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.