Synopsis

A. J. Degulio loved the idea of a visit to the Old Country . . . until her family decided to stay. It's 1972 and she's turning fourteen in a crumbling castle on a hill in Tuscany, wishing she were back in Idaho with her beloved dog, Sailor. In Italy, her blonde hair makes her stick out like a vanilla wafer in a box of chocolate biscotti, and she's so lonely her best friend is a nun from the local convent. The challenges of roots and relatives are nothing new to A. J. but she's going to need more than the famous Degulio sense of humor to survive. Can't anyone see that Italy isn't really home? It will take a catastrophe-and a few wise words from a friend-for A. J. to understand that sometimes the only thing you can change is your perspective.

Biography

Renée Riva has been writing humorous stories ever since she won her first writing contest in second grade. A former greeting-card verse writer and popular speaker, Renée has also published two children's books (Izzy the Lizzy and Guido's Gondola), and Saving Sailor, the prequel to Taking Tuscany. She and her husband reside in Washington State with their three daughters, a dog, a cat, and her latest birthday gift-a baby dwarf hamster named Tiny Tim.