Beautiful drawings about kids traveling around for a year with their parents. ( )

I like this quirky book about an extremely eccentric family that takes a year out of their life to tour Italy as a four-person theatre troupe of animated puppets. I don't know whether it's rendered more believable or more peculiar by knowing that it's true events from the author's childhood. My very literal grandson complained about the book: the pictures don't always represent the two girls in their proper sizes and the Italian is so rudimentary. "It's like it was written by a child!" Since that effect was the author's intention, it's safe to say that the book is a success. His sister absolutely loved the book. I found it utterly delightful. I love books about puppets, puppetry and theatre and this one is unique. By majority vote, it's a keeper. ( )

Gisella didn't attend school for an entire year, instead her family traveled around Italy and performed. They were known as The Mystic Paper Beasts. Giselle writes in her journal about her entire journey, like when she had to go on for her little sister during a performance and couldn't see, and even when her family is save by nuns. The book describes describes foreign food and languages. It's a great book for kids to expose them to different cultures. ( )

When a young girl travels with her family to Italy to perform theater, she misses an entire year of school. However, she learns and experiences so much while she and her family are traveling, that it's as if she had never left.
This book encourages an adventurous lifestyle while also introducing the Italian culture. Through traveling, you are able to see the world from a different perspective and learn about a wide variety of cultures. The young girl in the book wrote about all the things she experienced and even learned to speak Italian.
The book is based on a true story, which I found to be interesting. The author, herself, wrote that her family performed and were called "The Mystic Paper Beasts." She had also traveled to Italy and kept a journal about her adventures. Upon reading this, it made the story more realistic and enjoyable. ( )

Every family is different; they are all interested in different things. This family has their own "troupe" that goes on tour in Italy for a year. Instead of school, the girls learn on the run and how life operates in a different setting than normal. This is a different perspective on life for children's imaginations to grow and learn n ( )