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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Solid 5. Great book of the targeted age group – middle/junior high school. The narration by Greg Wantanabe truly made this book come alive.
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a really solid novel. I really enjoyed reading the point of view of a young Japanese boy during the time after Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. It took a long time in the beginning to get interesting, though. It was setting the scene, but I felt it didn't need a hundred pages to get familiar with everything. There was also a lot of baseball talk which is more or less a foreign language to me, so that personally took away some immersion, but it's still an over-all good novel. I think it'd be an excellent introduction to WWII/racism issues for late grade-school and middle school students.
I didn't think I would ever see my grandfather's early experiences of World War II reflected in literature but Salisbury DID reflect them and I had a very emotional, very personal reaction to it. Four stars might be an over-reaction, but I really enjoyed this book.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
I am reading a bit out of my usual genre this semester because I am in a class analyzing how children's and YA literature influences culture. Graham Salisbury's novel was the first book I read in our WWII unit.
I really enjoyed Graham Salisbury's portrayal of Hawaii before and after Pearl Harbor. He introduced me both to a culture and a setting I was largely unfamiliar with. However, I worry a bit about the idea of an outsider writing about Japanese culture and whether these portrayals are accurate.
The main reason for my three star rating is because I felt the book really dragged for the first half. As an adult reader, if I was bored I would worry that younger readers would be bored as well. I like the story Salisbury tells and with appropriate discussions in the classroom, it could provide a useful introduction to Japanese internment camps for younger readers.
I really enjoyed Graham Salisbury's portrayal of Hawaii before and after Pearl Harbor. He introduced me both to a culture and a setting I was largely unfamiliar with. However, I worry a bit about the idea of an outsider writing about Japanese culture and whether these portrayals are accurate.
The main reason for my three star rating is because I felt the book really dragged for the first half. As an adult reader, if I was bored I would worry that younger readers would be bored as well. I like the story Salisbury tells and with appropriate discussions in the classroom, it could provide a useful introduction to Japanese internment camps for younger readers.
This was a good historical fiction book. Quick read for me. I found thinking this would make a good book for someone in middle school.
Awesome! I love war stories about Pearl Harbor! They are just so fascinating...
This story is set in 1941 when a 13 year old Japanese-American boy, Tomi, is only really only concerned with family, school, friends, baseball, and bullies when Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese. After this one event Tomi’s world is turned on its head and nothing is the same. The story is told from Tomi’s perspective and feels very real and distinct. For children, I think it could be important to have a short Japanese lesson and have them think about the history behind the story.