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.
"Inspired by true events, Lia levi's prize-winning novel tells the story of a Jewish family and their community during the Fascist regime in Italy, when Benito Mussolini introduced his draconian race laws. Culminating with the tragic outbreak of World War II, Levi's novel of loss and courage recounts the history of mid-century Europe through the eyes and lives of ordinary people living in extraordinary times."--Back cover