The Red Zone: An Earthquake Story

by Silvia Vecchini, Sualzo

Overview

An Italian town deals with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake

Matteo, Guilia, and Federico have ordinary lives: they spend time with friends, help out their families, go to school, and deal with the many mood swings that come with growing up. Then, in a single night, everything changes. The ground shakes. An earthquake devastates their town and their security. But after everything is gone, life must go on. Anger and fear affect everyone in the community, but each of them must find a way to begin again. In the aftermath, the roots for stronger friendships can be laid amid the rubble. This graphic novel provides a look at how natural disaster can strike and forever change a community.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419733680
Publisher:	Abrams Fanfare
Publication date:	09/10/2019
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 5.60(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Silvia Vecchini is an Italian author who writes picture books, novels, poetry, and comics for children. She runs workshops for schools, libraries, and bookshops and also holds creative writing classes.


Sualzo is an author and highly acclaimed comics illustrator working with many Italian publishing houses. He won the Festi’DB di Moulins in 2009 for best screenplay and was a finalist for the Attilio Micheluzzi Prize in 2010.

Editorial Reviews

09/16/2019

Translated from the Italian, Vecchini’s meditative graphic novel is a response to the 2016 earthquakes in Italy. When a quake disrupts the evening stillness, teenager Matteo watches as a lamp swings, Giulia’s pencil skitters off her drawing, and crockery tumbles. Then the dusk-blue background vanishes to black as the electricity fails. Matteo huddles with his preschool-age stepsister, lighting the space with his phone. The remainder of the book—in earthy clay hues on white—follows the quake’s aftermath. People move into a tent city, their village declared an off-limits “red zone.” Children sketch their memories, and one draws an air raid; he and his dad were already refugees. Matteo’s dad returns the family’s old camper to Matteo’s mother and her new partner so the kids have a temporary home. Matteo, Giulia, and their grieving friend Federico, who cannot find his dog, sneak into their old neighborhood to confront their fears because, otherwise, “your thoughts make shadows that get in the way of reality.” With many traumatized characters and limited explanations, readers may need to backtrack; a second pass reveals subtleties as the survivors adapt. Sualzo’s clear, expressive artwork amplifies the mood of anxiety but does not show graphic injuries, while the panels effectively balance wordless panels and dialogue to convey uncertainty amid aftershocks. Winner of the 2018 Attilio Micheluzzi Award in Italy, this sensitive offering makes expert use of the graphic format to tell an ultimately hopeful story about young survivors. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"A social and emotional look at natural disasters."

School Library Connection

"A touching, heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting book that will expose readers to the devastation of natural disasters."

Booklist

"Energetic."—Kirkus Reviews

"A touching, heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting book that will expose readers to the devastation of natural disasters."—Booklist

"A social and emotional look at natural disasters."—School Library Connection

"A poignant tale of loss and how the bonds of friendship help piece life back together in the wake of tragedy."—School Library Journal

"This sensitive offering makes expert use of the graphic format to tell an ultimately hopeful story about young survivors."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

"A touching, heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting book that will expose readers to the devastation of natural disasters."

Booklist

08/01/2019

Gr 4–7—In the aftermath of the 2016 earthquakes in Italy, Matteo, Giulia, and Federico reflect on what they lost. Many families leave their village or are relocated to tents, and children resume school. Giulia's house is severely damaged, and Federico's, located in the high-risk, off-limit Red Zone, is completely destroyed. Matteo's father gets a trailer for Matteo's mother, stepfather, half sister Agata, and grandmother, and all try to adjust to the new normal despite the paralyzing fear of aftershocks and the tension and anger that affect many, especially Federico. Both narrative and visuals provide a gentle window into a community attempting to rebuild. Manga-esque art and text flow well, and the illustrations effectively portray the setting. An unnamed curly-haired boy goes to school with the other kids and draws a picture interpreting the earthquake as airplanes dropping bombs on houses. Later, the child's grandfather, who wears a kufi and speaks only Arabic, tells Matteo and his grandmother that gardens are a blessing during war and gives them seeds, and the boy explains that their family fled their home country. This depiction, along with the creation story of the world on the back of turtles and a discussion of kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing pottery, stresses the power of resilience. VERDICT A poignant tale of loss and how the bonds of friendship help piece life back together in the wake of tragedy.—Ariana Sani Hussain, The Blake School-Highcroft Campus, Wayzata, MN

School Library Journal

2019-06-10
When people in a small Italian town lose everything in an earthquake, its youth must find a way to heal.

The 2016 earthquake in central Italy offers a backdrop for this graphic novel. Matteo; his girlfriend, Giulia; and their school friends are frightened: Their world has been destroyed, and they feel aftershocks daily. Many of their neighbors have moved away, but Matteo's mother and stepfather work in the village, and they must stay. Matteo is luckier than most—his father brings them an old camper trailer so they can leave emergency housing. But tensions run high for others, and problems began to arise. Matteo's friend seeks his lost dog in the forbidden zone. His little sister has trouble sleeping, and someone at their school commits vandalism. Matteo and Giulia set off to find the culprit and help a friend in need, leaning on an art teacher who teaches them an important lesson from Japan. Unfortunately the language feels stiff, and the friendships at the heart of the story are too generic. Readers learn little about these characters before the earthquake, and they fail to emerge as individuals afterward. The simple frames, awash in blue for nighttime scenes and shades of ocher for day, feel static for such an energetic premise. Most characters appear white; there is a Muslim refugee family; and Giulia is brown skinned.

Lacking in character development and depth. (author's note) (Graphic novel. 12-14)

Kirkus Reviews