Author: J. Torres and David Namisato
Publisher: Kids Can Press

When a boy struggles after moving to a Japanese internment camp during WWII, baseball shows him another way to approach life.

Sandy Saito is a happy boy who reads comic books and is obsessed with baseball --- especially the Asahi team, the pride of his Japanese Canadian community. But when the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, his life, like that of every other North American of Japanese descent, changes forever. His family is forced to move to a remote internment camp, and his father must spend months away from them. Sandy, his mother and his brother cope as best they can with the difficulties at the camp. Over time, Sandy comes to realize that life is a lot like baseball. It's about dealing with whatever is thrown at you, however you can. And it's about finding your way home.

In this emotionally gripping graphic novel, J. Torres has artfully woven a fictional story into a historically accurate, thoroughly researched account of the events surrounding the internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II. Using the approachable graphic novel format, the story of this grave chapter in North American history is gently told with sensitivity and insight, and the theme of baseball runs through the story as a message of hope and renewal. The time and place are evocatively rendered in David Namisato's detailed sepia-toned art. Along with its links to social studies and history lessons, this book offers a perfect lead-in to discussions about differences, inclusion and empathy, and about why this history is relevant today. The book includes extended background information in an afterword by Susan Aihoshi and resources for learning more.

Nothing drives home history like fiction, and this graphic novel knocks it out of the ballpark – except for the fact that the vocabulary level seems a little higher than the apparent age of the main character (8- or 9-ish). Between that and the heaviness of the topic, it might be better for an adult to read this to under-tens than merely handing it to the child for him or her to read.

Why is it a five-star book? Readers feel the frustration, sadness, fear and anxiety of the young boy main character every step of the way, ingesting this historical era in a manner that makes it unforgettable.

The events and emotions are portrayed skillfully in both the writing and black and white (with touches of pink and brown) pictures. Told in first person from the boy’s point of view, it’s a well-paced tale with a love-of-baseball theme that totally works, and many thoughtful details.

All the dialogue and reactions are true to how a child would react. The kids think there must be ghosts in the internment camps when their parents tell them they’re situated in ghost towns. They initially regard the train trip as exciting. In the midst of the chaos, Sandy just wants his father to play catch. We see the mother’s depth of sadness.

A poster they see ordering evacuation of those of Japanese descent is the actual poster used. And although the story takes place in Canada, a series of sidebars at the end bring in the similar American experience as well.

From malnutrition to bone-chilling cold, the horror of having their radio and car confiscated to the prominence of tuberculosis, this book embraces history and makes it relatable to children beneath the preteen age group. It makes history personal, perhaps the best way of preventing shameful episodes from repeating themselves.

- Pam Withers