Yukie's Island: My Family's World War II Story

 

Yukie’s Island: My Family’s World War II Story by Yukie Kimura, Kōdo Kimura, and Steve Sheinkin and illustrated by Kōdo Kimura is a Japanese child’s perspective on World II. Yukie was a schoolgirl when her family lived on a small island where her father worked as a lighthouse keeper. Her life in many ways was easy and carefree until the war came closer. This is a story which would be great for showing history students the real life experiences of individuals during World War II. Based on a true story, there are three pages of notes at the end from the authors, which was just as interesting as the main text.

The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli

The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli by Karina Yan Glaser is a book that I enjoyed. Han Yu is a young man who lives in China in 731, while Luli Lee lives in Chinatown, New York in 1931. Both have families with big challenges.  Han Yu’s family community is affected by illness and he wants to help his sister.  Luli’s family is suffering financially because of the stock market crash.  Though more than one thousand years separate them, Glaser does a great job showing the parallels of their stories. Chapters alternate between the two characters, so it easy enough to keep the stories straight.  If I had time for a chapter book read aloud with my students or nieces and nephews, I would read this to someone. Glaser also wrote A Duet for Home, which I also highly recommend.