Just a Girl

May 1, 2022

Gr 3-7-Lia Levi tells the story of her childhood as a young Jewish girl living in Italy and Rome during World War II. Lia's life begins to change when her mother tells her she can no longer attend her Italian school. Because of Mussolini's new laws, Lia must now attend a Jewish school. While this change doesn't affect Lia much, it is the first of many changes that worry her and cause her family to be separated. Lia's father loses his job, and their family must move multiple times for him to find work that will support their family. When the war gets too close to home, Lia's parents send her and her sisters to live at a convent in hopes of disguising them as Christian children. This unique story is both heartbreaking and sweet. Lia goes through many difficult situations, but, as a young girl would, she finds ways to be positive and have fun through this terrible time. The illustrations included add context for readers, along with interjections from Lia's adult self that usually refers to the readers as "dear readers." Levi's story is perfect for young children who want to learn more about the Holocaust, but aren't ready for the more horrific details. VERDICT An excellent addition to elementary memoir and World War II collections.-Lisa Buffi

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2022
In a direct, first-person account (adapted from her adult book Una bambina e basta), Levi relates what happened to her and her family under the rule of Mussolini and during World War II. Brief chapters, short sentences, and a simple vocabulary give this the air of a child's voice, but the quick, deft storytelling is that of a gifted, experienced narrator. The story starts in Turin, but when restrictions are imposed on Jewish Italians, Lia's family moves first to Milan and then to Rome, where Papa finds work. When the Germans occupy Rome, Lia and her sisters are hidden at a Catholic boarding school, and Papa and Mama go into hiding. Lia's impressions of her different schools, new friendships, and the conditions war brings about ("One egg for three people: that's just one of the little tricks that war can play on you") speak to children's interests, and the author's conversational style has just the right tone to make readers feel the narrator is addressing them personally. The main narrative is occasionally interrupted by "dear reader" notes -- explanations and reassurances to soften the suspense of a terrifying time. Mason's soft black-and-white illustrations make these switches clear and meaningful, as she moves from images of the youthful Lia to Lia as a grandmother, a testament of survival and Jewish cultural continuity. Deirdre F. Baker

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from February 15, 2022
An autobiographical account of one Jewish girl's childhood in Fascist Italy during World War II. Barred from her Italian school, 6-year-old Lia now goes to a Judaic school. After more antisemitic laws cost her Papa his job, the family moves to Milan and then to Rome, where Lia's father is forced to work clandestine jobs. Things grow steadily worse as occupying Nazi troops hunt and deport Jews. Lia, her sisters, and their Mama spend the rest of the war hiding out at a convent while Papa is on the run. But there are also moments of laughter and joy, and Lia finds comfort in her parents' love. Levi narrates using dual perspectives--as the young girl experiencing the war and as an older woman remembering her past. The age-appropriate text is beautifully translated by Notini from the Italian. Lia's young voice is perceptive and heartbreakingly vulnerable as she recounts her steadfast, even cheerful, acceptance of the changes in her life amid the insanity around her. Levi always makes it known when her older self is at the helm, directly addressing her "dear readers" and interjecting helpful supplementary information. Mason's black-and-white sketches provide immediacy and added clarity. In a closing letter that gives more insight into Levi's memories, she requests a moment of silence for the 6 million Jews the Nazis murdered, urges readers to always stand against racism, and expresses eternal gratitude to the American soldiers who "came as saviors" during the war. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A remarkable, powerful young readers' adaptation of an award-winning World War II memoir. (Memoir/history. 9-14)

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Starred review from February 1, 2022
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* A quiet Jewish Italian child uprooted by war proves resilient in this endearing illustrated memoir for young readers, adapted from Levi's award-winning book for adults. Born in Turin, young Lia Levi soon found her comfortable childhood routines upended by antisemitic Mussolini's rise to power. Her mother eventually hid Lia and her younger sisters at a convent boarding school to evade Axis capture. Readers will see how Lia capably adjusted and held close the secret of her Jewish identity and true name, despite scarcity of food and separation from her loved ones. This account is neither rose colored nor naive, but it also doesn't focus unduly on the pain of Lia's Holocaust experience. Charming spot and full-page line illustrations of round-faced characters convey the innocence Lia maintains throughout her ordeal, while a collection of photos following an author's note shows Lia and her family in the years surrounding these events. This highly readable first-person recollection is peppered with asides in which Lia directly addresses the "dear readers," and her confiding tone reassures and gently informs an audience that may yet be unfamiliar with the inhumanity of that war. Levi's memoir provides an excellent step beyond Jennifer Elvgren's The Whispering Town (2014) and Peter S�s' Nicky and Vera (2021) for sensitive readers and gives voice to an underrepresented nationality among Holocaust survivor stories.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2022
In a direct, first-person account (adapted from her adult book Una bambina e basta), Levi relates what happened to her and her family under the rule of Mussolini and during World War II. Brief chapters, short sentences, and a simple vocabulary give this the air of a child's voice, but the quick, deft storytelling is that of a gifted, experienced narrator. The story starts in Turin, but when restrictions are imposed on Jewish Italians, Lia's family moves first to Milan and then to Rome, where Papa finds work. When the Germans occupy Rome, Lia and her sisters are hidden at a Catholic boarding school, and Papa and Mama go into hiding. Lia's impressions of her different schools, new friendships, and the conditions war brings about ("One egg for three people: that's just one of the little tricks that war can play on you") speak to children's interests, and the author's conversational style has just the right tone to make readers feel the narrator is addressing them personally. The main narrative is occasionally interrupted by "dear reader" notes -- explanations and reassurances to soften the suspense of a terrifying time. Mason's soft black-and-white illustrations make these switches clear and meaningful, as she moves from images of the youthful Lia to Lia as a grandmother, a testament of survival and Jewish cultural continuity.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)