Narrator Simona is eight years old in 1940, and her younger sister five, when they leave their home outside Rome for Tokyo -- their father has been hired as chef at the Italian embassy. The girls must quickly learn a new language and new customs -- and although they come to love Japan, as Westerners their friends are few. As WWII approaches and then intensifies, life in Tokyo deteriorates, with food and clothing scarcities; classmates' brothers and fathers lost to war; school concerned with propaganda rather than learning. Then, in 1943, Italy surrenders -- and Simona's family is now the enemy. From here, the novel becomes a survival story. The girls are separated from their father and sent to a starvation-level internment camp; escape and are rescued by a household of anti-war activists; they return, after the women's home is raided, to Tokyo, where they find refuge with a blind washerwoman; and finally, fatefully, end up in a Catholic mission in Hiroshima. Throughout, what saves them are Simona's strength and determination but also the sisters' assimilation into and respect for Japanese culture: at the camp, their politeness earns them life-saving tidbits from the kitchen; needing to buy train tickets back to Tokyo, they speak the language so well they pass for Japanese. Simona's eight-year-old voice is the same as her adult voice (the novel ends with a final chapter set in 1965), but readers may overlook this quibble as they immerse themselves in Napoli's story, told with immediacy, compassion, and nuance. A note describing the author's research and an extensive bibliography are appended. Martha V. Parravano January/February 2021 p.111(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Two Italian sisters try to survive in Japan during World War II. In the summer of 1940, not long after their mother's death, 8-year-old Simona and her 5-year-old sister, Carolina, move with their father to Tokyo, Japan, where he will begin a job as the chef at the Italian embassy. Over the next few years, the girls master the Japanese language and learn Japanese customs in order to fit in with peers who believe they are living in luxury even though they are servants within embassy walls. Being a Westerner in wartime Japan soon becomes difficult. In 1943, following Italy's surrender to the Allies, all Italians are forced into internment camps, and the sisters are separated from their father. Escaping, they set off on a long and treacherous journey to stay alive in a country that now sees them as the enemy. Through the voice of Simona, this novel offers an unusual perspective on the World War II years in Japan. The girls' journey is constantly challenging, as they often face sudden, unexpected risks. Because the story spans multiple years, there is a lot of information about Japan's homefront experience during the 1940s, including patriotism, propaganda, underground anti-war efforts, depletion of resources, and bombings. Topics of xenophobia, identity, assimilation, loss, friendship, and family are intertwined through the perspective of a young person navigating tumultuous events. A new, interesting perspective on a history rarely told. (map, postscript, notes on research, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In 1940, eight-year-old Simona and five-year-old Carolina leave Italy, accompanying their father to Tokyo. They live at the Italian embassy, where he works for the ambassador. The girls attend school, learn Japanese, and make friends. Three years later, after Italy surrenders to Allied forces, the Japanese suddenly regard all Italians with suspicion and enmity. Separated from their father, the sisters are taken to an internment camp guarded by soldiers. Simona and Carolina escape and struggle to survive, sometimes finding shelter for a while, but inevitably on the run again, disguised as Japanese girls. They make their way to Tokyo, to Hiroshima, and finally, home to Italy. From the sisters' early months at the embassy, to the disquieting portrayal of a country where people are facing starvation, to the bombings and final surrender, the shifting circumstances are gradual and convincing. Depicting WWII from an unusual perspective, Napoli's latest historical novel offers Simona's point of view in a perceptive, empathetic, and sometimes moving first-person narrative. An absorbing novel of "Forza e coraggio. Strength and courage."

Gr 4--6--Napoli takes another trip into history with this story of two Italian daughters caught in Japan during World War II. Daughters of the cook at the Italian embassy, Simona and Carolina have already worked hard to acclimate to the new customs in Japan when the unthinkable happens: War. As the narrative unfolds, Italy switches sides, placing the girls in danger as the Italian embassy closes, the internment camps loom near, and the thought of being so far away from their home country begins to take root. Throughout this perilous journey, a varied cast of Japanese characters are presented, showing all kinds of people during the biggest war of their time; from the beggars to the manga artists, who bravely tell their stories through art. Simona and Carolina learn to blend in and to use their skills to take on new "family" during the years, and the kindness of these new families keeps them alive. Napoli, no stranger to the historical fiction genre, offers a stunning look at the humanity of the Japanese and Italians during World War II, and an idea of what it was like to be in the middle of a war-torn country as a child. The research notes shed more light on the story and give readers a chance to see the history behind the fictional account. VERDICT While at times a tough read, this is an enthralling story of sisterhood amongst harrowing war.--Stephanie Wilkes, Good Hope M.S., West Monroe, LA