Barry DenenbergAnmeldelser

Independent Reading Level: Grade 3rd - 7th
Awards/Honors: na

The Journal of Ben Uchida is a fictional novel from the "My Name is America" series. This book is best for middle school ages or students who are English language learners. It tells the story of a young Japanese American boy before and during the internment process. It is great for younger readers, because it is told through the perspective of a kid.

This historical fiction book is told in the form of a journal. William Thomas Emerson is a 11 year old boy recounting the daily happenings of his life in Boston leading up to the Revolutionary War. It has large text and short journal entries which makes this story great for late elementary students. It is in the "Dear America" series. This book would be a good gateway into the genre of historical fiction for young readers. There is some derogatory language that is authentic to the period in time that the story takes place.

After reading [b:The Fences Between Us: The Diary of Piper Davis, Seattle, Washington, 1941|7886561|The Fences Between Us The Diary of Piper Davis, Seattle, Washington, 1941 (Dear America)|Kirby Larson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328837952l/7886561._SX50_.jpg|11103189], I wanted something raw and more angry... and it exists, published eleven years prior in the "My Name is America" boy diary equivalents. While also not an #ownvoices book, Barry Denenberg at least recognizes that the story of Japanese American incarceration should be told through the eyes of those forcibly removed from their homes- not a bystander. Ben Uchida is a salty, sarcastic 12 year old who is upset with the situation but also feels powerless (in gallows humor, mentioning that they might never leave). With the perspective of a Japanese American kid, we see his father get taken without any word where he is or when they'll hear from him. We see them have to sell/find what to do with their belongings over a week's notice. We get the annoyance and frustration over every part of this. I shouldn't keep comparing the two, but Kirby Larson's Piper just doesn't capture the feelings around this because frankly, Piper doesn't really care as much because it doesn't directly affect her.

Per the epilogue- why is Naomi's future husband Caucasian? There's no in-text hints for that so it seems out of nowhere (unless like Kirby's Betty Sato we're making [a:Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston|86883|Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1216938312p2/86883.jpg] proxies). And, it only makes me speculate more about Ben.

The historical section does a broad look at Asian American discrimination, including the Chinese Exclusion Act (and thus why Japanese labor was needed but also why they could bring families) and additional legislation re: the 1924 Asian exclusion act and later legislation on quotas per country. This would be a good intro for children to broader Asian American history, along with [b:Journal of Wong Ming-Chung: A Chinese Miner, California, 1852|25263|Journal of Wong Ming-Chung A Chinese Miner, California, 1852 (My Name is America)|Laurence Yep|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389824883l/25263._SX50_.jpg|2894578].

In the diary account of her journey from Ireland in 1847 and of her work in a mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, fourteen-year-old Mary reveals a great longing for her family.

This was a good look at the events leading up to Pearl Harbor from the viewpoint of a twelve-year-old girl. Amber and her family were new arrivals to Hawaii, and I liked seeing her adjust to the vastly different environment. Her narration of the events of that day was vivid, and I could feel her horror and fear. The aftermath was also described well, especially Amber's volunteering at the hospital.

I liked Amber's curiosity and how she embraced the new experiences of living in Hawaii. Her friendship with the Japanese girl, Kame, was sweet, and I enjoyed seeing them get to know each other.

A complete biography, Stealing Home deals with many issues surrounding Jackie Robinson's life, not just the desegregation of baseball with Branch Rickey and the Dodgers. Starting with his parents' childhoods, it takes us through his childhood, his brother's athletic accomplishments, his military service, his baseball career, and his work, philanthropy, and family life after retirement from baseball. This book doesn't shy away from racial realities, and treats them in a matter-of-fact tone. The full scope of Jackie's life is addressed, however, and kids will get a human look at this harbinger and hero.
I'd recommend this book for readers 3rd-grade and up, to anyone interested in baseball, Black History, American desegregation, or biographies.

Note: Read in elementary or middle school

Note: Read in elementary or middle school

Sometimes when I read The Royal Diaries series I get most men wont pick it up because it says words like "princess", "royal", "diary" but look past that and realize these women had extraordinary lives and some, like the title character, die in an assassination. These are not the type of books for girls who think you life is easy if you're a princess (or similar titles). There are at least three other books in the series where the female monarch is assassinated or beheaded; something Disney would never allow in a princess life of false joy. Good book for historical value lousy book for your princess fantasy.

Other reviews have skillfully pointed out the writing problems this book has, and its departure from the usual Dear America format,. especially with the epilogue. I read this book when I was ten or so, and it may have been the first Dear America book I read. I read part of it on Amazon and found the metaphors super odd, the writing cheesy, and I reminded myself that Irish people may well have spoken like that back then and I needed to quiet myself. I liked the book because I saw it as an unflinching portrayal of this point in history, along with creepy lessons: if you don't tie your hair back because you like to show off, or even if you tie it poorly accidentally, you can die horribly. You can save up money to try and get your parents out of a place affected by famine, but they can die anyway. Both these parts of the fictional diary have always, always stuck with me. I think they always will. That, and when Mary goes to a rich person's house for the first time and wonders at class differences present. My heart ached when I read that the first time, and I always nod solemnly.

This is also a book that, when I revisited it a week ago, made me realize I may finally have outgrown the series. This saddens me, as I was delighted by it for so long. I'll look for other books that examine this period of history--there's a few memoirs that people have written based on their grandparents' experiences.

I have read this book 3 times now and enjoy reading it each time. It does a great job of going of the historical happenings of the time as well as sharing part of Margot Frank’s diary. A must read.

The Civil War diary of Emma Simpson of Gordonsville, VA in 1864. Fiction.

It was like reading a diary. Sometimes it was interesting, but most of the time it was rather mundane. And it took me quite awhile to get through it.

This rich biography features newspaper articles and interviews that convey the life of the outspoken and principled Muhammad Ali, situating him in the turbulent social and political climate of his time. Primary Sources, Timeline, Author’s Note, Bibliography.

In this portrayal of the Titanic and its doomed voyage, a series of origi - nal articles from 1908 to 1912 pro - mote historical thinking and analy - sis.

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