All of Sharon's Titles A Fine, Fine School Absolute Normal Chaos Bloomability The Castle Corona Chasing Redbird Fishing in the Air Granny Torrelli     Makes Soup Hate That Cat Heartbeat Love that Dog Pleasing the Ghost Replay Ruby Holler Walk Two Moons The Wanderer Who's That Baby BUY THE BOOKS
Read a Chapter   Buy the Book     IRA/CBC Children's Choices 1999 Parenting Magazine Reading Magic Award 1998 Chicago Public Library Best Books 1998	Select a Title Absolute Normal Chaos Bloomability The Castle Corona Chasing Redbird Granny Torrelli     Makes Soup Hate That Cat Heartbeat Love that Dog Pleasing the Ghost Replay Ruby Holler Walk Two Moons The Wanderer Thirteen-year-old Domenica Santolina Doone (better known as Dinnie) is whisked away from her family ("kidnapped," as she refers to it) and taken to a boarding school in Switzerland by her Uncle Max and Aunt Sandy. Although she does not want to be in Switzerland and does not want to be away from her family, she gradually comes to love this new place with its people who've come from all over the world. The cover bears an artist's rendering of 'real' pictures I sent to my editor. On the front is a picture of our daughter Karin, reclining on a mountain in Andermatt (I love that she's taken off her hiking boots and seems so happy there on that mountain). Beneath that picture is one of my youngest brother Tom, and to the right of that is a view from our house there, looking up the hill toward Montagnola. The hardback cover has additional pictures on the back: one is of a teacher, Laura Studders, our son Rob and our daughter on the slopes of St. Moritz; beneath that is a photo of my husband Lyle. Read more... During our last year living in Europe, I thought a lot about coming back to the States and wondered what I would miss when I did move back. One place I knew I would miss was Switzerland, where we'd lived for two years. My husband was the headmaster at an American/International school there; I taught English; our two children attended the school. The school is in Montagnola, near Lugano, in the Italian-speaking Ticino. We loved Switzerland and the language and the people--all of it. I thought it might be nice to set a book there, so that I could 'revisit' it as I wrote, and I think I also wanted to capture Switzerland before I returned to the States, so that I'd never forget it. Although the characters and the school are fictional, to me they represent a lot of international schools and students--students who are from all over the world and are away from their families, who gain an appreciation for their host country and for people of other nationalities.