An affecting wartime reflection for young readers.
Black-Gould’s debut illustrated children’s book adapts her short story about a Jewish girl, her mother, and a Catholic nun.
In 1939 Poland, a Jewish woman teaches her daughter, Lalka, Catholic protocols in “a special game,” preparing her for her upcoming time in hiding. The mother plans to temporarily leave her daughter at a church one winter day: “She laid the scarf on the kitchen table and sprinkled the few remaining drops of lavender on the wool. Then she wrapped the scarf around my neck. ‘You will always have this memory.’ ” In her new home, the girl attends classes with other children, and the mother visits her daughter regularly for several weeks, but then the visits stop. One day, Sister Teresa tells the girl that “two men wearing long black leather coats and dark hats” are in her office. As she’s questioned relentlessly by the Nazis, she begins praying. The men throw her Star of David necklace (a gift from her father before he died) to the ground and upset her by saying she’s committing a sin if she doesn’t tell the truth about her religion. After they leave, the girl is confused and frightened: “Through my tears, I glanced at the crystal beads in my hand and the gold necklace in hers. ‘Sister,’ I asked. ‘Which one of these is the sin?’ ” Black-Gould, in a powerful adaptation of her short story that first appeared in the journal Jewish Fiction.net, adeptly demonstrates the fear felt by the young girl in the final scene: “Drops of water slinked like snakes down the leather” of her interrogator’s coat. Royz’s illustrations complement the text beautifully, with soft, homey scenes of the mother and daughter, depictions of the mother’s deep concern, and images of the Nazis, which all draw the reader into this emotional work. An afterword details a remarkable real-life story of how children at Whitwell Middle School in Tennessee created a Holocaust memorial, followed by study-guide questions for children and adults.
An affecting wartime reflection for young readers.Pub Date: June 14, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-955119-20-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Purple Butterfly Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 8, 2022
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
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and...
Catrina narrates the story of her mixed-race (Latino/white) family’s move from Southern California to Bahía de la Luna on the Northern California coast.
Dad has a new job, but it’s little sister Maya’s lungs that motivate the move: she has had cystic fibrosis since birth—a degenerative breathing condition. Despite her health, Maya loves adventure, even if her lungs suffer for it and even when Cat must follow to keep her safe. When Carlos, a tall, brown, and handsome teen Ghost Tour guide introduces the sisters to the Bahía ghosts—most of whom were Spanish-speaking Mexicans when alive—they fascinate Maya and she them, but the terrified Cat wants only to get herself and Maya back to safety. When the ghost adventure leads to Maya’s hospitalization, Cat blames both herself and Carlos, which makes seeing him at school difficult. As Cat awakens to the meaning of Halloween and Day of the Dead in this strange new home, she comes to understand the importance of the ghosts both to herself and to Maya. Telgemeier neatly balances enough issues that a lesser artist would split them into separate stories and delivers as much delight textually as visually. The backmatter includes snippets from Telgemeier’s sketchbook and a photo of her in Día makeup.
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-54061-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
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