BY LESLEY M. M. BLUME
Eleven-year-old Cornelia S. Englehart lives in New York City and is the daughter of world-famous pianists. Her legacy should feel fabulous, but instead feels just plain lonely. In a world where privacy is as rare as diamonds, Cornelia isolates herself in a fortress of books full of long and complicated words. But when a glamorous writer named Virginia Somerset moves next door with her servant Patel and her mischievous French bulldog, Cornelia discovers that the world is a much more exciting place than she originally thought.
First Page:
It was winter in New York City and the days were short. At three o'clock in the afternoon, the sun already hung low over the horizon, casting sharp pink light on the clouds above the skyscrapers.
Cornelia S. Englehart lagged five steps behind her classmate Lauren Brannigan as they walked down the street. School had just ended for the day.
Lauren wheeled around to face Cornelia, her long blond braids whipping through the air. "Come on, Cornelia," she said irritably, as if Cornelia were her annoying little sister. "Hurry up."
Cornelia reluctantly quickened her pace.
