The Italian Spring

Mr Copplestone & The Smiths #8

by Gillian Avery

When her latest guardian dies, a twelve-year-old English girl is relieved when a distant cousin offers her a home in Italy.

Genres: Adventure

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Gillian Elise Avery was a British children's novelist, and a historian of childhood education and children's literature. She won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 1972 for A Likely Lad. It was adapted for television in 1990.

Reviews

[Melanie Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not, perhaps, as good as 'The Warden's Niece', but still charming. I did feel rather frustrated by Maria's prolonged episodes of 'reclusiveness' when she could have been exploring Italy more, but I enjoyed the ending of the book. The characterisation is strong in this book, as in 'The Warden's Niece'.

[Janet Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember all these books with nostalgia and warm fuzzy feelings. A favourite author.