Author: Donna Jo Napoli
Publication: New York: Dell Laurel Leaf
Publication Date: 2000
ISBN: 0-440-41411-3
Pages: 245 (small print)
Summary: Percy's father, a civil engineer, has to move himself and his family to Venice for the summer while he helps to install a new system of floodgates. Percy is opposed to the move until he meets Graziella - a beautiful Venetian who serves ice cream in the local gelateria. The two become friends, but Percy learns that Graziella has strong opinions about outsiders and what they have done to her beloved city. Events heat up when Graziella and her friends decide that the only way to make city officials see things their way is to resort to volence. Percy risks his relationship with Graziella in order to convince her that there are other ways to fight for what she believes in.
Major Characters: Percy (17, American), Christopher (brother, 6), Graziella (Venetian)
Comments: This plot was not what I expected from a romance novel. There were no sex scenes, and very little talk of love. (Percy isn't exactly your typical romantic hero, either, as a scrawny teen who's into engineering). There were, however, lots of messages about the environment and political activism. The author uses a lot of Italian throughout the book. Sometimes it is translated, other times you have to guess the meaning out of context.
Genre: Romance
Age Level: 13+
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