YA - This Land We Call Home (by Alison Lohans)

Paperback
12.7 x 20.3 cm (5 x 8 in)

It is 1941 in rural California. Paula Harmon and Ken Nishimura have been friends and neighbours for as long as they can remember. But around them racial tension mounts as World War II intensifies and Pearl Harbor is bombed. Suddenly, Ken and his family are considered enemies in their own country. Paula and Ken’s friendship is tested and their lives changed forever by the horrifying events that follow…

“Lohans has written an excellent historical fiction novel that is well-researched and is partially based on stories from her mother, who taught in a Japanese relocation camp, and stories told to her by Japanese American families who returned home after the war. The characters are realistic and complex, and readers will be drawn into their lives and live their struggles as the plot evolves. Highly Recommended.” CM Magazine, 4/4 stars

Winner: 2008 Saskatchewan Book Award for Young Adult Literature
Resource Links “Best of the Year” list.