Stealing Home by David Namisato, J. Torres
Published by Kids Can Press on October 5, 2021
ISBN: 1525303341
Pages: 112
Genres: Historical Fiction
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads

Baseball loving Sandy and his family are living in Vancouver, British Columbia when the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. It isn’t long before they are ripped away from their everyday life and sent to an internment camp. Sandy has difficulty adjusting to life at the camp and struggles to maintain a relationship with his father. Playing baseball brings back a sense of normalcy and camaraderie to an otherwise helpless and depressing situation.

Formatting this story as a graphic novel helps make this content accessible to the younger age group it is meant for. And the illustrations provide a stronger portrayal of the emotional impact of the discrimination and injustice faced by Japanese Canadian citizens (and their United States counterparts) than would be had by words alone. While the story seems to end a bit abruptly, it is nonetheless an important story to tell and a purchase that will add value to historical fiction collections in both school and public libraries. 

Grades 3-6

Kerrie Lattari, York Middle School, York