Review
Comment: The year
is 1870; the first year of the
Franco-Prussian War. 13-year-old Dina lives
with her mother and sister over her mother's
sewing shop in a small town on the bank of
the River Rhine in the newly (or soon to be
formed) German Empire; but her friend Elise
lives on the other side of the river in
France. One day, Dina is stopped by
soldiers as she returns from an illicit
visit to her friend, and is mistaken for a
spy (not only is she returning from the
enemy's side of the river but she's carrying
a pattern for a new hat, which looks
suspiciously like a map). She escapes, but
it's not safe for her to stay in Germany, so
her mother and sister smuggle her out of the...
Beyond the Book
Patricia
Reilly Giff, author of about
60 books for children, says that
she tries to write books "that
say ordinary people are
special." She says that all of
her books are based in some way
on her personal experiences, or
the experiences of members of
her family, or children she
meets. In an afterword to
The House of Tailors she
explains that the character of
Dina is based on her
great-grandmother, 'a loving,
laughing woman...who was the
heart of our family even long
after her...
