A delightful cast of characters brightens this portrait of a dark time in history.
In Shapiro’s historical middle-grade novel, Austrian sisters adjust to their new lives in WWII-era England as the world braces itself for war.
Twelve-year-old Anni Blum and her younger sister, Rosie, board a train in Vienna. Because Germany has taken over their country, the Jewish girls can only leave by traveling under forged Domestic Worker Visas. These visas are solely for people 25 and under, so their parents can’t go with them. Fortunately, the girls make it safely to Tuppington, England, where they stay with their uncle, aunt, and cousin Ronald. But plenty of challenges still lie ahead; Anni and Rosie, for example, are German speakers who struggle with certain English words. War is officially declared months after their arrival, soon followed by German planes regularly dropping bombs. The sisters are resilient. They can knit well, a skill they use for the benefit of numerous families. All the while, they await the day they’ll be reunited with their parents. Shapiro’s wartime tale is unexpectedly lighthearted. The sisters’ relationship is endearing—quick-witted Anni always has eyes on Rosie, ready for potential tantrums and eager to ensure the younger girl’s happiness. (It’s not long before their Tuppington family warms up to them.) The best moments involve the girls acclimating to their new environment, whether it’s the food or their household work (“Are we supposed to be the maids, or relatives?” Rosie wonders). The signs of World War II are as startling as they are compelling; Anni and Rosie get ration books (like everyone in England), are dubbed Nazi spies by local boys, and worry about their father, who’s at a Nazi “work camp.” Baldi’s black-and-white artwork shines throughout, especially the illustrations that preface each chapter, depicting such subjects as an aerial view of German planes and an umbrella-wielding Anni standing in line in the pouring rain.
A delightful cast of characters brightens this portrait of a dark time in history.Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781891328367
Page Count: 210
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel.
Sandy and his family, Japanese Canadians, experience hatred and incarceration during World War II.
Sandy Saito loves baseball, and the Vancouver Asahi ballplayers are his heroes. But when they lose in the 1941 semifinals, Sandy’s dad calls it a bad omen. Sure enough, in December 1941, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor in the U.S. The Canadian government begins to ban Japanese people from certain areas, moving them to “dormitories” and setting a curfew. Sandy wants to spend time with his father, but as a doctor, his dad is busy, often sneaking out past curfew to work. One night Papa is taken to “where he [is] needed most,” and the family is forced into an internment camp. Life at the camp isn’t easy, and even with some of the Asahi players playing ball there, it just isn’t the same. Trying to understand and find joy again, Sandy struggles with his new reality and relationship with his father. Based on the true experiences of Japanese Canadians and the Vancouver Asahi team, this graphic novel is a glimpse of how their lives were affected by WWII. The end is a bit abrupt, but it’s still an inspiring and sweet look at how baseball helped them through hardship. The illustrations are all in a sepia tone, giving it an antique look and conveying the emotions and struggles. None of the illustrations of their experiences are overly graphic, making it a good introduction to this upsetting topic for middle-grade readers.
An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel. (afterword, further resources) (Graphic historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0334-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A beautiful, powerful reflection on a tragic history.
In spare verse, Lowry reflects on moments in her childhood, including the bombings of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima.
When she was a child, Lowry played at Waikiki Beach with her grandmother while her father filmed. In the old home movie, the USS Arizona appears through the mist on the horizon. Looking back at her childhood in Hawaii and then Japan, Lowry reflects on the bombings that began and ended a war and how they affected and connected everyone involved. In Part 1, she shares the lives and actions of sailors at Pearl Harbor. Part 2 is stories of civilians in Hiroshima affected by the bombing. Part 3 presents her own experience as an American in Japan shortly after the war ended. The poems bring the haunting human scale of war to the forefront, like the Christmas cards a sailor sent days before he died or the 4-year-old who was buried with his red tricycle after Hiroshima. All the personal stories—of sailors, civilians, and Lowry herself—are grounding. There is heartbreak and hope, reminding readers to reflect on the past to create a more peaceful future. Lowry uses a variety of poetry styles, identifying some, such as triolet and haiku. Pak’s graphite illustrations are like still shots of history, adding to the emotion and somber feeling. He includes some sailors of color among the mostly white U.S. forces; Lowry is white.
A beautiful, powerful reflection on a tragic history. (author’s note, bibliography) (Memoir/poetry. 10-14)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-358-12940-0
Page Count: 80
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
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