Fire in the Hills

By Donna Jo Napoli

Book Overview

Beneath the haunting shadows of war-torn Italy, a courageous young boy fights for freedom, family, and the power to rewrite his destiny.

"This well-written book grips the reader from the beginning and on through Roberto's adventure."--VOYA

It's been two years since German soldiers kidnapped Roberto from his home in Venice and forced him to work in a labor camp in eastern Europe. He's escaped and finally made his way back to Italy; but he's not quite home yet. Roberto must navigate his way through intense battles and avoid the Nazis and Fascist Italian collaborators who would throw him back into a labor camp--or kill him.

Roberto is desperate to get home, to his family and to the safety of the life he left behind. But how can he turn his back on the war while so many people are suffering? With the help of a woman who calls herself Volpe Rossa--Red Fox--Roberto joins the resistance movement. Together, they smuggle guns and secret information to the rebel fighters. Every mission takes Roberto closer to Venice--closer to safety--but every mission is even more dangerous than the last. Will Roberto survive and make his way home?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142412007
• ISBN13: 9780142412008
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
• Length: 215 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Fire in the Hills

Donna Jo Napoli has written an unforgettable sequel to her excellent World War II-themed young adult novel, Stones in Water (Dutton, 1997). Roberto, a young Italian boy, continues his dangerous journey home to Venice after his harrowing escape from a forced labor camp in Germany. His Jewish friend Samuele has not survived. After many hazards, he finally reaches Italy, but it is not his Italy. It is a dangerous Italy, populated by Nazis. Although the Allies are forcing the Nazi occupiers north, battles rage in cities and in the countryside. Roberto, who speaks English, a fact that saves his life, is taken as an interpreter by Kurt, a Nazi officer, and forced to interpret Kurt's commands as he searches out Italian "ragamuffins," who are really resistance fighters. At last Roberto escapes and joins the resistance himself, when he meets some unforgettable brave young people, especially the girl whose partisan name is "Volpe Rossa." Based on some of Napoli's friends' wartime experiences, she wanted American readers to learn about the Italian partigiani fighters, whose stories are not often told for young adults. Ages 11 and up. Reviewed by Marcia Posner

Unforgettable

This is among the finest books I have ever read. It starts out a bit slowly with Roberto's escape from the Germans to his homeland of Italy. One frustration follows another until he is swept into the Italian resistance by Volpe Rossa, a young, beautiful, intensely devoted partigiani fighter. Like Roberto we cannot help but fall in love with her as we gasp at her daring. Roberto, Volpe Rossa and others gather and distribute weapons throughout the countryside, penetrating German operations without a care for themselves. Roberto has to reach deep within and stretch way beyond himself to keep up with Volpe Rossa's determination and his own growing sense of justice. Donna Jo Napoli based many of the events upon stories she heard from friends who had taken part in the Italian resistance. By the end of the German occupation it seemed like almost every Italian had joined the partigianis, and that they ,rather than the allies, had ended the war in Italy. This is a book about thousands of heroes that most of us have never thought about. Roberto and Volpe Rossa are unforgettable characters. I can't believe they are not real. I hope you allow yourself the opportunity to meet them. As a children's librarian I would recommend this book to mature 7th graders and up. It contains some very harsh realities, much sadness, and a sense of triumph that transcends it all.