It won’t be the strongest or the most overbearing who will win, but those who work as a team. Sasha and Alex don’t even know each other, but when war breaks out in Ukraine, they find themselves sharing everything: a house, school, and two younger sisters who have become friends. Yet even in Italy, where they are safe, there are still acts of bullying and injustice that require a brave choice… What is life like at thirteen? Well, friends come first, and Sasha and Alex have no doubts about that. Then there’s school, sports, and that special person who, for some reason, you keep bumping into everywhere. But what if one day war arrives? In Ukraine, Sasha suddenly has to face it: the real thing is nothing like video games, and in an instant, it takes everything away, even his dreams. He has to flee. Fortunately, in Italy, there is Alex’s family to welcome him and his little sister, so they can continue to study and live a more or less normal life. But even among the desks and classrooms, hatred and bullying find their way… Sasha and Alex do not give up and devise a plan inspired by the feat accomplished in 1942 by the heroes of Dynamo Kyiv, with which they will prove that violence cannot win in the face of solidarity and a sense of justice.

Cuori aperti contro la guerra, by Sonia Elisabetta Corvaglia and Lucia Perrucci, illustratated by Manuela Santoni – September 2022 – Mondadori Electa
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