The Moved-Outers

I'm 14, I read a lot and when we were told we had to do a book report on a WW II book of our choosing, I was happy, I hadn't read this book yet, but I love it now. Sumiko, Kim, and their Parents live in California and own a flower nursery,when Pearl harbor is bombed and all Japanese or "Japs" as they are called are under suspicion. The Oharas are taken to a detention camp in Santa Anita California. Sue and her family learn to accept the shuffling about and such, and the amazing thing about it is that all through it, they remain unwaveringly loyal to their country saying "all of this would be madde dignified; more bearable, if we could remember to think of it so;as suffering for our country... for America." and later on ... "and out of all the pain and the standing for what people believed has come America. And it's still worth suffering for" and again, "this is being a pilgrim, this is being a pioneer, this is helping to make America."

This novel, dealing with the conflicts and predjudices encountered by a Japanese American family during WWII, is an excellent novel to use with middle school students post 9-11. My students were able to look at the lives of the characters and make perdictions and assessments of how Americans of Arabic decent might be treated as a result of the color of their skin and suspiscions of many around them. A great book to read in a time of great prejudice and hostiliy.

Sue is a typical American high school senior who suddenly becomes atypical in December 1941, upon the bombing of Pearl Harbor. When your family name is Ohara, the government doesn't care if you are U.S.-born and a child of American citizens. Sue and her family are interned in a prison camp along with thousands of other Japanese-Americans accused of being spies for Japan. How Sue and her family deal with being Americans in an American that doesn't trust them is handled sensitively, and gives an interesting view of a little-discussed (and shameful) era of our history. A Newbery Honor book.