A Portrait of Pia

by Marisabina Russo

Thirteen-year-old Pia doesn't know her father, but she desperately wants to meet him. So she sends a letter to his home in far-off Italy. After she mails that one little letter, Pia's world turns upside down. But as she explores art, poetry, and New York City--and even makes her way to Italy to meet her mysterious papà-- her world starts to right itself. In this powerful and heartfelt story, Pia tries hard to forgive and love her imperfect family,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0152055770
• ISBN13: 9780152055776
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 10 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 5 and higher

Customer Reviews

Stunning storytelling

At thirteen Pia is determined to finally meet the father who abandoned her and moved to Italy before she was even born. Her mom has always been very secretive about him. But Pia has just discovered a box of old papers with her father's address printed on an empty envelope. She writes and then tears up several letters. How can she express all that she feels? In one letter she decides to call him Papa instead of Mr. Venturini. _Dear Papa, My mother doesn't know I'm writing this letter. I've been thinking a lot about you even though I can't really remember you...Maybe now would be a good time for us to meet? Please write back really soon...Mom is okay except when she's worrying about Mario. He got into trouble at college and had to drop out and now he needs to see a doctor every week. You remember my half brother Mario, don't you?_ She adores her brother Mario, but he has just been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and figuring out what trouble he will cause next is exhausting. Sometimes Pia is even a little afraid to be around him. She dreams of meeting a loving and exciting father in a romantic Italian setting. And her dreams come true. A package arrives on her birthday. Inside is a beautiful book about Italy and an invitation for her to come and visit him in Italy before it is too late. Pia finally convinces her mom to accept the airplane tickets and travel to Italy: Land of Enchantment. She knows that things will be different now. Her life would be normal. She would make special memories with her father. But Pia is totally unprepared for what she discovers in Italy. Her mother and father have secrets that change everything. She is deeply angry and disappointed with her mother. When Pia's father begs her to stay with him, she must make a decision. I loved the way Marisabina Russo allowed me to see into Pia's thoughts and feelings. This beautiful and talented young teenager does not realize how special she is. Her drawings are insightful and her patience and love in dealing with her brother and her mother are all things that she is so humbly unaware of. Armchair Interviews says: What a wonderful story written by a talented author that is geared to middle reader to young adult.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Pia Crossley is a pretty average seventh-grade girl. She lives with her mother and sometimes her older brother, Mario, in an apartment in a quiet neighborhood in Queens. Her life is fairly normal. Until she discovers a box of old papers in the basement, including one with her father's address on it. Pia has never met her mysterious Italian father, and her mom doesn't talk much about him. However, she's gone almost thirteen years without knowing him, and she wants to know. So she writes him a letter, wishing on the odd elephant charm her brother gave her for him to write back. But what happens if he does? That's not the only drama going on in Pia's life. Her best friend seems to have traded her in for the new girl. The boy she's got a crush on doesn't seem to notice her much. Her brother is sick. Her mom's got a new boyfriend. And her art teacher won't stop trying to convince her to submit something for the art show. What's a girl to do? A PORTRAIT OF PIA is a fun, charming story about, most of all, what it's like to be thirteen. It's also about Pia's mysterious Italian father, but really it's about Pia's life, and how she's handling it all. It's a well-written novel, and Marisabina Russo has a gift for creating lifelike, interesting characters. This one is well worth reading! Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce