This story is set up as a journalist going to interview Paolo Levi a famous violinist. Lesley is the replacement journalist and before she is to interview Levi the only information she is given is, “…don’t ask him the Mozart question.” Lesley agrees not to ask him the Mozart question, especially since she does not know what the question is. As the story progresses Lesley arrives in Venice, Italy to interview Levi. What is about to happen she would never have guessed, but this aloof and distant musician gives her the answer to The Mozart Question. It is the story of Levi’s mother and father and their original love of the violin. His father did not ever play for Levi to hear, but his mother had kept a violin hidden away from her son’s eyes. Levi loves music and eventually takes the violin to a man he meets, Signor Horowitz. Levi begins secretly taking lessons on his mother’s old violin. When Horowitz discovers that Levi has been keeping his lessons a secret he insists that he tell his parents. Horowitz goes with Levi to tell his parents and then The Secret comes out. Levi learns that his parents along with Horowitz had known each other long ago as they were forced into an orchestra in a concentration camp. They were forced to play for the SS and then for incoming Jews to calm them as they entered the camp. They played to survive, but they have great guilt that they feel they betrayed their own people by playing the music at their arrival.
This was a surprise book for me. The initial idea I had as I read this book was changed completely by the reading of this book. The story is beautifully told about a horrible time in our world’s history. This was a story about the Holocaust of which I was unaware. It is a fictional story, but it is completely true in that this happened in many camps. The illustrations are placed though out this book on full spreads. They are in muted shades of blue and are very moving. They are a quiet pause in this deeply moving story. I would recommend this to upper elementary or older. There are disturbing images and idea, it is about the Holocaust, but it could be read with a younger child if you explain the concepts before hand. It is a wonderful story I feel should be read by all children.
Reviewed by Carrie Holton
