This honest, hopeful slice of adolescent life successfully explores how Domenica Santolina Doone, known as Dinnie, comes to terms with her past and establishes a secure identity for the future. Creech's skill at character development and subtle, effective use of metaphor shine in this first-person narrative with crisp, appropriately titled chapters. Deliberately, Creech introduces Dinnie as somewhat of a nonentity. Readers don't learn much about the specifics of her family life, only that her older sister and brother tend to get into various kinds of trouble, and that her parents are always looking for a new "opportunity" in some other town. By the second chapter, Dinnie explains that she's been "kidnapped" by her Aunt Sandy and Uncle Max, who take her with them to Switzerland to attend the school where Max is headmaster. In Dinnie's "second life" in Europe, her family continues to neglect her, forgetting even to let her know where they've relocated. Dinnie gradually adjusts to her new environment as she makes friends with other students from around the world: exuberant Guthrie; bitter Lila; and language-mangling Keisuke, who says "bloomable" when he means "possible." Together, these middle schoolers share classes and adventures, and explore ideas and emotions. As she reflects on her friends, her kind aunt and uncle, and her own vivid dreams, the youngster no longer sees herself as "Dinnie the dot in my bubble." Everyone can relate to the hard struggles of life, but, as the heroine comes to realize, the world is still full of "bloomability."
This was my favorite book growing up - I've read it so many times!
This book is absolutly AMAZING. One of my all time favorites. It's about a girl who is forced abroad to a boarding school in Switzerland. She faces romance, difficult friendships, and her battles with her family. This book is great for teens.
I enjoyed this book mroe than I thought I would. I liked the descriptions of Switzerland, they were extrememly vivid and made me feel like I was there.
Great book! Highly recommend it!!
Twelve year old Dinnie Doone has lived a nomadic life, with her father always pursuing the next "opportunity", and the rest of the family following in his wake. But her brother keeps getting into worse and worse trouble, and when her sister secretly elopes and gets pregnant, her mother decides to send her to live with her aunt and uncle in Switzerland, where they will be teaching. It's a great opportunity for Dinnie, but she feels terribly homesick.
I like Creech's books, but this one was a little disappointing. It had a great build-up, but somewhere along the way the storyline scattered and then petered out. Creech has a great way of putting the reader into the mind of her adolescent protagonists, but though I loved the characters, the story seemed to go nowhere and left me a little dissatisfied. Still, it's one to make a young person think, and the descriptions of Switzerland are beautiful.
