
Under the Blood-Red Sun
“The author subtly reveals the natural suspicions of the Americans and the equally natural bewilderment of the Japanese immigrants when they suddenly become the personification of the enemy. It is a tribute to the writer’s craft that, though there are no easy answers in the story, there is empathy for both cultures…[An] impressive view of the Japanese American experience during the war.”
Booklist
Winner of ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 1995
Winner of California Young Reader Medal, 1999
Winner of Hawaii Nene Award, 1998
Nominated for Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award, 1998
Winner of Massachusetts Children's Book Master List, 1996
Winner of Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 1995
Winner of ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 1995
Winner of California Young Reader Medal, 1999
Winner of Hawaii Nene Award, 1998
Nominated for Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award, 1998
Winner of Massachusetts Children's Book Master List, 1996
Winner of Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 1995
Winner of ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 1995
Winner of California Young Reader Medal, 1999
Winner of Hawaii Nene Award, 1998
Nominated for Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award, 1998
Winner of Massachusetts Children's Book Master List, 1996
Winner of Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 1995
World War II seems far away from Tomi and his friends, who are too busy playing ball on their eighth-grade team, the Rats.
But then Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese, and the United States declares war on Japan. Japanese men are rounded up, and Tomi’s father and grandfather are arrested. It’s a terrifying time to be Japanese in America. But one thing doesn’t change: the loyalty of Tomi’s buddies, the Rats.
Praise
