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Stones in Water

by Donna Jo Napoli (Goodreads Author)

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 812 ratings · 114 reviews

When Roberto sneaks off to see a movie in his Italian village, he has no idea that life as he knows it is over. German soldiers raid the theater, round up the boys in the audience, and pack them onto a train. After a terrifying journey, Roberto and his best friend Samuele find themselves in a brutal work camp, where food is scarce and horror is everywhere. The boys vow to...more

Paperback, 224 pages

Published October 25th 1999 by Puffin (first published June 30th 1997)

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Mar 04, 2013 Jerry Nemec rated it 5 of 5 stars

The book that I chose to read for my independent reading project is "Stones in Water", by Donna Jo Napoli. This book will reveal the struggles of a young boy Named Roberto that was taken from his small Italian village to a Nazi concentration camp. Along the way he is separated from his older brother and his good friend. Luckily, he is not left alone. He is accompanied by his Jewish friend Samuele, who changed his name to "Enzo" to hide his identity as a Jew. Roberto and Enzo stick together throu...more The book that I chose to read for my independent reading project is "Stones in Water", by Donna Jo Napoli. This book will reveal the struggles of a young boy Named Roberto that was taken from his small Italian village to a Nazi concentration camp. Along the way he is separated from his older brother and his good friend. Luckily, he is not left alone. He is accompanied by his Jewish friend Samuele, who changed his name to "Enzo" to hide his identity as a Jew. Roberto and Enzo stick together throughout this nightmare, and share any supplies they can scrounge up to survive the harsh living conditions, and labor ahead of them. Roberto helps protect Enzo's true identity for as long as possible, but soon another prisoner discovers their dirty little secret and black mails the boys for a portion of their food daily. Eventually, in the midst of the night, Enzo and Roberto get into a fight with two thieves that are trying to steal their boots. Enzo is beaten to death in the struggle, leaving Roberto alone, and defenseless. Roberto, realizing that his fate is the same, escapes from the concentration camp. Roberto left in a hurry and only brought with him the clothes on his back, and a piece of meat. He treks through the harsh-weathered land of Eastern Europe for many days surviving in the middle of no where by himself. He encounters many dangers along the way. Barely surviving the elements, Roberto stumbles across a village in Ukraine that was recently ravaged by German and Italian Soldiers. The only survivor is a young boy. Roberto befriends this boy and they set out on a long journey to the nearest civilization. When they find the next village, Roberto is shot. The villagers mistake him for a German soldier, and hold him as a prisoner. The boy helps Roberto escape, and in the next town Roberto finds a boat, and an oar. Roberto uses this boat to travel. Roberto is taken hostage by a Roman soldier and forced to paddle the boat for him. They travel for a while together, and become friends. The Roman soldier turns out to be a deserter, and is aiming to join the "Partigiani", an anti-war group that sabotages the war. Roberto decides that he too wants to join this group, and help end the war. I would highly recommend reading this book. This boy prevailed through all struggles, even when there seemed to be no way out. This book could teach the Average Joe what real struggles are.(less)

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Aug 22, 2012 Alison Levie rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Jun 28, 2012 Alex Baugh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: world-war-2

I picked up this book in a library book sale because it was about another one of those little known events that occurred during World War II: the snatching of Italian boys by Nazis and used as forced labor. And also because the setting, at least in the beginning, was in Venice, Italy in the early 1940s, an unusual setting for most MG or YA novels. The story centers on the friendship between 12 year old Roberto, a Catholic, and Samuele, a Jew. It begins with the lure of seeing an American western...more I picked up this book in a library book sale because it was about another one of those little known events that occurred during World War II: the snatching of Italian boys by Nazis and used as forced labor. And also because the setting, at least in the beginning, was in Venice, Italy in the early 1940s, an unusual setting for most MG or YA novels. The story centers on the friendship between 12 year old Roberto, a Catholic, and Samuele, a Jew. It begins with the lure of seeing an American western film at the local movie theater proving to be too great for young Roberto to pass up. Before long, however, not only is Roberto sneaking off to see the movie, but he is joined by his older brother Sergio, and friends Memo and Samuele.

The movie hasn't even begun when German soldiers swoop into the theater and round up all the boys. Before they know what is happening, they are sorted by age so that Sergio and Roberto are separated from each other. The boys are then put on trains heading north. All through Italy, the trains picks up more and more boys. Gradually, the trains head east to the Ukraine. The whole operation appears to be such a perfectly planned operation. A Western movie would and did draw only boys from the area, and no girls. Non of the boys in any of the groups speak the same dialect, so there is little communication among them. Soon, though, the boys realize the danger for Samuele, who is circumcised, so they change his name to Enzo and Roberto gives him his St. Christoper medal to wear.

Eventually, Roberto and Enzo end up in a labor camp, where all the boys are forced to build an airstrip for supply planes to land. The work is hard and there is little food, and as winter comes the boys must find whatever rags they can use to try to keep from freezing, usually striping what they can off dead bodies - dead soldiers and prisoners alike were fair game. At night, Enzo entertains Roberto with stories, most from the Old Testament, to keep his morale up. The friends continue to support each other, so when another boy discovers that Enzo is Jewish and demands he give him most of his food ration, Robert shares his ration with his friend.

Throughout their captivity, Roberto worries about his parents and about getting home, but there seems to be no end in sight for the boys. And to make matters worse, Enzo begins to weaken from the lack of food. And to top it all off, with winter's snows, survival becomes more and more difficult for the boys.

Will they ever see home again?

This was the kind of coming of age story that really makes you realize what the concept 'coming of age' really means. As you read Roberto's story, you can watch as he is transformed from a boy who had romanticized war to a thinking, feeling young man who realizes and appreciates the horrors of war without ever having been on a battlefield. Yet, right from the beginning, Roberto and Samuele witness shocking Nazi brutality whenever boys tried to run away or when they fainted while working. These were sobering lessons, and both boys heeded them in order to stay alive.

Stones in Water is a fast read, and for the most part it was excellent. Some readers seem to feel that the end of the book didn't have a satisfactory conclusion, but I liked it. Hinting at a sequel, I felt that Roberto has more in store for him than just going home. And indeed, a sequel was written, Fire in the Hills, continuing Roberto's story.

One thing did bother me about Stones in Water. It is based on reality, but I was sorry there was no Author's Note at the back of my copy to more fully explain the basis of the story, just an easy-to-miss brief mention in the acknowledgements. It seems that Napoli has a friend, Guido Fullin, who was taken by the Nazis as a boy, just like Roberto was and Stones in Water is loosely based on him. She did her own research but said no more about it. I would have liked a list of further reading, if one can be done, about Italian boys being taken and used as forced labor despite Germany and Italy being aligned with each other during the war. When I googled this topic, I didn't find much more than an interview with Donna Jo Napoli in which she reiterated what she wrote in her acknowledgements. The interview may be found at Examiner.com

Despite this, Stones in Water is a very worthwhile story for readers young and old.

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was purchased for my personal library.

http://thechildrenswar.blogspot.com (less)

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May 10, 2012 Cami Beath rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-lit-2o12

Stones in Water
By Donna Jo Napoli

I love this book. I went through the last 150 pages without even realizing it, and then I just wanted more. The protagonist, Roberto, is fantastic. Napoli has a real talent for creating life-like characters. Roberto made me want to spend a month in Italy. His boyishness is so tangible and so believable, I just want to meet him. This story is tragic and grim because it is about World War II, but it is also beautiful and important. Napoli finds the humanity in the...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Angie Orr rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-lit-2011-12

Stones in Water. Napoli, Donna Jo.

Rating: ***

Summary: Roberto and his friend sneak off to go see a movie in a small town. During the movie German soldiers take all the young boys to a camp. The boys witness shootings and many other graphic situations. The two boys try to stick together as the boys are separated. Luckily the boys stay in the same group. However, Samuel has a dark secret that could get him killed if the soldiers find out. Roberto sneaks food across lines since food is scarce at th...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Kimberlee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kimberlee-s-home-library

An almost surprisingly poignant book set during WWII, told from the point of view of an Italian boy forced into labor by the Nazis. Despite being a childrens' book, the author gives an honest view of the cruelty of Axis forces toward those they considered both friends and enemies.

There's nothing truly graphic enough in the horrors described that would be too much for young readers, though those especially sensitive to the suffering of others at the hands of ordinary men behaving like monsters m...more

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May 22, 2011 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: kaley wainwright

Stones in Water is a thrilling book written by Donna Jo Napoli. When a young Italian boy by the name of Roberto gets captured from a movie theatre in Venice with his brother Sergio and two friends Memo and Samuelle, they are taken to a concentration camp in Germany. At the camp Robert and Samuelle get separated from Memo and Sergio, they must help each other survive. but Samuelle has a life threatening secret and they are both dying to keep it.

The best part about this book was the end because it...more

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May 18, 2011 Guess Jeans rated it 3 of 5 stars

Stones in Water in a great book written by Donna Jo Napoli. In short, during World War Two, a young Italian Boy named Roberto goes to see an American film with some friends and his older brother. Before the movie starts, Nazi's fill the theater and usher them out and on to a train, headed for Germany. The boys must now live in a brutal work camp and keep Roberto's friend Samuele's secret, that he is Jewish, and in the middle of a work camp.
I think the best thing about the book is that Roberto an...more
Stones in Water in a great book written by Donna Jo Napoli. In short, during World War Two, a young Italian Boy named Roberto goes to see an American film with some friends and his older brother. Before the movie starts, Nazi's fill the theater and usher them out and on to a train, headed for Germany. The boys must now live in a brutal work camp and keep Roberto's friend Samuele's secret, that he is Jewish, and in the middle of a work camp.
I think the best thing about the book is that Roberto and Samuele are both so selfless and want to keep each other alive. They even risked their lives to help two polish girls trapped in a concentration camp. After someone finds out that Samuele is Jewish and takes his food for his silence, Roberto gives Samuele half of his food so that he could have his best friend with him. After Roberto is caught stealing eggs from a coop for extra food, Samuele gets himself in trouble so that he is moved to another camp with Roberto, no matter what the consequences of his actions may be. When they are moved to Ukraine and are freezing to death, Samuele and Roberto will share the clothes that they can take from any boy that has frozen to death.
I think Roberto is a very interesting character because he seems very sure of what must be done to keep below the radar and to keep himself alive. Knowing what he did, he also always managed to make things somehow worse for himself. When Samuele was disobeying orders and standing out, why would Roberto associate himself with Samuele? He Kept Samuele safe, by making sure that he did not jump off the train that was headed to Germany, and he told the Nazi's that he was deaf when he disobeyed orders, like getting out of the pond. He also made mistakes after his escape that most people would not make, like trusting a lone, starving wolf enough to try to get a blanket out of its mouth, or to trust a stranger with his supplies, even if it did better him. i think it's fair to say that Roberto has some trust issues.(less)

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Mar 10, 2011 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-fiction, historical, italy, rebecca-caudill-2000, survival, wars-wwii, holocaust

All Roberto and his friends, Memo and Enzo wanted to do was see an American movie at the theater that afternoon. However, WWII and Hitler are marching through Venice and are intent on rounding up young boys to be their manual labor under some of the cruelest conditions. They are boarded onto a train, taken away from their families, and work nearly the whole day with little to eat or drink. Conditions are brutal, but not as bad as the plight of the Polish Jews who are penned within barbed wire ne...more

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Jun 13, 2013 Dacia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: second-half

This book was a good book! I especially loved the angle it came from. It is told from the eyes of a 14 yr. old boy, and it is very touching. It is about the Holocaust, and him having to survive it as an Italian. I love learning about the Holocaust, and even though this wasn't a true story, it was still a wonderful read.

I would recommend this book to young adults ages 13-15. It was pretty easy to read and understand, and I would think it would be easy for young adults, both males and females alik...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Daven rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction

Two of my 8th grade kids chose to read this as an alternative to Elie Wiesel's graphic Night as part of a Holocaust study. I knew quite a bit about this historical fiction novel, but had not read it cover-to-cover until now. Offering an original perspective of WWII and the Holocaust, it is a narrative of an Italian boy forced along with hundreds of other boys into slave labor to support the failing Nazi war efforts. In the first half of the novel, the protagonist, Roberto, struggles to keep his...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Miss Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction-over-100-pgs, gr-6-8-historical-fiction, grades-4-6-historical-fiction

gr 4-9 209 pgs

WWII Italy. 13 year olds Roberto and Samuele walk to the movie theater with another friend and Roberto's older brother. In the middle of the movie, they are shocked when German soldiers appear and force them onto a northbound train. Their confusion turns to fear as the train crosses the border and leaves Italy. After seeing how badly the Nazis treat the boys, they are determined that no one should discover that Samuele is Jewish. Separated from the rest of their group, Roberto and...more

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May 09, 2012 Caleb Despain rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: soper-ya-lit-class

I love it when those books come along that open to eyes to things you had not before considered. I really want to know if this sort of thing actually happened. Did the Nazi's really kidnap children and force them into manual labor. This book really opened my eyes to the plight of the Italians during the second world war. I had always thought Italians were the "Bad guys." But I was most certainly wrong. This book was a part of my WW2 book marathon, and it was definitely worth it. I would not cons...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Kat rated it 2 of 5 stars

I can't say i liked this book... like at all. I hated Roberto and thought he was really stupid. I think the story would have been better told, had it been Samuele/Enzo telling it. The only reason I gave this book two stars was because the ending wasn't that bad. The plot would've been better, had there been a better main character. Of course, seeing as this book takes place during WW2 it was sad. There were many heart-breaking moments. And i'm not saying the reason i didn't like this was because...more

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Jun 08, 2008 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book reminded me of how bad people really had it during World War 2. It's crazy what starvation and the cold can really do to people. People were really strong during that time. I don't know if I could have handled all that most of the prisoners went through.

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Jun 22, 2010 Heidi Jensen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: section-2

Roberta is a young Italian boy, relatively unaffected by WWII, that just wants to see a good old Western with his friends. It is a little bit of a concernt obe going with his best friend Samuele since he is a Jew, but not a big enough deal to change plans. The four boys, including Roberto's older brother are enjoying their movie when the lights come on followed by a bunch of German soldiers. No need to worry, they are on the same team, probably just sendin them home for watching an American film...more

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Jan 05, 2012 02haileyl rated it 5 of 5 stars

The main issue or problem to this story is WW2. These boys in this story are right in the middle of the war. They are sent to these camps to work by the Germans. The setting of this book take place around 1940's in Itly, Germany, and Hungary. Roberto and Samuele. They go through alot together. They are very brave and strive to never give up. "I wish I could keep living, jsut to seet his war through with you. How lucky I've been to have you for a friend." this was said by Samuele. The theme is WW...more

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May 30, 2012 Chloe Sanders rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: eng-356-5-8-2012

This book was pretty good. I liked that it was a holocaust book that was from an Italian's point of view. I had never heard of a historical fiction book with this point of view. I had a hard time picturing the main kid as a teenager, I just felt like he was really young. But be did mature by the end of the book. I also liked how he decided to fight against the war, rather than go home. He really changed and was a different person at the end of the book, and I like that the author had him go figh...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Linda Lipko rated it 3 of 5 stars

When Roberto, his older brother and two friends attend a movie, suddenly Nazi soldiers kidnap them, taking them to labor camps.

Based on an actual happening in WWII, the author focuses on a unique aspect of Italian history wherein children were taken to work in brutal conditions to help the German war effort.

Roberto and his Jewish friend Samuele are separated from the others. Realizing the extreme vulnerability of Samuele, Roberto spends a great deal of effort protecting his friend.

This is a stor...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Alyssa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: english-356

I thought this book would be good and it was. Secrets, friendship: the best of any story. I was sad that it took place in the Holocaust because that is such a touchy subject, but it was good. I liked it a lot. It could have possibly happened too in the real world but we never know so it would be okay. I liked this book a lot. Good take on the situations of the Holocaust.

Language: a tiny bit but not much that I noticed.

Sex: no sex in this book. Yay

Drugs: nope. none that I spotted.

Violence: this...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Kristin Curtis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: eng-356-13-25

Stones in water is about a Roberto and his friend Samuele. They go to a movie one day and the theater is raided by Nazis who take all the boys and ship them to a work camp. Food is scarce and their odds don't look good, but they vow to stay together. But Samuele has a secret that could kill them both.

This is an inspiring book about the power of friendship and the will to survive. It is an interesting look into an event in history that we don't often hear about. I had no idea that Nazi's raiding...more

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May 28, 2012 Michelle Starrs rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-read

Stones in Water
Beautiful and quick. Deep and eye-opening. Brought me to tears.
It follows an Italian teenager during WWII, Roberto. I was so impressed with all the things I learned. I don't remember as much about history as I should because a lot of this book was new to me. The relationships that Roberto has with other characters throughout the book were truly heart wrenching.
A sad, heart-breaking story that I think everyone could benefit from reading. WWII was devastating but we all need to be...more

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Dec 25, 2011 Kristen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-15-30

In "Stones in Water" starts out in Venice, Italy. Memo, Roberto, Sergio and Samuele, who is Jewish, all go to the next city over to watch a American Western during the time of WWII. Right before the movie starts German soldiers come in and force everyone out of the theater and force them onto trains. They travel there for a while and then they get off at a train station and are forced into groups to follow the soldiers. Sergio who is much older gets put with the older boys. Memo, Roberto and Sam...more

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Jul 17, 2012 David Schultz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-lit

This book was amazing and went by so quickly. I loved reading it and am fascinated by the author’s ability to capture the emotional complexity of people. The description of the events in World War 2 brought it to life and made me want to read more. It shows how life can change in a moment when people are rounded up during a movie and sorted according to age. The boys are shipped north and forced into labor camps. It is an amazing read about how your world can change in an instant and how to prot...more

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Nov 06, 2007 Cassie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was so good I was actually dreaming i was Roberto during WWII.

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Jul 24, 2009 William rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Stones in Water" is a book about a boy named Roberto. The story takes place in Italy during World war II. At the beginning of the book, Roberto goes to see a Western with his friends Memo and Samuele, and his older brother Sergio. But when they arrive at the theater they captured by Nazi soldiers and sent to work camps. Now Roberto must fid a way to get back home to Venice. I would recomend this book to anyone intrested in the World War II time period, that is from ages twelve to adult (risqué...more

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Dec 17, 2009 Emily M rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I gave this book 3 stars because I really like the plot and some of the things the boys did but I didn't like the characters. Especially how they treated the other boys they had been sent to camp with. I also didn't like how they were so different in parts of the book with each other. So really the only thing in this book that I didn't like were the characters, something about them and how they acted really bugged me. I liked the plot because it was very different than all of the other books I h...more

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Apr 28, 2008 Brian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Stones in Water By: Donna Jo Napoli Book Review Brian Bredemann
Reading 8-McG
Book Review 4/27/08

If you love historical fiction and World War II, then you will love Stones in Water. This book is about a fourteen year-old named Roberto, who lives in Venice, Italy during the time Italy was part of the Axis forces in 1942.
The story begins with Roberto, his friends Memo and Samuele and his brother, Sergio, getting captured in a movie theatre and sent on a train into Germany. Memo and Sergio separa...more

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May 31, 2012 Dana rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this book. This book may seem like a middle school aged book, and while it's fine for middle schoolers to read this book, it also has a lot of things that might be very painful for them as there were for me. When I was reading this, I thought about all of the things that I was taught in middle school and early high school about WWII. I thought about all of the people who lost some one and how they must have felt. This book takes a different approach. It takes the view of...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Trisha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-10

A great book! If you're like me and like to learn about history through stories, than this is a great read for you. It's about WW2 and is told from the perspective of a young Italian boy who is captured with a bunch of other young boys to serve on Germany's side in the war. It's about learning to stand up for what you believe is right no matter what. Dealing with the fiercest of trials and taking them head on and not letting it get you too down. These boys had it bad, but were able to stay posit...more

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About Donna Jo Napoli

From her website:

Donna Jo Napoli is both a linguist and a writer of children's and YA fiction.

Donna Jo has five children. She dreams of moving to the woods and becoming a naturalist. She loves to garden and bake bread.

At various times her house and yard have been filled with dogs, cats, birds, and rabbits. For thirteen years she had a cat named Taxi, and liked to go outside and call, "Taxi!" to...more

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