Paperback, 208 pages
Published Jan. 26, 2004 by Canongate International.
One relentlessly hot summer, six children explore the scorched wheat-fields that enclose their tiny Italian village. When the gang find a dilapidated farmhouse, nine-year-old Michele Amitrano makes a discovery so momentous he dare not tell a soul. It is a secret that will force Michele to question everything and everyone around him. An unputdownable thriller, I'm Not Scared is also a devastatingly authentic portrayal of childhood and the tension when it must join the adult world.
I particularly dislike audiobook narrators who do silly voices for children, this was particularly bad because it's told from the child's point of view. Inexplicably they used an Australian for an Italian book so it was all a bit jarring. The story didn't really make up for it, it was a bit old fashioned, and I was lacking the historical context that inspired it.
This story reminded me a lot of the book: 'The boy in the striped pyjamas'.
Sadly, I could see the plot coming from miles away. It did not surprise me in any way. I was not scared or thrilled at all. If I had read this before 'the boy in the striped pyjamas', this book would have been way better for me.
