Another one I'm on the wait list for! Summary from Albany County Public Library catalog:
With remarkable insight and clarity, the Newbery Medal-winning author of "Kira-Kira" explores an important and painful topic through the eyes of a young Japanese-American girl living in California just as the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor.Home page for author:
http://www.kira-kira.us/
I picked this one up last night and didn't put it down until I was done. How many people in our society are aware of the injustices that Japanese Americans faced during WWII?
Even before the bombing at Pearl Harbor, Sumiko is dealing with discrimination in her classroom and social life. After the bombing, these American citizens lost all their rights and freedoms and were "evacuated" to holding camps because of their ethnic background. The story of Sumiko and her family is heartbreaking and, sadly, realistic. This story is told focusing on 12-year-old Sumiko, but gives voice to the concerns and difficulties faced by her intergenerational family. The language evokes a feeling of loneliness and abandonment. It is hopeful toward the end.
Other books that show the inequities of war (not necessarily Japanese-Americans):
Chapter books:
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
The Diary of Ann Frank
Cristophe's Story by Nicki Cornwell (mid-early readers)
Picture book:
Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki
another story with the same feel, although it's about migrant workers not wartime:
Esperanza Rising by Pamela Munoz Ryan
Some non-fiction books:
Albany County Public Library has
J 940.53 B91J
The Japanese American internment : civil liberties denied
and this Young Adult book on the topic:
YA 940.5317 N499J
Japanese American internment during World War II : a history and reference guide
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