The star rating system does not allow for a book that was good but that I did not want to continue reading.

This novel in verse revealed a part of American history during World War II that I hadn't known about.

The story in this book was worth telling, but the way it was written was very boring and oftentimes hard to understand

A good history lesson. I never knew that during WWII, the U.S. evacuated people from the Aleutian Islands to protect them from Japanese invaders. Sounds like a good thing...to protect people...but what the U.S. did was treat them worse than animals and destroy their culture.

I think this book was interesting because it was about the
Japanese. Also it was because they went to Alaska as again
a refugee. She got evacuated because of all of the war that
was happening. So this book was also interesting because
they were at a city in Japan. Also this book was very interesting
because it felt like it was real because that actually happened in
real life they brought over refugees to where ever it was safe. So
it was a really good book.

This is a WWII story told by a young girl about the Aleutian tribe and their relocation. The story depicts the struggle of the tribe as they try to keep their heritage and community in unfamiliar environments.

Close to the trudging end. Not sure I'll persevere. Good idea, just not compelling enough writing.

Update... very disappointing. Too light and not much there after so many pages. :(

This is a very short but very important book. It's written almost in poem form. While it's fiction, it's based on the true events of the Japanese attack on Alaska's Aleutian Islands, that resulted in the evacuation of the Aleut people from their native villages. The Japanese were accustomed to fishing off the Aleutians and were friendly with the Aleuts and therefore familiar with the islands prior to their attack in June of 1942. I feel sad after reading this book. I'm sure being an Alaskan born and raised, that I must have learned of the Japanese attack in one of my Alaskan history classes ,but I don't recall it. The evacuation of Aleuts was cultural homicide. One in every four Aleuts died from pneumonia, whooping cough, TB, measles or mumps due to being forced to live in cabins they built themselves that were always damp (the Aleutians don't have trees) While German prisoners of war in Alaska were kept warm and dry in heated bunkers with plenty of food in their bellies, our Native American citizens were left to fend for themselves and told to get jobs. After May of 1945 when the Aleuts were told they could return home, some villages were never inhabited again as there weren't enough survivors; and, the white American soldiers destroyed all their property and possessions - and stole what they didn't destroy. To this day the US militaries rusted equipment still litters the islands. A sad page in American history, in Native American history, and in Alaska's history.

This was an enlightening story about the struggle of the Aleut people in Alaska during their relocation after the WWII invasion of their Islands. A good reminder that children's fiction should not be overlooked.

4.5 stars

There is a group of indigenous people who live in a string of islands where it sits on, according to Wikipedia, both the US and Russian territory, called Aleutian. The story presented by Ms Hesse is something that happened to them during WW2 in 1942-1945. It follows Vera, an Aleutian teenager in the time where hers & 4 other village were relocated into a forest. The reason was to ensure the safety of the people from Japanese attacks.

Just imagine, a group of people that grew up & live their entire life at the shore, with the sea & its creature was 'force' for 'safety' to a dense forest. They had to survive starting from zero knowledge of the environment, without proper facility & prejudice of the neighboring village. There were kind souls who helped but they only could give, they couldn't promise survival. And even after the war ended, they still need to get permission to go back to their own home. What's left of their village was devastating...

"Our very culture stolen or destroyed, not by the enemy, but by our own countrymen."

"Worldwide

Our government spends large sums of money to place lives back together.

No money is spent here.

War leaves ugly scars."

The story is a fiction based on a true events. Told in verses makes it a quick read. I was surprised that this book has not win any award at all with the message that it trying to tell.

This was a great story. This was a good quick read. I read it in two hours.

Another verse novel! What can I say, I'm enjoying the depth of language :) I would love to see this paired with _Ghosts in the Fog_ for a fiction/NF reading of WW2 in Alaska and what happened to the people there.

Karen Hesse is, of course, amazing.