsmart death, Elisa dear, is to turn into something else," says Elisa's grandmother, an actress with a flair for the dramatic. But when it seems as if Nonna might actually be changing literally, Elisa must uncover a series of mysteries: why is it that her mother and her grandmother don't talk? Where is the exotic island of Aldabra - and how can it help her grandmother? Who is the man on the internet so eager to know the details of Nonna's transformation? And how will it all work out? Find out in Gandolfi's sparkling tale of love, magic, and moxie on the canals of Venice.
"The way to outsmart death, Elisa dear, is to turn into something else," says Elisa's grandmother, an actress with a flair for the dramatic. But when it seems as if Nonna might actually be changing literally, Elisa must uncover a series of mysteries: why is it that her mother and her grandmother don't talk? Where is the exotic island of Aldabra - and how can it help her grandmother? Who is the man on the internet so eager to know the details of Nonna's transformation? And how will it all work out? Find out in Gandolfi's sparkling tale of love, magic, and moxie on the canals of Venice.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.