Thank you, Netgalley, for allowing me to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

It still boggles my mind how this happened not that long ago. It was sick then, and sadly, I would be ignorant to say it wouldn't happen now.

I enjoyed the way the author was able to use Flyer as the second point of view.

I think the atrocities that happened in our own country (I'm Canadian, and we were not innocent) are often overlooked, and they should be thought about in school. This book is a good way to do it.

Well written and easy to read the book appears to be targeted for young readers. It is the first book I’ve read about Japanese interment camps during WWII, definitely a topic omitted in school history.

The author writes a very emotive story about an American boy Fumio whose family was relocated from their farm in California to an interment camp in Idaho.

Although the book describes the unthinkable injustices and racism towards Japanese Americans it’s written from the perspective of a ten year old boy and his dog. As a result it portrays him as doing rather “well” in the camp.

The story lead me to reflect on the dark history of the United States when our government dishonored and humiliated its own citizens.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Arthur Shirley Miller Kamala for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book spoke to me on so many levels. My family has a history of being kept in internment camps, even though my family is American, we were also Japanese as well. Kamada weaves a story full of human kindness and compassion, and I was moved to learn that it is based on a true story. While the inclusion of Flyer’s chapters were a bit odd to me at first, I came to love his chapters, and I feel they added a great deal of depth to the story.

The writing was easy to read and I adored the main family and the side characters as well. I appreciate that this book didn’t focus on the horrific abuse, but rather shone a light on the small acts of kindness that were shown to Japanese Americans during this time period. This book would be a perfect introduction for those who want to learn more about the Japanese internment camps from a real life story. From someone who is a descendant of proud Japanese Americans who experienced this first hand, I want to say thank you for shedding light on this often looked over chapter in American history.

This novel traces the fate of Fumio and his family after the US puts into practice the decision to relocate persons of Japanese heritage into internment camps following the bombing of Pearl Harbour and the United States' declaration of war against Japan.

Despite being US citizens, he and his sister Kumiko are taken with their parents from the family farm to Camp Manzanar in the California desert. There, they must endure a level of hardship and humiliation that they could never have imagined.

The story follows the family members' trials after being transferred to a camp in Idaho, describing the harrowing experiences the Miyotas go through with empathy and an admirable degree of historical accuracy.

This one is worth a read for those interested in US history, the Second World War, or simply stories from ordinary human lives. It gets 3.5 stars.