Elisabetta Gnone: Olga, the Paper Girl* (originaly published in 2015 under the title Olga di carta – Il viaggo straordinaro)
Olga Papel is a very special girl. She is only 11 years old, but when she starts telling stories, the whole village of Balico gathers around her to listen. Her father died before she was born, and her mother and grandmother raised her with great love. The little girl was always a little strange, like a fairy or a ghost. She loved stories the most, reading and telling them too. Her two best friends were Bruco and Mimma.
Olga, the paper girl, was born on a cold, winter night in the village of Montetaba. The villagers accepted the paper girl as she was, but when she turned 10, she decided to go to the sorceress Ausolia to ask her to turn her into a normal child. Thus begins an extraordinary journey, during which Olga faces many dangers and adventures, while also making friends to achieve her goal. This is the story Olga Papel tells to her friends and the villagers.
In the book, we can learn about the two Olgas at the same time, who are very similar to each other: both girls are looking for their place in the world, both are balancing between self-acceptance and change. The book speaks very sensitively and nuancedly about fragility and vulnerability, and about what defines the kind of people we are. Because after all, what are we all made of?
Elisabetta Gnone is an Italian writer born in Genoa and currently lives and works in the hills around Monferrato. She is best known for the W.I.T.C.H. comic series and the Fairy Oak novels, but she also worked as a journalist for Walt Disney, where she published magazines for children. The Olga books (Olga di carta) are her latest works, in which both children and adults can find important messages. The three-book-series has been translated into Spanish and Hungarian so far.
*my translation
