• Age: 12 to 16
• Grade: 7 to 10
• Reading age: 13 to 18

Bruna is the youngest of seven children, living an idyllic life in a small Italian village in northern Tuscany. Though the Second World War has been raging in Europe for some time, the dangers haven’t seemed to reach her, and the Italian leader Mussolini’s allegiance with Hitler and the distant reports of fighting seem far away. But before long, Bruna's brothers are called to fight and by 1943 food rationing and shortages begin to take a toll on her family.

Soon the Italian people turn against their fascist regime and war comes to the region. When the retreating Nazis occupy her village, Bruna struggles to cope and help her mother and sisters stand up to the soldiers. Her peaceful life is shattered when her beloved village and its occupants find themselves in the centre of the fighting between the Nazis and the Allied forces pursuing them - the final front defended by the Nazis in Europe.

E. Graziani writes books in multiple genres for adults and teens. She is the author of Breaking Faith, a contemporary young adult fiction novel, selected for the “In the Margins” Book Award 2018 Recommended Fiction List and one of Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Best Books for Kids and Teens, and War in My Town, one of Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Best Books for Kids and Teens and finalist in the Hamilton Arts Council 2016 Literary Awards for Best Non-Fiction. She was a reader and reviewer for WUofC Short Prose Competition for Emerging Writers and is a regular contributor on CHCH Morning Live Book Chat. She resides in Canada with her husband and four daughters. Visit her website for more information, events, and new releases: egraziani1.wixsite.com/egrazianiauthor

E. Graziani's profile page