Take a photo of a barcode or cover
dark
emotional
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
I read this to my 10-year-old, which I would say for most kids would be a minimum age. It is relentlessly grim, portraying realistic, horrifying war atrocities (violence and death, but not sexual violence fortunately) committed on and by American and Japanese soldiers at a breakneck pace. This includes use of women and children as human shields, for example. There is death on most pages.
Gratz does an amazing job of creating strong character arcs in the midst of all this action. He plays fair with ethics, showing how the fear and horror of war makes monsters of otherwise human beings on all sides. Heidiki, the 9 year-old main protagonist, is an Okinawan who joins a schoolboy arm of the Japanese army. Each boy psuedosoldier is given two grenades before they enter combat: one to kill as many Americans as possible, and one to kill themselves with afterward. Heidiki's understanding of the bigger picture of the war on his island and how disposable he and his people really are evolves quickly, and luckily his wits keep up and he outmaneuvers one bad situation after the other. I was especially impressed how Gratz created multiple soldiers driven to homicidal psychosis. One would have demonstrated the maddening effect of war; two demonstrated its pervasiveness. I also really appreciated learning about Okinawan language and culture. Gratz clearly did his research, and all the spiritual concerns of Heideki and his family are treated with great respect.
Gratz does an amazing job of creating strong character arcs in the midst of all this action. He plays fair with ethics, showing how the fear and horror of war makes monsters of otherwise human beings on all sides. Heidiki, the 9 year-old main protagonist, is an Okinawan who joins a schoolboy arm of the Japanese army. Each boy psuedosoldier is given two grenades before they enter combat: one to kill as many Americans as possible, and one to kill themselves with afterward. Heidiki's understanding of the bigger picture of the war on his island and how disposable he and his people really are evolves quickly, and luckily his wits keep up and he outmaneuvers one bad situation after the other. I was especially impressed how Gratz created multiple soldiers driven to homicidal psychosis. One would have demonstrated the maddening effect of war; two demonstrated its pervasiveness. I also really appreciated learning about Okinawan language and culture. Gratz clearly did his research, and all the spiritual concerns of Heideki and his family are treated with great respect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Mass/school shootings, War
Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, Racism, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation
Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail