SOPHIE PITT-TURNBULL DISCOVERS AMERICA
Dyan Sheldon
Candlewick Press
Fiction
ISBN-10: 0763632953
ISBN-13: 9780763632953
192 pages

Meet Sophie Pitt-Turnbull. She's a proper British teen who has a strong sense of identity. "I've always been happy with who I am. Not in a stuck-up, I'm-the-best-thing-that's happened-since-the-invention-of-the-lightbulb sort of way. More in a God's-done-a-lot-worse-than-Sophie-Pitt-Turnbull sort of way. I reckoned that I'd improve with age (like wine or cheese), but I never expected to change."

Not in her wildest dreams would Sophie Pitt-Turnbull know what she was getting herself into when she begged and pleaded with her parents to let her go on summer vacation --- or holiday, as the British say. Her family had canceled their usual summer trip to France and Sophie couldn't stand the thought of spending all summer watching Jocelyn Scolfield, a friend who Sophie was on the outs with, and Daniel, Sophie's ex-boyfriend who was now dating Jocelyn. Sophie prayed to get out of England.

And then, a miracle! Sophie's mother had an old friend, Jacqueline Salamanca, from art school. Sophie's mother rang Jacqueline every year to wish her a happy birthday. This year, Jacqueline was complaining how her daughter, Cherry, desperately wanted to go to Europe. It was the perfect idea! They could swap daughters for the summer, so that each girl could get a chance to go overseas.

Sophie was thrilled. She'd seen lots of movies about America --- especially New York City where the Salamancas lived. She couldn't wait to go shopping on Fifth Avenue and hit the art galleries in SoHo.

But then she arrives and things are very different from how she had imagined. The Salamancas were not proper, like Sophie's family. In fact, they were the exact opposite. Mrs. Salamanca insists on being called Jake rather than Mrs. Salamanca or Auntie. Her two kids, Gallup and Tampa, even call her Jake. Gallup is obsessed with animals --- their house is filled with strange creatures including a pet pig named Bart. Sophie has to share a room with Tampa who talks in her sleep. Sophie's luggage gets lost and she has no choice but to wear the weird clunky black clothes that Cherry (whose real name is Cherokee) has left behind. And the most shocking of all is that the Salamancas do not live in New York City. They reside in Brooklyn in a falling down, cluttered house that is not remotely close to the SoHo loft that Sophie had envisioned.

Sophie expects that her summer will be even worse than being in England. Will she be able to put up with the wacky lifestyle of these Brooklynites? Can she put aside her culture shock and actually have a good time?

Dyan Sheldon is the author of many books for young readers including CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN, MY PERFECT LIFE, and PLANET JANET. She does a good job of creating strong female characters and hurdling them through various entertaining obstacles.

SOPHIE PITT-TURNBULL DISCOVERS AMERICA is a fun read for Brooklynites, Londoners, and everyone else too! It's infused with humor and quirky characters that make for an enjoyable read. A helpful British slang glossary is found at the back of the book to help translate some of Sophie's phrases. Even though the British speak the same language as Americans, there are many things that are different. Can our girl Sophie Pitt-Turnbull who "never expected to change" adjust to American life? Read and find out!

   --- Reviewed by Kristi Olson

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