Scott O’Dell
Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Aug.13, 2007, under Battle of the Books 2007, Historical Fiction, Scott O'Dell, War
Who would like this book? Teens who wonder what it would have been like to have been a Japanese teenager living in Hawaii when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on September 7, 1941.
Why? Tomi is an American teenager who loves baseball, hangs out with his friends who call themselves the “Rats,” and loves his dog Lucky. He was born in Hawaii, but his parents and grandfather were born in Japan. Their ethnic situation is a serious problem in 1941 and becomes catastrophic after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Salisbury gives us a heart-wrenching presentation of that event and its impact on the lives of the people on the island through Tomi’s point of view. This book is an excellent way to learn about this part of World War II and would be a solid basis for discussion about racial discrimination, immigration, and bullying.
The details: 246 p. 1994
