The Diary of Melanie Martin: Or How I Survived Matt the Brat, Michelangelo, and the Leaning Tower of Pizza

A must read with the monalisa, sistin chapel, and boots the cat. Also it has ton of poetry. The book makes your mouth water for more.

Having traveled to Italy with my family when I was twelve, The Diary of Melanie Martin called back dozens of similar memories of all the museums which were endured with the promise of gelato and of the delicious food which Weston describes to mouth-watering perfection. Reading this book, I kept on wishing it had been around for my family vacation so that my brother and I could have played "Point out the Naked People" during our museum tours; now I can only wholeheartedly recommend it to every member of a family planning a trip to Italy or just looking for a funny and truthfully-written book too perfetto to be missed.

Ten-year-old Melanie Martin is absolutely ecstatic to have the chance to visit Italy with her family. After all, how many 10-year-old kids get to visit a foreign country, and miss a day of school to do so? However, the minute Melanie steps on the plane headed for her lovely vacation destination, she realizes that maybe this isn't going to be the greatest vacation ever, what with her art-obsessed Mom dragging her to every museum in the country, her pain of a little brother, Matt, and her grumpy Father in tow. But as Melanie begins discovering poetry, Michelangelo, and Italian ice cream, as well as the true meaning of family, she begins realizing that maybe things aren't as bad as they seem. After all, having an annoying family is better than having no family at all, right?GIRLS' LIFE advice columnist, Carol Weston, has proved that she knows more than her fair share about being a 10-year-old girl, forced to go on a family vacation, especially a family vacation to another country, and that knowledge shines through in Melanie Martin's voice. Melanie is a cute character, who young readers will relate to magnificently, seeing as how she she makes a big deal out of the tiniest dilemmas. Her younger brother, Matt, will find older siblings identifying with Melanie as well, as there is no older sibling who has not experienced the same aggravation that Matt causes Melanie. With short poems, and hand-drawn doodles littering every chapter, THE DIARY OF MELANIE MARTIN: OR HOW I SURVIVED MATT THE BRAT, MICHELANGELO, AND THE LEANING TOWER OF PIZZA, is sure to be a pleaser.Erika Sorocco

If you loved the Amelia books by Marissa Moss, you are going to go gaga over Melanie Martin and her world-class travel adventures with her family. Funny, touching, full of great details, how can you NOT love a book that has a map at the beginning? Like all the Melanie Martin books, this one encourages kids to travel widely in their imaginations and come home changed by their encounters. too bad all the adults who travel BADLY don't read Melanie before they head out! Great gift for any age Italian-bound tourist.

Meet 10 year old Melanie Martin, your average american kid and child travel critic . Melanie keeps a travel journal when her folks take her and her 6 year old brother Matt on a trip to Italy. Remember those family vacations you used to take as a kid? Well trust me, when you travel with Melanie, it'll all come rushing back at you.Melanie's accounts of plane travel, Italian culture ("Almost everyone here speaks Italian-even kids"), and her goofy adventures with her family (at a museum she plays a game with Matt to "Point out the Naked People") will have you in stitches. Ms Weston is not only a funny writer, she's a mom and it serves her well in her accounts of family behaviour. This book reminds me of my own family trips when I was a kid (hey, when I was 11, my folks took me to Italy too! I can't say I appreciated it as much as Melanie did, but then maybe she should have joined us for the ride!)Funny, breezy and filled with the easily believable dialogue of a ten year old (complete with doodles on the pages!) This is a great book for would-be travelers of all ages.