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maryehavens's review
3.0
If you haven't read "They Called Us Enemy", I can see why this graphic novel would be very good. But I have read "They Called Us Enemy" and Takei's first hand experience with internment will always trump a person's second or third hand experience. I'm not trying to diminish this work, it's just a very different feel.
I do appreciate the fact that this book described Japanese Canadians experiences. I thought forced internment of Japanese families after Pearl Harbor was an exclusively American experience. So that perspective is appreciated for sure.
I also liked the bit of background at the end. The baseball thread seemed a little forced throughout but I get why it was there.
If you liked this and haven't read "They Called Us Enemy", treat yourself. It was a fantastic look at a very dark time in American History.
I do appreciate the fact that this book described Japanese Canadians experiences. I thought forced internment of Japanese families after Pearl Harbor was an exclusively American experience. So that perspective is appreciated for sure.
I also liked the bit of background at the end. The baseball thread seemed a little forced throughout but I get why it was there.
If you liked this and haven't read "They Called Us Enemy", treat yourself. It was a fantastic look at a very dark time in American History.
alanakuni's review
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
tx2its's review
3.0
Reading 2021
Book 82: Stealing Home by J. Torres
Thank you to #Netgalley for this copy of #stealinghome in exchange for my review. Pub date for this book is in October.
Sandy is a young Japanese boy living in Canada. He is obsessed with baseball and loves attending games with his dad and brother. When WWII starts Sandy and his family are forced into an internment camp. Baseball is one of the things that helps get Sandy through his time in the camps.
Reviewed for ages 9 and older this book and the wonderful art bring to life for middle grade readers what happened to Japanese people in North America during WWII. It is told in a way that kids can understand. I have read a couple of other books on internment, this one is good, but not as good as the others I have read, specifically George Takei's book They Called Us Enemy. My rating 3.5⭐.
Book 82: Stealing Home by J. Torres
Thank you to #Netgalley for this copy of #stealinghome in exchange for my review. Pub date for this book is in October.
Sandy is a young Japanese boy living in Canada. He is obsessed with baseball and loves attending games with his dad and brother. When WWII starts Sandy and his family are forced into an internment camp. Baseball is one of the things that helps get Sandy through his time in the camps.
Reviewed for ages 9 and older this book and the wonderful art bring to life for middle grade readers what happened to Japanese people in North America during WWII. It is told in a way that kids can understand. I have read a couple of other books on internment, this one is good, but not as good as the others I have read, specifically George Takei's book They Called Us Enemy. My rating 3.5⭐.
saramarie08's review
4.0
Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.
Sandy is a young Boy growing up in British Colombia who loves baseball. It’s one of the things he and his father enjoy together, that is when is father isn’t off providing medical treatments to folks. Sandy’s family and of Japanese decent, and they live in a thriving Japanese community in BC, who all root for the Asahi, the local baseball team who just lost the championship, but are hopeful to get it back next season. Then, the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, and things start getting more complicated for Sandy and his family. They have to give up some of their possessions “for safekeeping”, knowing full well they will be sold off; they have to be in their homes by sundown, which makes the father’s job much harder; and there are certain areas of port cities they are no longer allowed to live in. Soon enough, the families are transported to camps that have been set up at abandoned mining facilities.
As an American, I’ve read many books about what the American government did to Japanese Americans, but I haven’t seen a lot from a Canadian perspective. Many things are extremely similar about the way folks of Japanese descent were treated in the two different countries. One of the similarities is how much the Japanese communities in the US and Canada love baseball. In this story, baseball or playing catch is sometimes the only thing that keeps Sandy in decent spirits. I would have liked to see a little bit more from the ending. Throughout the story, there is conflict for Sandy's father with performing his duty as a doctor and being present as a father. The ending gives hope that Dad will be more present with his family, but it sort of ends at the climax with a big reveal without a lot of resolution.
Namisato's illustrations are soft and visually pleasing. There are a ton of details in characters or backgrounds, but it works for this story. The pages could have benefited from some coloring since the illustrations are a little simple.
Kids Can Press rates this for grades 4-7, which seems appropriate aside from the possible lack of knowledge on Japanese Internment Camps in the lower grades. Without the historical context, the hardships Sandy's family goes through might fall a little flat.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 5-8
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley.
Sandy is a young Boy growing up in British Colombia who loves baseball. It’s one of the things he and his father enjoy together, that is when is father isn’t off providing medical treatments to folks. Sandy’s family and of Japanese decent, and they live in a thriving Japanese community in BC, who all root for the Asahi, the local baseball team who just lost the championship, but are hopeful to get it back next season. Then, the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, and things start getting more complicated for Sandy and his family. They have to give up some of their possessions “for safekeeping”, knowing full well they will be sold off; they have to be in their homes by sundown, which makes the father’s job much harder; and there are certain areas of port cities they are no longer allowed to live in. Soon enough, the families are transported to camps that have been set up at abandoned mining facilities.
As an American, I’ve read many books about what the American government did to Japanese Americans, but I haven’t seen a lot from a Canadian perspective. Many things are extremely similar about the way folks of Japanese descent were treated in the two different countries. One of the similarities is how much the Japanese communities in the US and Canada love baseball. In this story, baseball or playing catch is sometimes the only thing that keeps Sandy in decent spirits. I would have liked to see a little bit more from the ending. Throughout the story, there is conflict for Sandy's father with performing his duty as a doctor and being present as a father. The ending gives hope that Dad will be more present with his family, but it sort of ends at the climax with a big reveal without a lot of resolution.
Namisato's illustrations are soft and visually pleasing. There are a ton of details in characters or backgrounds, but it works for this story. The pages could have benefited from some coloring since the illustrations are a little simple.
Kids Can Press rates this for grades 4-7, which seems appropriate aside from the possible lack of knowledge on Japanese Internment Camps in the lower grades. Without the historical context, the hardships Sandy's family goes through might fall a little flat.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 5-8
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley.
howlinglibraries's review
5.0
I've read a few graphic novels now about internment camps, and I would say this may be the most friendly to young audiences I've seen—especially for any kids who enjoy baseball or sports in general. It focuses more on family, baseball, and the main character's father, and less on the uglier aspects of internment camps than other books I've read on the topic, but still portrays them clearly enough to drive home the fact that these camps were a cruel treatment of innocent people in North America's recent history.
I thought the art was stunning and the story was incredibly engaging, and felt like it could easily have been nonfiction instead of historical fiction. I'd highly recommend Stealing Home to anyone who enjoys historical graphic novels, especially young readers who aren't familiar with the WWII internment camps!
I thought the art was stunning and the story was incredibly engaging, and felt like it could easily have been nonfiction instead of historical fiction. I'd highly recommend Stealing Home to anyone who enjoys historical graphic novels, especially young readers who aren't familiar with the WWII internment camps!