These titles center on young girls’ experiences during World War II, with one excellent for middle grade readers and the other recommended for teens.

Levi, Lia. Just a Girl: A True Story of World War II. tr. from Italian by Sylvia Notini. illus. by Jess Mason. 144p. Harper. Mar. 2022. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780063065086.
Gr 3-7–Lia Levi tells the story of her childhood as a young Jewish girl living in Italy and Rome during World War II. Lia’s life begins to change when her mother tells her she can no longer attend her Italian school. Because of Mussolini’s new laws, Lia must now attend a Jewish school. While this change doesn’t affect Lia much, it is the first of many changes that worry her and cause her family to be separated. Lia’s father loses his job, and their family must move multiple times for him to find work that will support their family. When the war gets too close to home, Lia’s parents send her and her sisters to live at a convent in hopes of disguising them as Christian children. This unique story is both heartbreaking and sweet. Lia goes through many difficult situations, but, as a young girl would, she finds ways to be positive and have fun through this terrible time. The illustrations included add context for readers, along with interjections from Lia’s adult self that usually refer to the readers as “dear readers.” Levi’s story is perfect for young children who want to learn more about the Holocaust, but aren’t ready for the more horrific details. VERDICT An excellent addition to elementary memoir and World War II collections.–Lisa Buffi

Turke, Rosemarie Lengsfeld & Garrett L. Turke. American Shoes: A Refugee’s Story. 352p. Atria/Beyond Words. Feb. 2022. Tr $24. ISBN 9781582708522.
Gr 7 Up–In 1935, when Rosemarie was four years old, she and her parents went to Germany to visit family. After a year, the Lengsfelds attempted to board an ocean liner back to the United States. They were told Chancellor Adolf Hitler had closed the border, and Germans were not permitted to leave. Thus, Rosemarie and her parents were unluckily dwelling inside what would turn into World War II and the Nazi regime. Over a decade later, at 15 years old, a malnourished and traumatized Rosemarie, an American citizen, was able to return home via the SS Marine Flasher. Her parents and younger sister, Eleanor, were German citizens and were once again not allowed to board the ship. Separated from her family, Rosel, as she was nicknamed, set sail on the 10-day cross-Atlantic voyage, where readers learn of the horrors of Nazi Germany through her nightmares. In 2012, after a pilgrimage to his mother’s childhood home in Breslau, Rosemarie’s son Garrett sought out his mom’s story. At 85 years old, Rosemarie, quiet for decades, began to talk about the war. Those hundreds of hours of conversations, which at times included nightmare-inducing recollections, turned into this harrowing book. Garrett shares his mother’s story out of necessity and as a warning. His hopes that her “haunting testament” will be a “reminder of a global tragedy never to be forgotten, lest it be repeated” absolutely succeed. The book includes a trigger warning, sketches, an epilogue, postscript, acknowledgements from Rosemarie and Garrett, discussion questions, and a glossary of words, terms, and historical events. ­VERDICT An unforgettable YA historical nonfiction book, written in an exquisite manner.–Gretchen Schulz