I read this aloud to my children after browsing it beforehand. Therefore, I was able to prepare them for the graphic despair, and grief depicted by Kadohata. My children especially enjoyed the antics of Katie’s Uncle Katsuhisa. I had fun impersonating Katie, a Japanese-American girl, saying, “Lee-yun (Lynn), y’all need anythang?” in the southern accent she acquired after moving with her family from Iowa to Georgia. But my children were not amused and eventually demanded that I quit my bad impersonation. I tried to explain that it was written phonetically in the book, therefore I HAD to read it that way, but that didn’t work.

Overall, this is an engaging story about familial devotion in the face of disease, racism, and unjust workers’ conditions.

Great news: My library privileges have been reinstated! I’m back in business. . .