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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Another excellent historical fiction from Gratz. I learned a lot and know my students always come away satisfied by one of these novels. This one touches on the discrimination Japanese Americans experienced after Pearl Harbor and will offer students a chance to consider who really are the heroes and the villains of any story.
Grades 6 and up.
Grades 6 and up.
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm tell you, Alan Gratz doesn't miss. If you're interested in hearing my thoughts on this one, be sure to check out my video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQPAwzGzX4o&t=439s
This book did a good job of covering a hard topic. I appreciate that it didn't shy away from the horror of Pearl Harbor but still made it readable for elementary aged students. The author covered a lot of history in this book. I never hesitate to recommend Alan Gratz to the students at my school.
Another great historical fiction from author Alan Gratz about two comic book-loving boys trying to survive during the attack on Pearl Harbor. One of the boys is half Japanese and also has to navigate the anti-Japanese sentiment after the attack. Highly recommended for grades 4+.
Alan Gratz can do no wrong in the middle grade historical fiction arena. He is him, as my 6th graders would say. It wasn’t my favorite of his, but it was still really great.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Two Navy brats solidify their friendship as the world explodes all around them in Pearl Harbor. At one point, bombs dropping overhead, the water on fire and sharkes and eels beneath, the threats were everywhere.
I admire how good Gratz is at writing for kids. He often plunges into the most horrific parts of history and doesn’t pull punches. His readers will feel the full horror. Yet, he still manages to walk the middle-grade line. His books also showcase fully realized characters and a broader message of historical poignancy. In this book, the harshness of how American citizens of Japanese ancestry were targeted. His books are not for every young reader, but so many of my students get the most dramatic and traumatic portions of history shown to them with large doses of humanity.
RATL - Adventure Genre
I admire how good Gratz is at writing for kids. He often plunges into the most horrific parts of history and doesn’t pull punches. His readers will feel the full horror. Yet, he still manages to walk the middle-grade line. His books also showcase fully realized characters and a broader message of historical poignancy. In this book, the harshness of how American citizens of Japanese ancestry were targeted. His books are not for every young reader, but so many of my students get the most dramatic and traumatic portions of history shown to them with large doses of humanity.
RATL - Adventure Genre
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: War