After her father's death, Anna Maria is sent to the Pietà, an orphanage in Venice. All she has left of her father is the violin he made for her, but it carries his soul within. When she plays her violin, she hears his voice.
The Pietà is not just any orphanage. It is also a famous music school, and the teacher there is the great composer, Antonio Vivaldi. Anna Maria soon becomes his favorite student. But her beloved violin is stolen one night and thrown into a canal. Can Anna Maria ever get it back?
ISBN 978-0-375-85881-9
Author's note...
This book was inspired by my research for I, Vivaldi. Those orphan girls who became musicians fascinated me. What was it like to live in the Pietà and be Vivaldi's student? Although Anna Maria is a fictional girl, she could be real. The idea that her violin held her father's soul and voice came from the great violin maker, Antonio Stradivari. He liked to keep each violin in his bedroom for a month before varnishing it. He believed his soul entered the violin while he slept. And he should know!
To listen to the music Anna Maria plays in the story click here.
Praise for Anna Maria's Gift
Booklist:
"... memorable strong emotions lie at the heart of the story."
School Library Journal:
"A tender story about love and loss."
"There is a brief glossary of musical and religious terms as well as a closing note about the actual Pietà and Vivaldi's stint as an instructor there, making this a good cross-curricular tool in addition to an engaging read."
Parent:Wise Austin: "Easily read by third and fourth graders, the story is powerful and Austin author Shefelman packs a lot of emotion into short, compelling sentences." -Jeanette Larson, Books Editor
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