I Am Lavina Cumming

Not heavy with personality conflicts or historical issues, nor with didactics, but not fluff nor sweet & light either. It seems to me that the author told the story from her heart, to children... not to librarians or teachers... which makes this a special read.

It's also special because it's stories within stories, and inspired by the author's family history.

She doesn't worry about stopping to explain something that youngsters would be interested in learning, like what a leghorn hat is, for example, or what route a train would take from southern Arizona (Calabasas, actually) to Santa Cruz (Watsonville, actually). But she doesn't slow down the tale by, for example, overexplaining about why Mrs. Grover Cleveland is against women's show more suffrage; it's just mentioned.

And some of the writing is just lovely.

Lavina is, naturally, having trouble adjusting being in a new home, away from her family:
"When she glanced at herself in the mirror, dressed for church, she hardly knew the girl who looked back.... this girl didn't fall in the mud while catching foals by the river.... This bashful girl dressed in white never flew into a rage... Even Lavina's skin felt different--hard... always cold.... And her head felt different inside. She seemed to watch what happened from a long distance, without emotion, as though she drifted in a strange dream."

"At home in the desert, rain was always a blessing, but mostly it came down with a crash and a bang in the summertime. This slow California autumn rain made her feel sad, lonely, and trapped."

Because this author is so conscientious about telling her stories to the child reader, I'm finally learning several things myself. For example "least said, soonest mended" means that an apology should be brief & sincere, and acceptance should be even more brief, no nagging or warning.

I also learned that goose tastes like the dark meat of a chicken. No wonder Tiny Tim's family was excited to have one for Christmas!

Popular songs of the day I hope to find to listen to are Juanita, Sweet Adeline, and Come away with me Lucille, in my merry Oldsmobile."

'Coraje' in Spanish means both Courage and Anger.

I did have trouble with one bit, and I don't know if it's the author's mistake or Lavina didn't tell the author the memory accurately. Lavina packs in her travel case enough oranges for her father and brothers, but none for Luz, the local herbalist who gave Lavina the good luck charm.

Anyway, I highly recommend this historical fiction for young 'tweens (or for all ages interested, really, and it would make a good read-aloud for families); I will look for more by the author, and I will look for more by the imprint, Milkweed Editions, www.milkweed.org. show less

I first discovered this book as a young child by listening to it on tape from my local library. I have since then read this book at least 30 times. I used to check out those tapes all the time. I then spent a large number of years without access to it and then decided to order it online and can now read it as much as I like. I love the story of a young girl, travelling alone to live with her aunt in San Francisco and her experiences there including the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906.