From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8–An engaging fantasy set in modern-day Venice. Elisa, 10, frequently visits her lovable, if rather eccentric, grandmother who lives alone and is always ready to enact Shakespearean scenes with her granddaughter. When she learns that her mother once had Nonna Eia committed to a mental institution because of her erratic behavior, Elisa is determined to protect the woman at all costs. Nevertheless, she is totally unprepared when Nonna gradually transforms into a
Geochelonegigantea, an endangered species of giant tortoise that lives for more than 150 years. The unusual story takes on a bit of intrigue when the wintry Venetian high waters threaten to drown the tortoise while she hibernates and again when a reptile collector attempts to steal her. As is fitting for a Shakespeare-inspired story, though, "all's well that ends well," with Nonna Eia going to Aldabra, an atoll in the Indian Ocean, where she has dreamed of spending the rest of her now-elongated life with her own kind. The well-written story has enough plot twists and turns to keep readers involved, and they're sure to be intrigued by Nonna Eia's unique means of controlling her destiny. Gandolfi's descriptions are vivid and filled with interesting similes, but the vocabulary is sometimes quite sophisticated. However, the prose flows smoothly, and the story is easy to follow, so readers are bound to grasp the ideas behind difficult words. This thoughtfully composed, imagination-stretching novel will work particularly well as a read-aloud, and it is sure to generate discussions about the possibilities of genetic transformation.
–Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Gr. 6-12. Ten-year-old Elisa loves her Nonna Eia, who lives by the seawall in Venice and paints in a shed nearby. Elisa brings food, listens to Nonna's stories, and recites her Shakespeare with Nonna prompting. But Elisa has come to wonder why her mother never visits. Learning her mother once had Nonna Eia committed to a mental institution, causing a great rift, Elisa is determined not to let it happen again, even as Nonna begins to change. Really change. She loses her soft skin and the ability to stand upright, slowly transforming into an enormous land tortoise. Nonna continues to paint and can still produce sounds approximating Shakespeare's language, so Elisa is able to communicate with her. Internet searches, a wild night of high water in Venice, and Nonna's story in which women can transform into another creature and thus trick death combine in a tale of very odd and very magical moments. The shimmering borders between sanity and craziness, between language and vision, and between generations glow with a phosphorescent wash of European fantasy.
GraceAnne DeCandidoCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
