At 200 pages, this book reads quickly and easily. Michele is a nine-year-old in a tiny village in Italy in 1978, growing up with his annoying little sister and his gang of friends. He stumbles across a secret and the ensuing drama is wonderful and terrible and captures the perspective of a young boy very well. Michele still worries about monsters at night and believes the stories about the neighbor's dog-eating pigs, but is starting to wonder about his future and looking to when he will no longer be a resident of his little village. There is an innocence that brings light to an otherwise heavy story.
Food: This is a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean that you expected to be butterscotch and turned out to be earwax, but it really wasn't disgusting and in fact, you might just like it. (less)