Rating: 
Summary: A boy's passion and courage
Review: Niccolo Ammaniti's "I'm Not Scared" is a small wonder. Told in a pulsating, dramatic fashion it is the story of a boy, Michele, who risks everything to save another boy his age, Filippo, as the circumstances surrounding Filippo change. Ammaniti's book is one where the children bear the maturity and the adults are rendered needy of care."Im Not Scared" is a tale of the heart. The reader roots for Michele at every turn and watches him as he battles his own fears only to turn them into a breathless triumph. The author beautifully gives a picture of the wheat fields of southern Italy and the "aliveness" of a small town that would otherwise be described as sleepy. Distances and time are presented in a desirably vague way, increasing our imagination of the bravura of Michele. The one downside is the English translation by Jonathan Hunt. (no relation to me!) It is obviously translated into "British English" so many of the words and phrases are confusing. A better translation for Americans would have made the read a little less jumbled and more satisfying. Still, "I'm Not Scared" is a book not to be missed and can easily be a treasured read of an evening.
Rating: 
Summary: Reminiscent of Stephen King's "Stand By Me"
Review: Niccolo Ammaniti's "I'm Not Scared" is a coming-of-age novel set in 1970's Italy. It is about young boy's (Michele"s) discovery of a horrible crime committed by his father (among others) involving a child the age of the narrator. In tone and spirit it is somewhat reminiscent of Stephen King's "Stand by Me", but in a more lyrical vein and in an Italian setting. Michele's father is loving toward his children which makes the crime he is involved in all the more chilling because the victim is the same age as his son. It is also about the dawning disillusion with his father of the compassionate Michele who even before his discovery of the crime has shown a willingness to risk himself to spare others in his group of playmates pain and embarrassment. In this case, Michele puts himself and his relationship with his parents at risk to bring relief to the victim. A riveting read, one that you will ponder long after the last page has been turned.
Rating:
Summary: A boy's passion and courage
Review: Niccolo Ammaniti's "I'm Not Scared" is a small wonder. Told in a pulsating, dramatic fashion it is the story of a boy, Michele, who risks everything to save another boy his age, Filippo, as the circumstances surrounding Filippo change. Ammaniti's book is one where the children bear the maturity and the adults are rendered needy of care. "Im Not Scared" is a tale of the heart. The reader roots for Michele at every turn and watches him as he battles his own fears only to turn them into a breathless triumph. The author beautifully gives a picture of the wheat fields of southern Italy and the "aliveness" of a small town that would otherwise be described as sleepy. Distances and time are presented in a desirably vague way, increasing our imagination of the bravura of Michele. The one downside is the English translation by Jonathan Hunt. (no relation to me!) It is obviously translated into "British English" so many of the words and phrases are confusing. A better translation for Americans would have made the read a little less jumbled and more satisfying. Still, "I'm Not Scared" is a book not to be missed and can easily be a treasured read of an evening.
Rating:
Summary: Lean, mean, and impressive
Review: Probably few human fears are worse than that of being buried alive in a hole in the ground without ability to escape, or that of finding out that your parents would do such a thing to someone else! I found this book to be skillfully writen in short succint thoughts that vivdly bring to life the mind of a child and the comingling joys and nightmares of childhood -- in the setting of a poor small hamlet in southern Italy, that is at the same time both enchanting and oppressively stifling, and whose inhabitants are capable of both ferocious love for their children and incredible brutality to other people's children. I would not recommend this book to anyone who has been traumatized or abused in any way.
The boy is very curageous and rather incredibly for such an age, stands against his own parents for what is right. Apparently, as he speaks of being on a ski slope 10 years later, he must have turned out well which implies that goodness is innate and not taught. Normally, such a child would become like his parents, mean, desperate and cruel. Or would take to drinking to forget.
Rating:
Summary: Scary to think...
Review: Scary to even imagine this story, Ammaniti's thriller is of a man giving his account of uncovering a horrible secret as a child in 1978 rural Italy. Wracked with guilt, and curiosity, the boy finds that he cannot even go to his friends or his parents for fear of having to explain and becoming even more embroiled in the affair. Just when my curiosity had reached the point that I could no longer stand it, Ammaniti reveals the source of the secret and it was a shocker. Ammaniti vividly portrays life in this small town. The characters work hard and some desperately want a better life and are willing to go to extremes to get it. Hunt's translation is beautiful and so descriptive it is an art form by itself. Why 5 stars?:
Ammaniti and Hunt have combined efforts to create a thriller that will shock the reader. I was simultaneously angry with some characters and sympathizing with them. From the first chapter you will feel as if you know the neighborhood kids and will understand the actions of the parents. I felt a special bond with the lead character though I, nor anyone else I know, have ever had an experience quite like his. I couldn't wait to see the end, and it hooked me even more.
Rating: 
Summary: A quick, creepy read
Review: Something for the late night thriller fan. The translation is a little stilted, but it's a great little story that with a twist that will give you some serious chills.
Rating:
Summary: A Hero.
Review: The description of the book left me very curious as to what this book was about. I wasn't thrilled to have a book that had been translated, figuring it would be difficult to follow. This was not. I absolutely thought this was well worth my time. I can not imagine being in Michele's shoes. He is so very brave. He is a small hero in this world. I fell in love with him. I have read different reviews on the ending of this book and have to say I thought it was very well done. For me there we're no questions. I didn't think the ending was very predictable. What I would have expected to happen didn't. This book is 200 pages, reads more like a short story. Well, worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: Close to perfection
Review: The publication of Niccolo Ammaniti's work in English is long overdue. "I'm Not Scared" lacks the black comedy and outrageous situations of his earlier work but, in this novel, one of Italy's most important young writers attains something close to perfection. Like "The Great Gatsby", this is a novel with zero padding. Every word has its place and contributes to the whole. The style, the sensitive descriptions of the hero's world and attitudes and the construction of the story are first class. The whole book unfolds like a movie (the first few pages brought back vivid images of Terrence Malick's "Days of Heaven" with the undulating fields of grain) in vibrant, striking images. And that's all that I'll say because any more about the plot could ruin the pleasure of discovering a great modern novel.
Rating: 
Summary: waste of time
Review: This book is poorly written, tedious, and has a predictable ending. It was a waste of time
Rating:
Summary: I'm Not Scared
Review: This is a story of a nine year old boy, Michele, who lives in the small town of Acqua Traverse. While the grown ups are hiding from the heat indoors during a heat wave in 1978, Michele, his friends and his sister set out on their bikes looking for adventure. After stumbling across a deserted house, Michele alone, discovers a horrible secret that will force him to choose between loyalty to his parents and his own conscience. Although the story was short and the ending was sad, the writing was beautiful. I would recommend this book.
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