The Orphan Singer

I wanted to love this book because of it's musical focus. I didn't, but it was still an enjoyable read, and beautifully written. The story is heartwarming if a bit cliche', and I did learn about 18th century Venetian orphanage/conservatories. Baby' don't sing harmony :)

A hauntingly memorable book worth rereading and sharing with children and adults. May be especially interesting for music lovers and those who have traveled to Venice.

This is a beautiful story of a poor family in Italy. They have a daughter and recognize her talent to sing but can not afford to foster that talent so they put her up to be an orphan at a music school called the Pieta. The girl's talent is recognized and she becomes a great singer. The family visits weekly but can not tell her who they really are. Ultimately the girl has to decide what she wants.
The pictures are really beautiful and the story is heartbreaking but good!

http://www.balkinbuddies.com/mccully/index.html

Too long for storytime, but a sweet, interesting story of a poor family who cannot give their little girl singing lessons, so gives her to the orphanage were she gets musical training and becomes a star. The family keeps track of her and comes to all her concerts.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age appropriateness: Primary, Intermediate

Media: Watercolor and tempura

Review: This is a good example of realistic fiction because the girl in this story could have been any girl in the early 18th century whose parents choose to leave her ospedalo (orphanage). Catarina’s parents knew their daughter was talented and had a wonderful gift. By leaving her to be raised as an orphan she would get the training she needed to be a great singer.

Critique:
Genre: This story would be realistic fiction when it is considered through the time period because if it were not set in the 18th Century in Venice, Italy, it wouldn't be very realistic. This is because a family is so poor, but know their daughter has musical talent and so they pretend to have abandoned her so that she can grow up in ospedalo where she can receive singing lessons and general education. This would not be realistic in the United States because there aren't many schools like that.
Setting: This story is set in Venice, Italy in the early 18th Century. It is very important to the story because without the time period, it would not be realistic. During this time, Venice was supported by welfare institutions for show more orphaned and abadnoned girls and so it would be common for them to be raised there and possibly selected for the chorus. Also, without living in Italy, it wouldn't be as common for the girls to sing to royalty. Without this particular setting, the story would not be the same. show less

This book was about a poor family who had a daughter who could sing. However the only way that she could receive the proper education that she needed was to be given to the school that only takes orphans so she could learn to sing and possibly help the family in the future. Then she became a famous singer and helped her family gain a lot of wealth and helped take care of them for the rest of her life since they did that for her.