Roberto and Samuele/Enzo are the central figures in Napoli's extraordinary novel, which though written for young adults will appeal to a wider audience. Roberto is the "everychild," the boy who, because of adversity, grows from childhood and ignorance into adulthood. Samuele/Enzo, who in the beginning of the story is a Jewish boy relatively untouched by the happenstance of his birth, grows symbolically and truly into the Victim of all his people throughout time.

Napoli's novel is outstanding. Of all her works, of which many have been translated into other languages, this story most deserves to be shared worldwide. The inhumanities of war are flashed daily on screen and in print. Yet seldom do children feel the awfulness of war. Napoli's story, while short in length, is long on lesson. The reader cannot fail to be moved by her words. The novel is...