2017
WISE Score
Amazon
A teenage spy drives for Nazis while saving Jews—it's like Mission Impossible meets Schindler's List, but with better pasta and more heartbreak.
4.6
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If your teen is tired of dry history books but needs to understand the weight of the 1940s, this is the one. It’s cinematic, fast-paced, and hits like a freight train.
It’s not 'clean' in the sense that war is messy and terrible, but the character of Pino Lella is exactly the kind of hero you want your kids reading about. Just be ready for some heavy conversations afterward.
Best for 14 and up. It's a sophisticated read that deals with adult themes of war and loss, but it's accessible enough that a high schooler won't find it a slog.
The protagonist, Pino Lella, consistently chooses the hard, right thing over the easy, wrong thing. While the setting is the grim reality of Nazi-occupied Italy, the core is about human decency and the courage to protect others at extreme personal risk.
It’s historical fiction, so it's bound by reality, but the sheer 'how did he pull that off?' factor of a teenager spying on the Nazi High Command while driving for a general is as gripping as any thriller.
This is a war novel. Expect descriptions of executions, the horrors of the Holocaust, and the general brutality of the Italian front. It’s safe for the intended teenage/adult audience, but it's definitely not for kids who aren't ready for the heavy stuff.
It offers a masterclass in a lesser-known theater of WWII. The moral dilemmas—like wearing a swastika to save lives—provide incredible fuel for thinking about ethics and survival.
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