The Red Zone

The Red Zone: an Earthquake Story
Silva Vecchini & Sualzo
Amulet/Abrams, September, 2019 133 pages
Grades 5-Up
Graphic Novel

Matteo's life changes when an earthquake hits his small Italian village. He grabs his younger sister and the two spend a fearful night huddled under a table. Once the dust settles, they head, along with Matteo's mom, grandmother, and stepdad, to an emergency shelter. Matteo's father shows up with a camper, into which the family moves, avoiding the tent city that the other village residents must endure. Life slowly starts to resume to a new normal. School continues in a tent and the children begin to play again and kick the soccer ball around. Matteo and his friends explore the forbidden "Red Zone", the area where the earthquake hit, discovering the once lovely buildings turned into a pile of rubble. Some residents cope with the loss better than others and after someone intentionally destroys the younger kids’ art work, Matteo is determined to discover the culprit. Once discovered, it is not who Matteo suspects and he helps the transgressor find healing for a devastating loss. A kind teacher thinks of a way to mend the broken artwork, serving as a metaphor for the townsfolk to mend their broken lives and put things back together, though not exactly the same, but richer and more interesting.

The Italian authors/illustrator of this new graphic novel were inspired by the real earthquake that hit central Italy in 2016, destroying several villages. Certainly Italian children will find help and hope in this volume, but other young people suffering devastating losses will find comfort in Matteo's story as well. The text is sparse and most of the story is told through the beautiful full-color illustrations. The devastation of a natural disaster is seen through the eyes of a young person and the authors stay true to this point of view. The resiliency of the survivors is inspiring and many readers will be encouraged by the courage displayed by the characters and the sense of community displayed. The only thing that confused me about the book is the actual age of Matteo and his friends. My guess was that they were in middle school, maybe seventh grade, yet Matteo has a girlfriend with whom he kisses, putting them older. I think that the romance element could have been left out, although this was originally written for an Italian audience and maybe kids start dating younger within this culture. At any rate, it does not get inappropriate for a younger audience and American children will find much to delve into, broadening their view of the world and translating the experience to find healing for their own losses.