A Book Review of: CHAINS by Laurie Halse Anderson

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Anderson, Laurie Halse. 2008. Chains. New York: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. ISBN 9781416905851

SUMMARY

Isabel Finch is an African American slave whose mother and previous owner have both passed on. According to the will of her previous owner, Isabel and her younger sister, Ruth, are to be freed; however, this will is in the possession of lawyer who has left town. Isabel and Ruth are sold to Mr. and Mrs. Lockton and shipped to New York City to be their house servants. Mrs. Lockton is cruel and malevolent, often physically punishing Isabel for disobedience and has Ruth sold to another location without Isabel’s knowledge. Mr. Lockton is a Loyalist who supports England in the face of the American Revolution. Isabel befriends a slave boy, Curzon, and becomes a spy, relaying information about Lockton’s plans to the American army in hopes of freeing herself and her sister. The American army takes her information but does nothing to assist Isabel. She becomes a double agent, delivering information to whichever side, British or American, seems most likely to help her. When she learns that neither military can be trusted to keep their word, she takes matters into her own hands and stages an escape. After procuring provisions, Isabel runs from the Locktons’ estate and frees Curzon from a prison for captured American troops. Together, they steal a boat and leave the shore of New York City behind.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Laurie Halse Anderson begins her work on a superstitious note. The story is told in first person from the vantage point of Isabel Finch, a young teenage slave girl from Rhode Island. Isabel is mature for her age, having to grow up too soon in order to adapt to the life of a slave, which is apparent in her character voice. The vocabulary used reflects Isabel’s rural heritage; however, the excellent usage of grammar in her thoughts and speech reflect her level of education. Isabel was taught to read. Anderson’s narrative flows smoothly, description of territories and people are given, but not overwhelming. A reader can get a sense of setting without being burdened with too many facts.

To introduce readers to the plight of slaves, Anderson chooses to begin the story with a tone of frustration and anxiety. Isabel, being African American and a slave, is ignored when she insists that a will written by Mrs. Finch, her newly deceased owner, frees her and her sister, Ruth. Instead of going to the trouble of tracking down the lawyer who penned the will for verification, the reverend shoos Isabel and her sister away to Mrs. Finch’s son who insists that he is their new owner. Isabel and Ruth are treated like possessions, items to be sold. Mr. Robert has the girls gather their shoes and blankets for they will be more easily sold if they come with their own accessories. Isabel and Ruth comply as if these demands and procedures are not unusual. Isabel lapses into memory, recalling how their father was killed during an auction when slave owners sold Isabel, Ruth and their mother to one buyer and him to another. Readers get a sense of the powerlessness of slaves, and also a feel for the various cultures the slaves were stolen away from. Superstitions from the Islands and Africa pepper Isabel’s thoughts.

Isabel and Ruth are brought to a tavern owned by a woman who once knew Isabel’s mother and remembers Isabel from when she was a small child. This woman used to be an indentured servant. Some readers may be unfamiliar with this term. In lower level grade schools, students are introduced to the concept of slavery, but not indentured service. Throughout the novel, more indentured servants, immigrants from European countries, are introduced. Anderson cleverly provides details to this new, yet old historical world. She also foreshadows important events to come. The woman who knew Isabel’s mother recalls that Isabel has an incredible memory, which becomes imperative later when Isabel is to remember conversations and details stolen from her new master to give to an enemy army.

Readers will learn much about the beginnings of the American Revolution through Isabel’s mundane tasks. Most slave owners speak freely in front of their slaves, not considering them people, so Isabel learns much about what is going on England and what plans are being staged. She learns about what is going on in the American army from gossip at the water pump, in the kitchen, and from the wives of soldiers. She learns about slaves gaining freedom from British Loyalist soldiers simply for being slaves in the households of those who support the American Revolution. Many slaves turn soldier in hopes to gain their freedom through service in the American military. She hears stories of war brutalities from her friend Curzon and visits imprisoned American soldiers to see how inhumanely they are treated.

Readers are exposed first-hand to what happens to slaves who disobey. We feel Isabel’s pain as she is branded and her sister is stolen from her in the night. Anderson assigns dates to the beginnings of her chapters as if Isabel is keeping a diary, though the narrative is not epistolarian. The dates can help readers keep a timeline of events. Anderson uses historical staple battles to move the plot along according to the results of the battles’ outcomes. The mundane tasks that Isabel performs for her mistress inform readers of the typical social norms of rich well-to-do ladies in the Revolutionary time period, as well as the norms of those in lower social classes. Anderson uses dialects which also clearly depict social standings and origin. The wives of the soldiers who live with the Locktons near the end of the novel use slang that clearly separate them from the more proper terms used by snooty Mrs. Lockton.

Anderson successfully recreates the Colonial era as the Revolutionary War begins through the eyes and ears of an interesting and sympathetic character that can be respected for her intelligence and loyalty to her sister and friend. Readers will feel Isabel’s frustration, her depression, her desperation and her hope as she moves forward in this time period to gain her freedom and reunite with her sister. The war is but a backdrop to Isabel’s concerns as she attempts to use it to further her own plans. In this world, no one is to be trusted, and Isabel learns to rely on herself.

Young readers will be inspired by Isabel’s story. Anderson’s accurate depiction of the time period and brilliant way of staging the story as the Revolutionary War erupts will intrigue readers into finding other literature and historical sources to learn more about this crucial time in American history. Anderson provides author’s notes where she answers questions and provides her sources for all of those interested in her inspiration and her research.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Grade 6–10—Set in New York City at the beginning of the American Revolution, Chains addresses the price of freedom both for a nation and for individuals. Isabel tells the story of her life as a slave. She was sold with her five-year-old sister to a cruel Loyalist family even though the girls were to be free upon the death of their former owner. She has hopes of finding a way to freedom and becomes a spy for the rebels, but soon realizes that it is difficult to trust anyone. She chooses to find someone to help her no matter which side he or she is on. With short chapters, each beginning with a historical quote, this fast-paced novel reveals the heartache and struggles of a country and slave fighting for freedom. The characters are well developed, and the situations are realistic. An author's note gives insight into issues surrounding the Revolutionary War and the fight for the nation's freedom even though 20 percent of its people were in chains. Well researched and affecting in its presentation, the story offers readers a fresh look at the conflict and struggle of a developing nation.—Denise Moore, O'Gorman Junior High School, Sioux Falls, SD, SLJ

*Starred Review* In the spring of 1776, Isabel, a teenage slave, and her sister, Ruth, are sold to ruthless, wealthy loyalists in Manhattan. While running errands, Isabel is approached by rebels, who promise her freedom (and help finding Ruth, who has been sent away) if she agrees to spy. Using the invisibility her slave status brings, Isabel lurks and listens as Master Lockton and his fellow Tories plot to crush the rebel uprisings, but the incendiary proof that she carries to the rebel camp doesn’t bring the desired rewards. Like the central character in M. T. Anderson’s Octavian Nothing duet, Isabel finds that both patriots and loyalists support slavery. The specifics of Isabel’s daily drudgery may slow some readers, but the catalogue of chores communicates the brutal rhythms of unrelenting toil, helping readers to imagine vividly the realities of Isabel’s life. The story’s perspective creates effective contrasts. Overwhelmed with domestic concerns, Isabel and indeed all the women in the household learn about the war from their marginalized position: they listen at doors to rooms where they are excluded, and they collect gossip from the streets. Anderson explores elemental themes of power (“She can do anything. I can do nothing,” Isabel realizes about her sadistic owner), freedom, and the sources of human strength in this searing, fascinating story. The extensive back matter includes a documented section that addresses many questions about history that readers will want to discuss. Grades 7-10. --Gillian Engberg, Booklist.

CONNECTIONS

If young readers enjoyed reading the story of Isabel and want to continue the story where it left off, they may be interested in reading the sequel to Chains:

Halse, Laurie Anderson. 2010. Forge. New York: Athenum. ISBN 978-1416961444

If young readers have developed an interest for stories set during the American Revolutionary War, they may be interested in the following titles which are told from the vantage points of various young adults living in the time period.

Paulsen, Gary. 2010. Woods Runner. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN 978-0385738842

Rinaldi, Ann. 2004. The Fifth of March: A Story of the Boston Massacre. Boston: Graphia. ISBN 978-0152050788

A Book Review of: THE WEDNESDAY WARS by Gary D. Schmidt

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Schmidt, Gary D. 2007. The Wednesday Wars. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780618724833

SUMMARY

Seventh grader Holling Hoodhood is convinced his teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates him. On Wednesdays all of the children in his class either go to Hebrew school or Catechism class, but Holling, being the only Presbyterian in his class, has no such obligation. He and Mrs. Baker spend Wednesday afternoons together reading Shakespeare and completing odd chores. Through reading Shakespeare, Holling gains a unique understanding of the philosophy of the world, the Vietnam War and everyone affected by it. He gains several new friends, one of them being Mrs. Baker, that help him gain new perspectives on world events and his family life. Over the course of the novel, Holling begins to ponder his own place in life. He is to be his father’s successor and he does things to please his father. His sister rebels and at first, Holling cannot understand why she fights against the mold their father has set for the family. By the end of the novel, Holling decides that his father’s mold is not for him either. He does not know if he wants to be his father’s successor yet, but he does know that fulfilling that role is optional not obligation. What he does with his life, what he believes in, and what he stands for are his choices to make. He will let no one tell him what or how to think. The Wednesday Wars is a book about growing older and attempting to find one’s true self.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Gary D. Schmidt begins The Wednesday Wars with a declaration of war: Mrs. Baker hates Holling Hoodhood. Readers cannot be sure if Holling is exaggerating or not, but Schmidt, cleverly choosing to tell the story in first person, puts the reader inside the head of Holling and we experience Mrs. Baker’s behavior through his eyes and follow his thought processes. Mrs. Baker rolls her eyes at Holling and uses a different tone with him than she does with other students. Her eyes seem to rest on him as if she is keeping her eye on an enemy. His family thinks he is being ridiculous, but from all Holling and we the reader can tell, Holling is perfectly rational. Mrs. Baker has declared him the enemy, and Holling’s personal Vietnam War happens parallel to the actual Vietnam War.

Schmidt uses a clever tone which easily mimics the thought and speech patterns of a pre-teenage boy in sometimes amusing and conflicting situations. The humorous situations, such as the release and escape of Mrs. Baker’s pet rats into the ventilation shafts and Holling being forced to wear tights in a community theater production, are tempered with sensitive issues indicative of the time period, such as Mai Thi, a Vietnamese exchange student encountering prejudice from adults as well as her classmates, the assassination of Robert Kennedy, and a rebellious sister who is accused of being a “hippie”. At times, readers will not be able to help but laugh out loud, and at other times they may feel somber as Mrs. Baker’s husband, who is a soldier, is declared Missing In Action, and as Mrs. Bigio, who works in the cafeteria, is told her husband was killed in action.

When Mrs. Baker decides to use her individual time with Holling having him read works by Shakespeare and then later quizzing him on them and discussing them with him, Holling thinks of it as a punishment. However, Holling begins equating his life and what is going on around him to Shakespeare. People he knows become characters in the plays as he reads them. His budding relationship to Meryl Lee, a girl whose father owns an architecture firm that rivals his fathers, is likened to the tumultuous and tragic relationship of Romeo and Juliet. However, Holling learns from the shortcomings and even the cleverness of characters and he gains new outlooks on situations. Such as, at first he believes that had Romeo and Juliet never tried to move beyond the rivalry between their families and stayed apart, and safe, they both would have lived; however, what would they have lived for? At the beginning of the story, Holling wants nothing more than to please his father; after all, he is to inherit the family business. Making friends and dating Meryl Lee is not something his father truly approves of, especially when one of his father’s ideas for a blueprint is leaked through Holling’s association with Meryl Lee. Holling is quick to assume that he would be safer by ending things with Meryl Lee, but he truly cares for her, and after reevaluating his situation and that of Romeo’s, he realizes not taking a chance and seeing where a relationship with Meryl Lee could go would not further, enhance, nor enrich his life experiences. Even if it were to all explode in his face, it is better to try and learn from it.

Holling’s home life, which is thought to be perfect, his home being described as “The Perfect House”, is not so perfect. Holling is frequently ignored by the members of his family. His father will not listen to Holling’s concerns, always associating Holling’s social problems with what could be good or bad for future business ventures, his mother is passive and his sister treats him as an annoyance. Episodes at home always have the same familiar pattern. Holling comes home with an issue; his father asks after the last name of the person in question, attaches it to a well-known family business in town and insists Holling put his own opinions and feelings aside and accommodate the person who is wronging him. The pattern begins to unravel as Holling’s sister speaks out against her father’s political and social beliefs. Holling, at first, does not understand why she chooses to anger their father instead of complying with him. His sister wants to go away to college and ends up running away from home. Holling does not realize how much he cares for his sister until she is no longer there. When she calls wanting to come home but has no money to do so, it is Holling who comes to her rescue. Throughout the novel, Holling’s sister is referred to as simply that: sister. When Holling comes to understand her opposition and how important it is to be your own person instead of just what people expect of you, he begins to refer to her by name: Heather.

Holling and Mrs. Baker form a friendship with Mrs. Baker often acting in place of his parents. It is Mrs. Baker that brings Holling to the hospital when he is injured, it is Mrs. Baker who takes him to a baseball game when Holling’s father, once again, forgets a promise, and it is Mrs. Baker who teaches him how to run. Through his relationship, directly and indirectly, with Mrs. Baker-- the former enemy-- Holling comes into his own. He learns that he loves running and that he is good at it. He forms new friendships and alliances with other classmates he may never have spoken a friendly word to, such as Doug Swieteck, a boy might have grown up to be a bully like his older brother. Holling also learns that it is all right to be different and to express himself.
In this story, Holling Hoodhood leaves his people-pleasing childhood behind and ventures into the realm of young adulthood, which is clearly indicated at the end of the novel when he witnesses his friend’s Bar mitzvah, a Jewish passage into manhood, and wishes he could have one himself. Readers are an active part of his experience as his childhood heroes die, such as Mickey Mantle who turns out to be bigoted, and new ones are born: Mrs. Sidhood, rat catcher, Mrs. Bigio who overcomes prejudice and accepts Mai Thi into her home, and Mrs. Baker who made seventh grade monumental.

Young readers unfamiliar with the time period and historical happenings of 1967 will be instantly transported into the life of a boy they can easily relate to, and learn interesting and amusing cultural and historical facts. Music icons, architectural trends, turns-of-phrase, sports facts as well as information about the Vietnam War are presented in an accurate and attractive manner that will keep audiences enthused and entertained.

Schmidt does not provide an author’s note at the end of the work, so that readers can view his sources, but readers will be left on such a high note with the story, they may feel inspired to perform their own original research of the time period. Schmidt certainly provides references to works, materials and happenings that can easily be researched online.

Bravo to Schmidt and this excellent, moving work. The only low note of the novel is that it spanned Holling’s entire seventh grade year, meaning next year he will no longer be in Mrs. Baker’s class. Readers will be left hoping that the platonic bond that formed between teacher and student will remain even after Holling and Mrs. Baker must part ways at the end of the year.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

On Wednesday afternoons, while his Catholic and Jewish schoolmates attend religious instruction, Holling Hoodhood, the only Presbyterian in his seventh grade, is alone in the classroom with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, who Holling is convinced hates his guts. He feels more certain after Mrs. Baker assigns Shakespeare's plays for Holling to discuss during their shared afternoons. Each month in Holling's tumultuous seventh-grade year is a chapter in this quietly powerful coming-of-age novel set in suburban Long Island during the late '60s. The slow start may deter some readers, and Mrs. Baker is too good to be true: she arranges a meeting between Holling and the New York Yankees, brokers a deal to save a student's father's architectural firm, and, after revealing her past as an Olympic runner, coaches Holling to the varsity cross-country team. However, Schmidt, whose Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy (2005) was named both a Printz and a Newbery Honor Book, makes the implausible believable and the everyday momentous. Seamlessly, he knits together the story's themes: the cultural uproar of the '60s, the internal uproar of early adolescence, and the timeless wisdom of Shakespeare's words. Holling's unwavering, distinctive voice offers a gentle, hopeful, moving story of a boy who, with the right help, learns to stretch beyond the limitations of his family, his violent times, and his fear, as he leaps into his future with his eyes and his heart wide open. Engberg, Gillian--Booklist.

"Schmidt, whose "Lizie Bright" and "The Buckminster Boy" won both Printz and Newbery Honors, delivers another winner...deeply satisfying."--Publishers Weekly.

"Schmidt rises above the novel's conventions to create memorable and believable characters."--Horn Book.

CONNECTIONS

Students who are interested in works set during the Vietnam War about teenagers or pre-teenagers dealing with social and political issues surrounding the war or who are directly involved in the war may be interested in the following titles:

Woodworth, Chris. 2006. Georgie’s Moon. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0374333065

Myers, Walter Dean. 2008. Fallen Angels. New York: Scholastic Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0545055765

Bryant, Jen. 2010. Kaleidoscope Eyes. New York: Yearling. ISBN 978-0440421900

A Book Review of STONES IN WATER by Donna Jo Napoli

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Napoli, Donna Jo. 1997. Stones in Water. New York: Dutton Children’s Books. ISBN 0525458425

SUMMARY

Roberto is a young Italian teenager growing up in Venice. His best friends are Memo, a fast-talking ladies man who always seems to have extra money from random odd jobs, and Samuele, a Jewish boy from the area designated as the Jewish ghetto that both Memo and Roberto grew up going to school with. Italy has joined the war on the side of the Axis Powers, allying with Germany and Japan. The country is poor, many men are out of work and many boys are encouraged to pick up odd jobs for money or to train in local soldier camps. School is optional. One evening, Roberto, Memo, Samuele, and Roberto’s older brother, Sergio, go to the movies to see an American film. During the movie, German troops march into the theater and collect the movie-goers, all boys. They group the boys according to age, separating Roberto from his brother, and crowd them onto a train. The train takes them out of the country to unfamiliar lands. The boys are then divided by city and randomly grouped; a clever trick allows Roberto and Samuele to stay together. They are shipped from work farm to work farm, digging landing fields for German war planes. Many boys die from hardship or are killed for running away; they encounter Jewish prisoners fenced in like animals. Samuele’s Jewish heritage is protected by Roberto who calls him by a less Jewish name, Enzo, but he is killed inside the second camp anyway during a squabble over stolen boots and blankets. Roberto escapes the camp alone, into a Ukrainian wilderness in the dead of winter. He survives in the woods and discovers a town that has been massacred by German troops. A small boy aids him into the next town where he once again must escape from men who might kill him if they find out he is Italian. He meets an Italian soldier, Maurizio, who has deserted the army, not able to stomach the atrocities committed. Maurizio is going to join a group known as the partigianos; this group sabotages war efforts in an attempt to stop the war. They also help smuggles Jews to safer territory. Roberto wishes to join this group; he wants to help Jewish people like Samuele, he wants to help stop the war, and most of all, he wants to go home. Roberto and Maurizio become travelling companions as they sail into their next adventure.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Donna Jo Napoli takes readers back to World War II, delving into the harsh reality of the German occupation of many European countries and introduces unfamiliar readers to the roots of the Holocaust. Napoli, however, takes a rather unique approach to this topic by not choosing to tell the story from the eyes of a Jewish youth, but from that of a Christian, Italian youth. Readers are allowed to view the other side of the War from an ignorant narrator, so that facts can be learned and events can be witnessed through eyes as unfamiliar with the happenings as we are. In the story, Italy has recently entered World War II on the side of the Axis Powers, and we see a poor country that hoped to gain prosperity by entering the war instead growing poorer. The boys that are old enough train in soldier camps and work odd jobs to help keep food on their families’ tables. The main character, Roberto, has an older brother who is likely to join the army soon and a mother who is opposed to the war and who actively protests it.

In the midst of all of this, Roberto and his friends, Memo, and Samuele, a Jewish boy, have time to think of girls and going to the movies. Readers can relate to these young characters who know there is a war going on in the world around them, but still do not understand the reality of it all. Instead, they have mundane concerns. Their innocence is clearly expressed as they proceed to the movies, walking outright with Samuele, who wears an armband with the Star of David, which indicates that he is Jewish. Roberto’s older brother immediately recognizes the problems they might have and instructs Samuele to remove his armband, in contrast to Memo’s statement that, “No one’s going to bother with three school boys.” (Napoli 11)
Napoli moves the plot along at a brisk pace, introducing the setting, and main and supporting characters within the first few pages. Her conversational tone creates a work that flows smoothly and as a result can be easily read by younger audiences.

The stakes in the plot are advanced quickly as the boys are kidnapped from the movies and forced aboard a train going to an unknown destination. Napoli heightens the readers’ sense of fear as Roberto is separated from his older brother whom he views as safety. The smells of the train and the passengers further deepen the suspense and feelings of unrest and unease. The odor of urine and sweat and fear are prominent. We do not know what is going to happen. Boys around them begin to panic and try to leave the train. Their murders are quick and brutal. Napoli does not dwell on the scene of the three boys who tried to escape being shot; it happens as almost a flash, which makes it all the more realistic, because it seems like a flash to Roberto as well. In a blink, three boys near his age were shot dead at close range. Roberto is not only being kidnapped; he is in mortal danger. Younger audiences do not often think about their own mortality, and Napoli slaps them in the face with it: quick and effective.

Suddenly, Samuele’s heritage, which seemed merely an annoyance in the beginning of the story with armbands that must be hidden and parental discretion about being seen in the Jewish ghetto, becomes an important and dangerous fact. The Nazis might kill Samuele if they find out he is Jewish; quick-thinking Memo blocks Samuele from view as he relieves himself so that no one will see his circumcision. Such minor facts as circumcision and food restrictions are introduced by the author as parts of Jewish heritage. No one must know that Samuele does not eat pork, or even that his name is Samuele. The idea of concentration camps is introduced, first as myth, because Roberto does not truly believe that Nazis would slaughter a race of people simply because of their nationality and religious convictions, and then as cold fact, after Roberto experiences what being in a work camp is like and sees Jewish prisoners in an animal pin.

The pact of brotherhood between Roberto and Samuele is solidified in their protective actions toward one another. They endure punishments and beatings to stay together. When Samuele’s heritage is discovered by one of the boys in camp and that boy blackmails Samuele, stealing his food, Roberto shares what little he has with Samuele. Samuele seems to take the place of Roberto’s older brother, telling him religious stories to help Roberto sleep at night and making sure Roberto has enough food. Readers begin to bond with the characters as they suffer through temperatures so cold their extremities turn blue with only ratty blankets and clothing worn to their limits to keep them warm. Other boys in the camp die from exposure or illness; some try to escape and are brought back by locals loyal to the Nazis. Boys who show physical weakness are shot at close range by soldiers.

Readers are kept on edge as Roberto and Samuele try to stay together as they are transferred to other work camps. The passage of time is uncertain; the boys have no calendars, and they do not speak the language of the soldiers. In fact, the trains that brought the boys to the work camps picked up many boys from throughout Italy and there is no common dialect outside of what is called “school Italian.” As a result, most of the boys do not even speak the same language, which is a mean to keep the boys from socializing and building camaraderie. Roberto and Samuele sympathize with the Jewish prisoners being kept in pins by the soldiers, especially Samuele who feels he should be pinned as well, and begin sharing their meager food portions with them.
Roberto was a very innocent character at the beginning of the story, more innocent than his friends, in fact; which is clearly depicted in his thoughts, words and deed, and in his friends’ actions and efforts to protect him. After Samuele is killed in a scuffle over warm boots and clothing, Roberto’s inner turmoil and loss of naiveté is profound. He runs from the camp without much hope of escape, maybe even hoping that he would be killed like Samuele, but instead actually escapes. He is lost in a frozen, winter wilderness where he eats bugs, battles hunger-crazed wolves and nearly freezes to death, constantly thinking of his lost friends and family. Readers feel Roberto’s hopelessness turn to strength as he fights to survive. He remembers Samuele’s stories and the swift-thinking of Memo and Sergio. Roberto matures over the course of the novel, taking into himself what he has learned from his experiences, his friends and his brother.

When he stumbles into a massacred town and takes under his wing a small boy who has somehow survived the slaughter, Roberto displays survival skills and self-reliance that he has not shown before this. He searches the houses of the murdered people, scavenging for food, clothing and other useful supplies. He builds fires and pieces together meals from odds and ends. Language barriers once again become a frustration. Roberto is in the Ukraine where no one speaks his language, and he must not speak to them for fear of them learning his nationality. Italian troops are not welcome in that country. Readers experience with Roberto what it is like to not be able to communicate and understand how easily the simple act of communication is taken for granted. In the work camps, Roberto could only openly communicate with Samuele, who spoke his language. With Samuele’s death, Roberto was afraid he would forget how to speak.

When he is captured a second time, the small boy helps him to evade his captors but it is up to Roberto to find his own means of getting out of town. He stows aboard a truck and later finds himself a boat. In Venice, Roberto learned to swim and steer a gondola, so he is very capable at handling a boat. When Roberto stumbles across Maurizio, a deserter from the army, he is finally able to speak again. He learns where he is exactly and what is truly happening in the War in other places. He finds a companion in Maurizio and a new mission. Though, Roberto wishes to return home, this new, stronger Roberto wants to assist others, people like Samuele, in the War. He wants to stop the suffering that he has seen.

Stones in Water is a powerful story told in a manner that younger readers can easily follow because of its smooth, flowing prose, relatable characters and engaging use of character voice. The time period is captured as a snapshot told from the eyes of an ignorant character being educated on what is happening around him through firsthand experience that readers get to experience with him. As a result, not only are readers involved in the story, they are never overwhelmed with more information than they can process because Roberto, too, must process the information. Napoli has created a useful, entertaining, as well as accurate, historical piece that will teach young readers about a certain time in history by making them feel as if they are part of the story. She has created a believable character that is true to his heritage and time period, but is still relatable to readers. They may be able to recognize themselves in Roberto, in how he respects his parents, looks to his older brother for safety, protects his friends, and initially does not understand prejudice and cruelty.
Readers are in for an emotional adventure that does not end with Stones in Water. If readers are interested in learning more about the time period and the author’s sources, an author’s note is provided at the end of the work which details useful historical resources.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

PW's boxed review called this story of a Venetian gondolier's son and two friends, one Jewish, who are forcibly taken by Nazi soldiers, "gripping and meticulously researched." Ages 10-14.--Publishers Weekly.

Grade 4-9. Napoli, who has written in a variety of genres, fantasy, mystery, realistic fiction, legends, demonstrates that she has mastered historical fiction as well. Sneaking into the cinema to see an American Western during World War II has grave consequences for Roberto, a Venetian middle-school student, his brother, and two friends. The young male audience is trapped by German soldiers and transported by train out of Italy as cheap forced labor. The first project, constructing a tarmac, goes smoothly, despite wretched living conditions. Separated from his older brother, timid Roberto relies on his quick-thinking friend, Samuele. Both realize the necessity of hiding Samuele's Jewish identity from their captors and fellow prisoners. When a "shipment" of Polish Jews arrive and are penned near the labor group, Roberto uses his ingenuity to help feed two Jewish girls with his meager rations. After Samuele is beaten to death trying to save Roberto's scavenged boots, Roberto escapes. He is a displaced gondolier trying to navigate his boat on a modern Styx, a hellish river journey with slim chances for survival. Few books view the Holocaust from this vantage point; few readers are familiar with the Venetian/Italian connection to the work camps. Others will be interested in this story as survivalism from the worst kind of nightmare. Many children will be ensnared by the author's paean to the art and value of storytelling. Samuele's legacy is the nourishing stories that keep Roberto alive. An intense, gripping tale. --Marilyn Payne Phillips, University City Public Library, MO, SLJ.

From Napoli (Trouble on the Tracks, p. 144, etc.), a powerful novel set in a vividly realized wartime milieu. Roberto, a Venetian boy who is about to graduate from middle school, is so eager to attend a rare American movie that he makes a worrisome bargain with a boy who is always in trouble. On top of this small sin, he attends the movie with a Jewish boy, Samuele, an unwise idea when restrictions and dangers are multiplying. German soldiers enter the theater and capture all the boys; at first, Roberto can't make sense of what is happening to him. Transported to desolate regions, the boys are forced into labor building a tarmac; food is scarce, the climate is life-threatening, and survival seems remote. Now called Enzo, Samuele, who has a deeper understanding of the situation and who constantly watches for a chance to defy his captors, tells Roberto stories that become crucial to his sanity and lend a semblance of humanity to their desperate situation. When Roberto escapes, the book becomes a memorable survival story: He learns not to speak and give away his nationality, puzzles out the changing borders and alliances of the war, eats slugs in snow-covered streams to survive, and battles wild animals. Finally, by participating in the partigiano, who sabotage the war and work to hide endangered Jews, Roberto goes from victim to hero, seizing control of his life for a noble cause. Riveting. (Fiction. 12-14)--Kirkus Reviews.

An affecting coming-of-age novel with a vivid and undeniable message about the human costs of war." --The Horn Book

--An ALA Notable Book
--An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
--New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
--An NCSS Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies

CONNECTIONS

For readers who are interested in historical fiction featuring the Holocaust or other experiences that occurred during World War II, they may be interested in the following titles:

Napoli, Donna Jo. 2006. Fire in The Hills. New York: Dutton Juvenile. ISBN 978-0525477518

Spinelli, Jerry. 2010. Milkweed. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0375861475

Elliot, L.M. 2003. Under a War-Torn Sky. New York: Hyperion Book CH. ISBN 978-0786817535

Hughes, Dean. 2003. Soldiers Boys. New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN 978-0689860218