30 January 2026
Adelmo Who Wanted to Be Settimo
Adelmo is the seventh child in a family living in the Land of the Little Plain. Unlike in the case of his brothers, Primo, Secondo, Terzo (“First”, “Second”, ...
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Adelmo Who Wanted to Be Settimo
Adelmo is the seventh child in a family living in the Land of the Little Plain. Unlike in the case of his brothers, Primo, Secondo, Terzo (“First”, “Second”, “Third”) and so on, his mother Evelina decides to break the naming order and not call him Settimo, or “Seventh”. A choice his brothers never forgive. As the years go by, they push him to one side and constantly accuse him of being mummy’s boy, not least because he is the only child allowed to go to school and study. After their father’s death, Adelmo’s brothers scatter across the world in search of work. Years later, their mother, now old and ill, asks Adelmo to bring them back together so she can say farewell one last time. Thus begins a journey that leads him across plains, mountains and legendary rivers. Daniele Mencarelli’s novel draws on the classic elements of the fairy tale and the coming-of-age story, following Adelmo on a journey that will finally lead him into adulthood.
Reading age: from 11 years
Adelmo che voleva essere Settimo
Daniele Mencarelli
Mondadori, 2025