CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 6, 2012
"A rare, rewarding, sumptuous exploration of artistic passion. (author's note) (Historical fantasy. 12 & up)"
Giulia is bright, curious and a gifted artist, born to a noble father and his humble mistress in 15th-century Renaissance Italy. Now her fate rests with her father's widow, who's sending Giulia to a Padua convent.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 18, 2011
"Former child violin prodigy Martinez brings this overwrought world to tense, quivering life and guides readers through it confidently. A brilliant debut. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Grammy-winning, world-touring violinist Carmen Bianchi, 17, has outgrown child-prodigy status. To transition to an adult career as a virtuoso soloist, she must win the Guarneri Competition. If she loses, she'll be just another former prodigy.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Dec. 1, 2010
"Soledad's first-person narration feels authentic, but the material would engage more if it were shorter and sharper. (Fiction. YA)"
Soledad Reyes, a Cuban-American high-school senior, lives to dance and hopes to win a spot in a professional ballet company.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 12, 2010
"The novel is rich with detail, and both the Brooklyn and Paris settings provide important grounding for the haunting and beautifully told story. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
Andi Alpers, a 17-year-old music lover, is about to be expelled from her elite private school.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2009
"Fatherly Vivaldi, a ruddy, spirited and sympathetic composer approaching greatness, binds the girls and the story together. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 14 & up)"
Three girls train under Vivaldi at an esteemed orphanage for the musically gifted, each seeking love outside its strict classes and conventions.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2009
"Forman excels at inserting tiny but powerful details throughout, including the realistic sounds, smells and vocabulary of a hospital, which will draw readers into this masterful text and undoubtedly tug at even the toughest of heartstrings. (Fiction. YA)"
When snow cancels school, Mia and her family pile into their beat-up station wagon for a drive.
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