Elisa Sabatinelli – författare

Dive below the waves to where the real adventure begins.Hector lives with his family at the Marina in an Italian coastal town where they organize tourist expeditions to explore the many wonders of the sea. Hector’s dream is to become a deep-sea diver, just like his father. Then, one day, an unscrupulous entrepreneur opens a much newer center next door, forcing them to close their business. This man has a single purpose, to find the legendary Pearl in order to sell it and make money. Hector decides to find a way to thwart the plan and save what matters most to him: the sea, his family, and his dream.

A Booklist Editors' ChoiceA Capitol Choices BookA Best Middle-Grade Book of the Year – Kirkus Reviews★ "Beautiful, remarkable, amazing, and wonderful in every way"–Kirkus Reviews, starred review★ "An absolute delight . . . An exceptional story that will have young readers longing for the sea.” —Booklist, starred review★ Publishers Weekly, starred review​Dive below the waves to where the real adventure begins. Hector lives with his family at the Marina in an Italian coastal town where they organize tourist expeditions to explore the many wonders of the sea. Hector’s dream is to become a deep-sea diver, just like his father.Then, one day, an unscrupulous entrepreneur opens a much newer center next door, forcing them to close their business. This man has a single purpose, to find the legendary Pearl in order to sell it and make money. Hector decides to find a way to thwart the plan and save what matters most to him: the sea, his family, and his dream.

A luminous coming-of-age story of belonging, courage, and the quiet power of seeing beyond fear when it matters mostIn a small Italian hilltop village where life follows the steady rhythm of the olive harvest, ten-year-old Daniele has always known where he belongs. Then Livia arrives—slight, pale, and impossible to ignore—living in a crumbling house beneath a crooked olive tree that has never borne fruit. At first, she is only a curiosity. But when the harvest begins to fail, whispers take root and fear spreads, and Livia’s differences make her an easy target. Drawn to her quiet strength yet afraid of standing apart, Daniele must find the courage to see beyond what others believe—and decide for himself what is true. Lyrical, evocative, and deeply affecting, Livia and the Crooked Tree is a powerful story of friendship, belonging, and the moment a child begins to understand that what is fragile is not always weak—and that truly seeing can change everything.