Two by Lesley M. M. Blume

I recently read two young adult books by Lesley M. M.  Blume. The first was so enjoyable, that I promptly headed down to the library after finishing it to see what else I could find by her.

The first one I read is called Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters. It is the story of Cornelia Street Englehart, a lonely and misunderstood 11-year old, who lives in Greenwich Village. Her mother and father are divorced and are also both world-class concert pianists, which leaves Cornelia to be raised by a housekeeper, feeling left out and alone.

One day someone new moves Cornelia's building, and through a series of events, she meets and befriends the new tenants: an elderly woman named Virginia Sommerset, her servant/companion Patel, and a French bulldog called Mr. Kinyatta.

Virginia is a writer by trade and she regales Cornelia with stories from her past - describing the wild adventures she and her three sisters had together while traveling around the world to exotic places like Morocco and India when they were young.

Because of their friendship, Cornelia begins to come out of her shell, make friends, and become closer with her mother. A very sweet book.

The second book I read is called The Rising Star of Rusty Nail. This one takes place in the early 1950s in the small, sleepy town of Rusty Nail, Minnesota.

10-year old Franny Hansen is somewhat of a piano prodigy. Unfortunately, she has learned all she can from the town's only piano teacher, but her parents can't afford to send her out of town for lessons. Then, seemingly out of the blue, a Russian woman arrives in town, and Franny soon discovers that she knows a lot about music. In fact, she is the famed Russian pianist Madame Malenkov.

Franny is able to talk Madame Malenkov into giving her piano lessons in exchange for doing chores around the house, but this is met with opposition from the townspeople who see her [Madame Malenkov] as a "commie" and even start a club denouncing her around town.

Franny and Madame Malenkov hold their heads high, and eventually they are able to overcome the town's prejudices and rivalries and follow their individual dreams. This one is not quite as good as Cornelia, but enjoyable all the same. I look forward to reading more from this author.