Written by Lois Sepahban
Ten-year-old Manami did not realize how peaceful her family’s life on Bainbridge Island was until the day it all changed. It’s 1942, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Manami and her family are Japanese American, which means that the government says they must leave their home by the sea and join other Japanese Americans at a prison camp in the desert. Manami is sad to go, but even worse is that they are going to have to give her dog, Yujiin, to a neighbor to take care of. Manami decides to sneak Yujiin under her coat, but she is caught and forced to abandon him. She is devastated but clings to the hope that somehow Yujiin will find his way to the camp and make her family whole again. It isn’t until she finds a way to let go of her guilt that Manami can accept all that has happened to her family. — From the publisher.
A well researched story of a Japanese American girl’s journey and life in an internment camp during World War II. The story is a great insight into what it was like in these camps and what life became for the families who were there with a strong emotional impact. The author does such an excellent job of making Manami’s story relatable to other children by expressing her fears, concerns and confusion in a simple yet descriptive way. Students who enjoy historical fiction or animal stories will like this as well.
Review by Jessica Riggs, Robert Frost Elementary Media Center
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 3-6
Author Website: http://www.loissepahban.com/
Paper Wishes
Written by Lois Sepahban
Farrar Straus Giroux
181 pages
Release Date: January 5, 2016
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
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