Aleutian Sparrow

Aleutian Sparrow
Author: Karen Hesse
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 75
Release: 2010-05-11
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 143913183X

In June 1942, seven months after attacking Pearl Harbor, the Japanese navy invaded Alaska's Aleutian Islands. For nine thousand years the Aleut people had lived and thrived on these treeless, windswept lands. Within days of the first attack, the entire native population living west of Unimak Island was gathered up and evacuated to relocation centers in the dense forests of Alaska's Southeast. With resilience, compassion, and humor, the Aleuts responded to the sorrows of upheaval and dislocation. This is the story of Vera, a young Aleut caught up in the turmoil of war. It chronicles her struggles to survive and to keep community and heritage intact despite harsh conditions in an alien environment.

Imprisoned

Imprisoned
Author: Martin W. Sandler
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2013-08-27
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0802722776

Drawing from interviews and oral histories, chronicles the history of Japanese American survivors of internment camps.

Karen Hesse

Karen Hesse
Author: Rosemary Oliphant-Ingham
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 120
Release: 2005
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780810853911

"Works examined include Out of the Dust, The Music of Dolphins, Letters from Rifka, A Light in the Storm, The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin, and A Time of Angels. Each book involves issues of family; challenges and decisions; difficulties of life; strong, independent female characters; differences in people; and writing and the use of language. Teachers, librarians and teen readers will find this an intriguing look into the writing of Karen Hesse."--Jacket.

Ghosts in the Fog

Ghosts in the Fog
Author: Samantha Seiple
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2011
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0545296544

Presents an account of the World War II invasion of Alaska by the Japanese and is told from the viewpoints of American civilians who were captured on the Aleutian Islands.

Shelf Life

Shelf Life
Author: Gary Paulsen
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 195
Release: 2003-08
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0689841809

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Counting on Grace

Counting on Grace
Author: Elizabeth Winthrop
Publisher: Yearling
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2008-12-18
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0307518221

1910. Pownal, Vermont. At 12, Grace and her best friend Arthur must leave school and go to work as a “doffers” on their mothers’ looms in the mill. Grace’s mother is the best worker, fast and powerful, and Grace desperately wants to help her. But she’s left handed and doffing is a right-handed job. Grace’s every mistake costs her mother, and the family. She only feels capable on Sundays, when she and Arthur receive special lessons from their teacher. Together they write a secret letter to the Child Labor Board about underage children working in Pownal. A few weeks later a man with a camera shows up. It is the famous reformer Lewis Hine, undercover, collecting evidence for the Child Labor Board. Grace’s brief acquaintance with Hine and the photos he takes of her are a gift that changes her sense of herself, her future, and her family’s future.

When the Wind was a River

When the Wind was a River
Author: Dean Kohlhoff
Publisher:
Total Pages: 234
Release: 1995
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780295974033

World War II came to the North Pacific in June 1942. Alaska's Native people living on the Aleutian and Pribilof islands, the Aleuts, felt its impact as did no other American citizens in that region. Forty-two residents of Attu Island were captured and imprisoned in Japan and, in response to Japanese bombings of Dutch Harbor and invasions of Kiska Island, the American military evacuated the remaining 881 Aleuts from the islands to camps in southeastern Alaska. The story of the removal of the Aleuts is little known outside Alaska. Dean Kohlhoff delved extensively into civilian and government archives, as well as videotapes of Aleuts chronicling their wartime experiences, to compile this engrossing account of the evacuation. Personal accounts tell of life in the temporary camps, in which the makeshift accommodations arranged by the Department of the Interior failed to reflect the good intentions of some Interior officials. One visitor to the Funter Bay camp wrote, "I have no language at my command which can adequately describe what I saw....I have seen some tough places in my days in Alaska, but nothing to equal the situation in Funter". Upon their eventual return, the Aleuts found that their homes had been devastated by weather, fire, and both Japanese and American military operations, and they began the fight for reparation for loss of property and income that would affect them long after the war. Finally the Civil Rights Act of 1988, which awarded damage claims to Japanese Americans relocated during the war, led to restitution for the Aleuts, who Congress and the president agreed had been mistreated.

Just Juice

Just Juice
Author: Karen Hesse
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 148
Release: 1998
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780590033831

Realizing that her father's lack of work has endangered her family, nine-year-old Juice decides that she must return to school and learn to read in order to help their chances of surviving and keeping their house.

The Music of Dolphins

The Music of Dolphins
Author: Karen Hesse
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2016-08-30
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1338113550

“This powerful exploration of how we become human and how the soul endures is a song of beauty and sorrow, haunting and unforgettable.” —School Library Journal (starred review) A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year An ALA Best Book for Young Adults A Book Links Best Book of the Year A New York Public Library Children’s Title for Reading and Sharing Mila becomes famous around the world when she is rescued from an unpopulated island off the coast of Florida. Years ago, Mila went missing from a boat crash, and she has been raised by dolphins from the age of four. Researchers teach Mila language and music. But she also learns about rules and expectations, about locked doors and broken promises, disappointment and betrayal. The more Mila finds out about what it means to be human, the more she longs for her home in the ocean . . . “As moving as a sonnet, as eloquently structured as a bell curve, this book poignantly explores the most profound of themes—what it means to be human . . . All together, a frequently dazzling novel.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Her mind and spirit shaped by the dolphins who raised her, a feral child views herself and her human captors from a decidedly unusual angle in this poignant story . . . A probing look at what makes us human, with an unforgettable protagonist.” —Kirkus Reviews “Mila’s rich inner voice makes her a lovely, lyrical character.” —VOYA Magazine

Come On, Rain!

Come On, Rain!
Author: Karen Hesse
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 38
Release: 2016-01-26
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0545347491

Newbery Medalist Karen Hesse recreates the body and soul-renewing experience of a summer downpour after a sweltering city heat wave. "Come on, rain!" Tess pleads to the sky as listless vines and parched plants droop in the endless heat. Up and down the block, cats pant while heat wavers off tar patches in the broiling alleyway. More than anything, Tess hopes for rain. And when it comes, she and her friends are ready for a surprising and joyous celebration....Through exquisite language and acute observation, Newberry medalist Karen Hesse recreates the glorious experience of a quenching rainstorm on a sweltering summer day. Jon J Muth's masterful and lyrical watercolors perfectly reflect the spirit of the text.