L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015 www.italoamericano.com 6 "The adventure of Giulia", a book which turned into a best seller for bilingual kids If you meet Michelle for the first time, you can't help but be impressed from her beautiful brown eyes as well as her big smile. Michelle is only 8 years old, but the way she introduces herself makes of her a grown up girl. Michelle was born in San Francisco and, because of the family's Italian origins, she was soon taken to Venice, in Italy, to get baptised. Michelle loves the Lagoon City and her heart has always been very close to her mom's birthplace and her nonno and nonna's hometown. She lives in Pacifica and has now become one of the most popular young people within the Italian community in the Bay Area. Middle daughter of three g i r l s , s h e s p e a k s E n g l i s h , French, and Italian, that she learnt through her mom Sabrina. W h i l e n o b o d y c a n d e n y t h e exceptional skills which let her become a writer, the success she found in the online world is e v e n m o r e i m p r e s s i v e . " T h e Adventure of Giulia - The Girl w i t h a M a g i c a l U n i c o r n " , a bilingual book in English and Italian, has soon turned into an Amazon best seller children's book. While talking to Michelle, you immediately get the feeling that reading is for her more than a hobby: as her parents confessed, she is most often found with her nose in a new book, absorbing the stories and the characters, the conflicts and t h e a d v e n t u r e s , f r o m a w i d e variety of authors and styles. First of all, why do you like to speak different languages? I like to speak different lan- guages because they give me the chance to understand and talk to more people. Of course, I can also read more books! I love to read and to write books. Can you tell us something about Giulia, the main charac- ter of the book? Giulia is a little girl and her wishes are being fulfilled by a magical unicorn that takes her around the world to discover new things. What I like about Giulia is that she faces each adventure with a positive atti- tude and she is 'never afraid'. Do you have anything in common with your heroine? I am curious to learn about new things in life. Plus I like to use my imagination when I do new stuff. However, I am not as brave as her. Alaska, Sahara Desert, and M e x i c o : w h y d o y o u t a k e Giulia to these places? These are all places where I would like to go. They are the fantasy locations of a witch's castle and an enchanted forest. I tried to include details from each location as Giulia explores the fun of new adventures. W h e r e a r e y o u g o i n g t o take Giulia next? My next book will be based in Venice, in Italy, where Giulia goes to visit her cousin. I want to take her there during Carnival because I am sure she will have many adventures. I visit Venice very often because of my grand- p a r e n t s . I u s u a l l y g o d u r i n g summer when I enjoy the Lido's beaches and I love to explore the city with them. You are so young but you can give people tips on how to SERENA PERFETTO write books… Back in December, I present- e d m y b o o k a t t h e I t a l i a n C u l t u r a l I n s t i t u t e i n S a n Francisco. I talked about how to write a book. I could share my experiences with other children. I was happy to give other kids some suggestions on how to start. I told them how I got my ideas, how I put together the plot and organised the chapters, how I got illustrations and what I needed from my parents. Many kids joined Michelle's talk and, as Amelia Antonucci underlined, "The presentation was interesting and a valuable e x p e r i e n c e f o r c h i l d r e n , t o inspire them to pursue their own ideas." Michelle can count n o w o n h e r o w n w e b s i t e i n which she also have some space for a personal blog, where to write new thoughts and ideas. Besides playing with her imagi- nation and ideally travelling to new places, she spends time d o i n g w h a t m o s t g i r l s l o v e : d a n c i n g . S h e c o m p e t e s i n a dance company in tap, ballet, lyrical… and enjoys the cama- raderie of her fellow dancers. If you wish to know more about Michelle, you can follow her on Facebook https://www.face- book.com/michellelongegawil- s o n , a n d v i s i t h e r w e b p a g e h t t p : / / M i c h e l l e L o n g e g a Wilson.com. Michelle during one of her talks on how to write a book Jan. 10, Sat. - The Leaning Tower of Pisa A ten-foot scale model of the Tower, hand-crafted out of alabaster by the artisans of Volterra, in Tuscany, will make its US debut, cour- tesy of the City of Pisa and the Pisa Chamber of Commerce. January 10 - February 10, 2015. Westfield Mall, 4th Floor Rotunda 865 Market Street, San Francisco. Jan. 14, Wed. - Night Out In North Beach - Benefiting the Joe DiMaggio Playground. Info www.DiMaggioPlayground.org Jan 14, Wed. - Bimbo's Night Out In North Beach - Benefiting Joe DiMaggio Playground. Info www.bimbos365club.com Jan. 22, Thurs. - The Leaning Tower of Pisa How is it still stan- ding? Have you ever wondered why the Leaning Tower of Pisa is still standing? Join us at the IIC on January 22, 2015 for an engaging and enlightening lecture by the two leading experts of the Tower's restoration project. Info: (415) 788-7142 or Email: contact.sanfrancisco@esteri.it Feb. 3, Tues. - Italian Community Services and Business Association Italy America (ICS/BAIA) event at Club Fugazi, home of the Beach Blanket Babylon, 678 Green Street, San Francisco. Info at agency@italiancs.com or tel. (415) 362-3565 Feb. 8, Sun. - Le Donne D'Italia Bubbly & Bingo. Join San Francisco's Italian Womens' Club for lunch and a afternoon filled with fun, and Bubbly and Bingo with cash prizes, at the Italian Athletic Club. For more details and tickets contacts Antonette 415-509-4810 or email sagit19@aol.com Through Apr. 19, 2015- Primo Angeli: A Retrospective. The Museo Italo Americano will exhibit the works of San Francisco design legend, Primo Angeli. Info: Phone: (415) 673-2200 , E- mail: sfmuseo@sbcglobal.net Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Blvd., Building C Michelle with Paolo Barlera at IIC The Girl with a Magical Unicorn book cover

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