Based on the extraordinary true story of 73 Jewish children from across Europe who were sheltered in an abandoned villa in Italy.
Berlin is no place for a Jewish boy in 1942. Nathan is one of the forty Jewish children and teenagers stepping off the train at the station in Nonantola. They have fled Nazi Germany, thanks to an organization led by Recha Freier, and accompanied by their guardians, are trying to reach Palestine. However, the war has forced them to change course, and they arrive in Italy.
In Nonantola, they are housed just outside the town at Villa Emma. It seems the worst is over. There are lessons and group meetings, and the older youths learn trades. Nathan is suspicious about this utopia. The memory of his father being dragged away in the night, and the farewells to his mother and younger brother, still burn painfully. Yet, at Villa Emma, there are no yellow stars to pin to one’s coat, no ghettos, and no midnight roundups. It feels like a completely new world, where farmers bring food and the carpenter provides beds and everyone can play their part.
However, following September 8, 1943, Nazi troops begin to encamp in Nonantola, and a new escape must be organized for the young people of Villa Emma. This time, though, they are not alone. They have an entire town fighting for them.
Rights sold:
Denmark (Alpha Forlag)
France (Albin Michel)
Germany (Ullstein)
Hungary (Alexandra Group)
Lithuania (Baltos Lankos)
Netherlands (Xander Uitgevers)
Portugal (Presença)
Slovenia (Hisa knjig Zalozba)
Spain (Roca Editorial)
