61. Just A Girl

Just a Girl: A True Story of World War II. Lia Levi. Illustrated by Jess Mason. Translated by Sylvia Notini. 2022. 144 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: My name is Lia (if you look at the cover of this book, you'll find my name on it!) and I want to tell you the story of when I was a little girl. Mama, Papa, my two younger sisters, Gabriella and Vera, and I lived in a city in Italy called Turin.

Premise/plot: Just A Girl is a memoir for young readers. The memoir chronicles her time as a Jewish girl growing up in Italy during the Second World War. It spans the second world war. Childhood is full of plenty of changes, but, during this time in history especially so. Some of the changes happen subtly, some abruptly. 

Throughout the book, Lia sees herself as a "Jewish girl." It is her Jewishness that marks her. Her life is turned upside down and inside out because she is Jewish. Every single change--all of them damaging and devastating--is because she (and her family) were/are Jewish. But by the end of the book, by the end of the war, she can be JUST A GIRL. She no longer has to be labeled and defined. She can just be herself. 

My thoughts: I definitely enjoyed this one. I do think books about the second world war, and specifically books about Jewish experiences during the second world war, should be written for ALL age audiences. There are plenty that are appropriate (you could even argue necessary and important) for middle school audiences on up. There are fewer books written for elementary audiences, in particular for third to fourth graders. 

I thought the book had a good, strong narrative. I felt it was gentle at times. But it was definitely straightforward as well. It didn't paint it as a lovely-lovely glorious time. It didn't shy away from the harshness of the times.

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers