Just a Girl by Lia Levi

Italian author Lia Levi adapts her memoir, Just a Girl, for young children, resulting in a fine early introduction to WWII and the Holocaust.

Just a Girl: A True Story of World War II by Lia Levi. HarperCollins, 2022, 135 pages.

Reading Level: Chapter Book, ages 7-9

Recommended for: ages 5-8 as a read-aloud, 7-11 for independent readers

My Name is Lia

“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.” Thus Lia Levi begins her own adaptation of her earlier memoir for grownups. This version is very much aimed at children who have no memories of war and deprivation, told in a chatty style that some 10-year-olds may even find babyish at times. I found it charming, as though Lia is speaking as a child to other children. She grew up with two younger sisters in Turin, Italy, a beautiful city with river beaches and parks. Before Mussolini came to power her biggest problem was shyness, which she learned to overcome at school. Once Il Duce had allied himself with Hitler, however, her biggest problem was her family’s Jewish heritage.

First they were barred from the beaches, then Papa lost his job, then they had to move to Milan to find work, then Rome. In Rome there was, at least, a large Jewish community, but after Mussolini was deposed and the Germans took over, Jews started disappearing even from Rome.

A Hug for the USA

Lia’s story isn’t as tragic as some, but the anxiety and fear of those years comes through. Periodically she breaks into the narrative as her older self to clarify points her younger self wouldn’t have understood. In the afterward she warns readers of racism, reminding us that it’s in every country, including our own. Still,

if your great-grandfathers with their stars and stripes had not arrives with their allies to defeat Hitler and annihilate his plan to take over all of Europe, I—and others like me—would not be here talking to you from the other side of the ocean. So . . . Would you please give your country a hug for me?

Thank you, Lia!

Overall Rating: 4.25

• Worldview/moral value: 4
• Artistic/literary value: 4.5

Read more about our ratings here.                 

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Review: Nicky & Vera, an oversize picture book, is another excellent way to introduce young children to the Holocaust.
• White Bird, a graphic novel, imagines the challenges of a young Jewish girl trying to hide in France.
• Resource: See our World War II booklist!

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