www.crackingthecover.com
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • Home
    • Picture
      • Ages 0-3
      • Ages 2 and up
      • Ages 3 and up
      • Ages 4 and up
      • Ages 5 and up
      • Ages 6 and up
      • Ages 8 and up
      • Author Interviews
      • Bedtime Stories
      • Gift Guide
    • Middle Grade
      • Author Interviews
      • Ages 6 and up
      • Ages 7 and up
      • Ages 8-12
      • Ages 9-12
      • Ages 10 and up
      • Gift Guide
    • YA
      • Author Interviews
      • Reviews
      • Adult Crossover
      • Gift Guide
    • Seasonal
      • Back to School
      • Black History
      • Chinese New Year
      • Christmas
      • Earth Day
      • Easter
      • Fall
      • Father’s Day
      • Mother’s Day
      • Gift Guide
      • Halloween
      • Spring
      • Valentine’s Day
      • Winter
      • Women’s History
    • Crossover
    • News
    • Events
    • About
      • Review/interview policy
      • About our reviewers
    www.crackingthecover.com

    Lois Sepahban’s ‘Paper Wishes’ is simple, poignant

    0
    By Jessica on January 26, 2016 ages 9-12, Middle Grade

    Paper Wishes“PAPER WISHES,” by Lois Sepahban, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), Jan. 5, 2016, Hardcover, $16.99 (ages 9-12)

    I’ve always loved historical fiction, but it feels a bit sparse in the middle-grade genre. That’s why I’m so glad I found “Paper Wishes,” by Lois Sepahban. It’s by far one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, and it’s great historical fiction.

    “Paper Wishes” opens just after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Ten-year-old Manami knows something is wrong, but doesn’t understand the full meaning of recent events. Then her family is told the must leave their home on Bainbridge Island and join other Japanese Americans at a prison camp in the desert.

    Not only is each person limited to what they can carry — one suitcase — but they must leave all pets behind as well. Manami decides to sneak her grandfather’s dog, Yujiin, under her coat and gets as far as the mainland before she is caught and forced to leave him behind. The loss of Yujiin is devastating to both Manami and her grandfather, and Manami literally loses her voice. She can’t give up hope that their beloved pet will somehow find their camp and make their family complete again.

    At first glance, “Paper Wishes” is an unassuming book, but it is oh so much more. My heart broke for Manami as she was forced to give away her dog. I understood her guilt and the overpowering sadness that filed her soul.

    Sepahban’s reserved prose and respectful approach punches you in the gut. The simplicity of its form exposes the intricacies and beauty hidden beneath the surface.

    I read “Paper Wishes” as a digital review copy from the book’s publisher, but it will soon be on my bookshelf in physical form. It’s a book I want to read more than once, and it’s one that I want to read with my daughter when she’s old enough.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Jessica
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    Jessica Harrison is the main reviewer behind Cracking the Cover. Prior to creating Cracking the Cover, Jessica worked as the in-house book critic for the Deseret News, a daily newspaper in Salt Lake City. Jessica also worked as a copy editor and general features writer for the paper. Following that, Jessica spent two years with an international company as a social media specialist. She is currently a freelance writer/editor. She is passionate about reading and giving people the tools to make informed decisions in their own book choices.

    Related Posts

    Miya T. Beck’s The Pearl Hunter is a magical MG fantasy

    School gets tech upgrade in Virtually Me by Chad Morris & Shelly Brown

    Erin Bow explores long-term effects of trauma in Simon Sort of Says

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    • facebook
    • twitter
    • instagram
    • amazon
    • bloglovin
    • rss
    • mail
    Subscribe by email
    Follow
    Recent Posts
    February 3, 2023

    Miya T. Beck’s The Pearl Hunter is a magical MG fantasy

    February 2, 2023

    School gets tech upgrade in Virtually Me by Chad Morris & Shelly Brown

    February 1, 2023

    Celebrate love in all its different forms — Valentine’s Books 2023

    February 1, 2023

    Megan Walker’s Miss Newbury’s List is delightful Regency romance

    January 31, 2023

    Erin Bow explores long-term effects of trauma in Simon Sort of Says

    Archives
    Categories
    On Writing

    “The dance with words and the way the hair on the back of my neck raises when it works right is what I live for.”

    —Gary Paulsen

    “I write because I exist. Because I read. Because I breathe.”

    —Lindsay Eager

    “Books are kind of like the sense of smell: inhale one page and memories come rushing back.”

    —Keir Graff

    Cracking the Cover is a website dedicated to picture, middle-grade and young adult books. It features reviews, author interviews and other book news. PLEASE NOTE: We are not currently accepting self published books for review.

    Copyright © 2010-2022 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.

    Reviews Published Professional Reader 2016 NetGalley Challenge 100 Book Reviews

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.