(1) 4-6 Like many Japanese Americans, the Asai family has been sent to Manzanar during World War II. Mari has always enjoyed a special bond with her older brother, Mak--he alone seems to appreciate and nurture her gift for ­drawing--but when he decides to enlist in the army, it divides the family. Their father, Ichiro, refuses to speak to Mak, and Mari takes a vow of silence, pledging to remain mute until her brother returns. The story is told from Mari's first-person perspective, but when letters from Mak arrive, the narrative segues into graphic-novel panels that vividly capture his experiences in the 442nd infantry regiment, the most decorated in U.S. military history. Mak and his comrades exhibit heroism and bravery, even in the face of prejudice. In contrast, Mari chronicles daily life in Manzanar, particularly the community's response to her silence; the evolving dynamics among her father, mother, and absent brother; and the sense of optimism that permeates the story's end as Mak is spared the worst violence of the war and the Asai family makes plans for the next chapter in their lives beyond Manzanar. Mari's reflective internal narrative, coupled with Mak's action-packed sequences, marks this unique contribution to the growing body of work in children's literature around Japanese American internment.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) 4-6 On Koji's thirteenth birthday, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. Despite being only half-Japanese, Koji is forced to report to the Alameda Downs Assembly Center where his (white) mother voluntarily accompanies him. Through astute choices of medium (pen and watercolor), color (earth tones with red and blue accents), and composition (shifting perspectives and panel layouts), Faulkner creates a vivid and compelling internment-camp graphic novel. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2014

(4) K-3 Two cousins from a rural Southern community find out that city bubblers dispense "colored water." Eager to see for themselves, they ride into town where they discover the sorry truth. The aw-shucks naiveté isn't entirely convincing; readers will learn more about the story's context and intent from the appended author's note. Crosshatched pen-and-ink and watercolor caricatures illustrate the story.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) K-3 Granny O'Malley, a rough and tumble sixteenth-century female pirate from Ireland, recounts her mischievous adventures at sea with a focus on her tame meeting with England's Red Liz (Queen Elizabeth). The character's expressive facial features portrayed in gouache on watercolor paper give feeling to the dull text. An author's note and citations for selected sources are appended.

Reviewer: Lauren Maggio

(3) 1-3 Bushi, a Japanese schoolboy, is constantly bullied until he chances upon the magical black belt of a karate master. Thrown back through time into a feudal era of samurai and bandits, Bushi learns enough karate firsthand to defend himself against the school bully later when he returns to his own time. The story is fluid and satisfying, as are the detailed illustrations.

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