This poignant historical novel about two teenagers from different worlds centers on a little-known event on the World War II homefront. To Adam Bornstein, a 15-year-old Jewish Yugoslavian, World War II has meant constant danger, secrecy, and fear. But when Rome is liberated in June 1944, Adam, along with his mother and sister, is given the chance to escape war-ravaged Italy for the safety of upstate New York. To 14-year-old Christine Cook the war symbolizes all the drama and excitement missing in her own humdrum world of Oswego, NY. When a refugee camp is established near her home, she finds herself drawn to the residents whose pasts are so different from her own. There Christine meets Adam, and the attraction between the two is instant and overpowering. But their parents don't approve, and their objections grow more pronounced as the romance develops. Christine and Adam are brought together by a world at war, but the struggle that threatens to tear them apart lies within their own families. Will their love for each other prevail over the narrow-mindedness of the adults around them?

 

This book was recognised by the Scott O Dell Award for Historical Fiction. It was recognised in the YA category by the South Carolina Childrens Junior and Young Adult Book Award.

This book has been graded for interest at 12+ years.

There are 208 pages in this book. This book was published 1999 by Cricket Books, a division of Carus Publishing Co .