Center for Children's Literature Blog

My favorite thing about this book is its message of hope, in the form of an adorable, affectionate cat, Maci. When the struggles of the war become too overwhelming, Maci is always there to provide comfort. She motivates her family to keep trying when they want to give up. Whenever she gets lost or separated from the family she never fails to find her way back to the people she loves.

This book provides an invaluable perspective for younger generations on how the injustices faced decades ago are still applicable to today’s world. As a descendant of Japanese Americans who were forced into these internment camps, I had heard stories and seen pictures of what life was like there. However, I didn’t fully grasp the extent of the prejudices and trials faced daily.

I loved this book! I loved how the lady was taking care of the animals. I really liked how the babies wouldn’t let go of her and how every morning she went to take care of them and she turned a room in her house into a nursery for them. It was sad when they wouldn’t let her go in the animals’ cages when they were older – I am sure they would not have hurt her.

“The Voting Booth” by Brandy Colbert is a great example of our world today and how important voting is. This book exposes how people are denied their vote because of their race and how voting can make a difference in our country.

This book was impossible to put down. Religious conflict, World War II, living within the Soviet Union in a time with limited religious and expressive liberties, and abusive family relationships as told from the perspectives of three young children was both captivating and heartbreaking.

Mario and the Hole in the Sky is a picture book that tells the life of Dr. Mario Molina, a chemist that found that CFCs were destroying the ozone layer and helped stop them from destroying more of the ozone layer. It’s a great book because it tells us the story of an important person that saved the world – and also teaches kids some science, which is important.

I liked the book. I like how the author went into Hector’s background and showed what kind of person Hector was and didn’t just dive into the march. I like how the author showed other perspectives and introduced secondary characters. It gave different views of the story.

Enemy Child is about a Japanese-American boy in World War II. His family was taken to the camps that Japanese people were put in after Pearl Harbor. What makes this book special is that it tells the story of the person, and it’s a real story. It gives his emotions of what he felt during that time. What I liked most about this book is the way he shares his feelings.

I absolutely adored this book. There are little to no young adult books about segregation in South Africa, and I was so excited when I learned the premise of the book. “When the Ground is Hard” didn’t disappoint or lower my expectations whatsoever and Nunn’s novel was an excellent example of storytelling while still displaying a point.

I loved this book. It was so cool! The astronaut, Alan, went to the moon, and then painted pictures of being on the moon with bright colors. This book is a non-fiction book; it happened for real! My favorite part of the book was the pictures and the footprints Alan’s boots left in the moon dust

This book was different because it had NO WORDS! My mom and I made a story up of a dad and his son going on a fishing trip. They see a big whale in danger. The son says, “WE HAVE TO HELP!” So the dad and some other people save the whale. When the dad is swimming back, he looks tired, and so the son has to save him. In the end the whale jumps out of the water to say: “Thank you for saving me!”