I Am Lavina Cumming: A Novel of the American West (Historical Fiction for Young Readers) [Paperback]

Susan Lowell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2005 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Historical Fiction for Young Readers

Lavina Cumming has spent her entire first ten years of life on the Bosque Ranch in Arizona Territory with her mother and father, five brothers, and her black mustang pony, Chummy. When her mother dies, her father decides it would be best if Lavina went to live with her aunt, where she can be brought up as a lady. Starting off at dawn on September 16, 1905, Lavina travels by train to Santa Cruz, California. Armed with the Cumming family motto — "courage" — she arrives in a world of two-story houses, automobiles, a new school, and her cousin, "awful Aggie." Trying her best to settle in, Lavina is as shocked as everyone else by the great earthquake that nearly demolishes the nearby city of San Francisco. In the aftermath of the quake, she must make a big decision about her future. Based on the true story of Susan Lowell's grandmother, this acclaimed book, which includes a short afterword by the author, offers a compelling look at life in early twentieth-century California and a girl struggling to find her place there.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Tarascan Indians have lived since c. 500 B.C. in the state of Michoacan in southwestern Mexico. Until recently sequestered from the modern world, they speak a language apparently unrelated to any other and earn a living mainly from agriculture. The Franciscos (she wrote Cold Feet , a novel, and he is a freelance photographer) visited Tarascan villages and here record the "encounter" (one village "had our heart the moment we glimpsed it") with a rugged volcanic landscape and its "unapologetic and unflustered" people. Though occasionally insightful ("The beauty of slow lives turns on the edge of boredom"), the narrative is more often trite, describing courtyards "teeming with children" and a volcano that "looms beyond your reach, its backside a distant dream." Interviews with Tarascans yield little (affirms one, "What do I like about America? Total, total, total "). Like the prose, the black-and-white photographs are uneven in substance: generic images of wrinkled faces and stoic landscapes are now and then interrupted by inimitably revealing portraits.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7-In 1905, 10-year-old Lavina's widowed father sends the girl to make her way from their home in the Arizona mountains to his sister in California to be educated and to learn to be a lady. Strong-willed Aunt Agnes; her wispy daughter, Maude; and Maude's spoiled daughter are much different from Lavina's five wild brothers, and the Mission School and formal dinners are far different from the outdoor, free life she left behind. Lowell presents both lives with respect; as Lavina adapts to new experiences, she shares stories about speaking Spanish at home and riding a horse to school. In fact, her camping skills come in handy after the San Francisco earthquake drives the household out into the street. Lowell's book is based on stories her grandmother told; this along with evident careful research give it a vivid sense of time and place. The strong characters develop believably towards the satisfyingly circular ending: Lavina returns to Arizona for the summer, alone again, but now with a dream for the future and two beloved homes instead of one.
Sally Bates Goodroe, Houston Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Milkweed Editions (April 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571316558
• ISBN-13: 978-1571316554
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #617,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book you shouldn't miss!, January 29, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: I Am Lavina Cumming (Paperback)

Lavina is a ten-year-old girl who lives at the Bosque Ranch in the Arizona territory in the early 1900's. Her mother died, and her father is sending her to live in California with her aunt. When she arrives, she steps into a whole different world. Sometimes her Aunt Agnes reminds her of her father. Her aunt has a daughter named Maude, and Maude has a daughter, Aggie, who is eight. It's hard to get along with Aggie, but Lavina makes friends at school. Lavina has a fight with her aunt one night, and she plans to run away in the morning, but something big happens before she gets the chance. This is a well-written book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Treasure, July 16, 2010

By 

jense26 - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Am Lavina Cumming: A Novel of the American West (Historical Fiction for Young Readers) (Paperback)

This is an awesome story that captured the real essence of life near the AZ-MX border. It is also very inspiring specially the great strength and perseverance shown by Lavina. It is very good example for every young ladies. It also showcases the natural cleverness and wisdom learned from the very unique interaction with man and nature along the beautiful landscape of Southern Arizona. Another great bonus of this novel is the authentic stories included that wrapped up the historical facts of early Southern Arizona territories. The author should be commended in having this novel. I can not wait to share this great story with other students in school.