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  • Just a Girl: A True Story of World War II by Lia Levi book cover
  • Just a Girl: A True Story of World War II by Lia Levi book cover
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Just a Girl: A True Story of World War II

by Lia Levi

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A young reader’s memoir of wartime Italy

$17.07 USD
$28.46 USD $17.07 USD
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Hardcover New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A young reader’s memoir of wartime Italy

Adapted for young readers from Lia Levi’s memoir, Just a Girl recounts her childhood in Italy after Fascist racial laws begin restricting Jewish life. Beginning with ordinary concerns—a shy voice, school, and days at the beach—the narrative traces the escalating pressures on her family as her father loses work, they leave their home, and Lia and her sisters are hidden in a convent. The book places one child’s changing daily world alongside the larger history of Mussolini’s alliance with Hitler and World War II. Black-and-white illustrations, family photographs, and an author’s note add documentary context to this account of displacement, separation, friendship, and loss.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Young readers interested in World War II and Jewish history
  • Readers of firsthand historical accounts adapted for children
  • Children seeking memoirs centered on family experiences during war

Themes

World War II ItalyJewish persecutionChildhood under discriminationFamily separationHiding and displacement

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

WINNER OF THE MILDRED L. BATCHELDER AWARD!

In this award-winning memoir translated from Italian to English, a Jewish girl grows up during a difficult time of racial discrimination and war, and discovers light in unexpected places. This classic, powerful story from Lia Levi is adapted for young readers, with beautiful black-and-white illustrations, a family photo album, and a powerful author's note to readers.

1938, Italy. Six-year-old Lia loves to build sandcastles at the beach and her biggest problem is her shyness and quiet, birdlike voice--until prime minister Mussolini joins forces with Hitler in World War II, and everything changes.

Now there are laws saying Jewish children can't go to school, Jews can't work, or go on vacation. It's difficult for Lia to understand why this is happening to her family. When her father loses his job, they must give up their home and move from city to city.

As war comes closer, it becomes too dangerous to stay together, and Lia and her sisters are sent to hide at a convent. Will she ever be "just a girl" again?

The memoir is full of poignant moments of friendship and loss, dreaded tests at school, told in Lia's captivating voice, as she grows into a young teen. Just a Girl is an important addition to the WWII Jewish canon.

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