PEARL: A Graphic Novel, by Sherri L. Smith and Christine Norrie, Graphix, Aug. 20, 2024, Paperback $11.99 (ages 10 and up)
A Japanese-American girl must survive years of uncertainty and questions of loyalty in Hiroshima during World War II in Pearl, a graphic novel by Sherri L. Smith and Christine Norrie.
Amy is a 13-year-old Japanese-American girl who lives in Hawaii. When her great-grandmother falls ill, Amy travels to visit family in Hiroshima for the first time. But this is 1941.
When the Japanese navy attacks Pearl Harbor, it becomes impossible for Amy to return to Hawaii. Conscripted into translating English radio transmissions for the Japanese army, Amy struggles with questions of loyalty and fears about her family amidst rumors of internment camps in America — even as she makes a new best friend and, over the years, Japan starts to feel something like home.
Torn between two countries at war, Amy must figure out where her loyalties lie and, in the face of unthinkable tragedy, find hope in the rubble of a changed world. —Synopsis provided by Graphix
I received an advanced copy of Pearl earlier this summer, and my daughter took it with her on a weeklong camping trip. She had five books with her, but she read and reread Pearl at least 16 times (that’s what she says!).
Why did she read it so many times?
“Because it had a good story,” my daughter told me. “I like how the character improves over each year in Japan. And… I like that she almost explodes.”
She has two favorite parts. The end where it says “Life is a treasure… thrive.” She also liked how Amy is known as many things — a monitor for the Japanese Imperial Army; an atomic bomb survivor; a daughter; a sister; a cousin; a friend.
Pearl “shows the struggles of real people and war conflict,” she explained. “The illustrations are really good. The artist is really creative. I like how she put many different pictures into one panel.”
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