COMPANION TITLES

The following titles deal with themes, geographic setting or time periods similar to those in Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. These books offer opportunities for children and young adults to experience Thousand Oaks Reads: One City, One Book.

How My Parents Learned to Eat by Ina R. Friedman; illustrated by Allen Say (jj Fiction)
Recommended for children in preschool – grade 3

"An American sailor courts a young Japanese woman and each tries, in secret, to learn the other's way of eating. "The book is wonderfully thought-provoking in its portrayal of the subtle similarities and differences among cultures." -- School Library Journal (starred review)

So Far from the Sea by Eve Bunting; illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet (jj Fiction)
Recommended for children in preschool – grade 3

A family pays perhaps a final visit to grandfather's grave at Manzanar, where thousands of Americans of Japanese heritage were interned during World War II. Poignant text and evocative paintings make the story of their visit one that destined to linger in readers' hearts.
“All the more moving in its restraint, this picture-book account of a fictional family reveals, with gentle dignity, a sad chapter in American history. “ -- School Library Journal

The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida (jj Fiction)
Recommended for children in preschool – grade 3

Emi, a Japanese American in the second grade, is sent with her family to an internment camp during World War II, but the loss of the bracelet her best friend has given her proves that she does not need a physical reminder of that friendship.
“Hushed, realistic paintings add to the poignancy of the narrative, and help to underscore the absurdity and injustice suffered by Japanese American families such as Emi's.” -- Publishers Weekly

The Journal of Ben Uchida: Citizen 13559 Mirror Lake Internment Camp by Barry Denenberg (j Fiction); A Dear America book
Recommended for children in grades 4 through 7

Beginning with the attack on Pearl Harbor, the fictional diary of Ben Uchida captures the hysteria that spread through the West Coast as Japanese Americans suddenly found themselves the focus of anger and suspicion. Twelve-year-old Ben’s journal records his experiences as a prisoner in an internment camp.
“Ben comes across as a real kid, coping with anger, resentment, confusion, and fear. Historical notes put the World War II internment in the context of a long history of prejudice against Japanese Americans.” –Booklist

The Fences Between Us: The Diary of Piper Davis by Kirby Larson (j Fiction); A Dear America book
Recommended for children in grades 4 through 7

Piper's father is the pastor for a Japanese Baptist church, and when its members are taken away to Minidoka, Idaho, to be interned, Pastor Davis moves his family from Seattle to Idaho to be with his congregation.
“Piper's convincing narration allows readers to appreciate the dilemma that occurs when individual rights seem to clash with national security. The thought-provoking themes are supplemented by a comprehensive historical note, photographs, and resources, and an abundance of online activities on the publisher's site.” -- School Library Journal

Best Friends Forever: A World War II Scrapbook by Beverly Patt; illustrated by Shula Klinger
Recommended for children in grades 4 through 7

Fourteen-year-old Louise keeps a scrapbook detailing the events in her life after her best friend, a Japanese-American girl, and her family are sent to a relocation camp during World War II.
“This heartwarming tale of steadfast friendship makes a wonderful access point for learning more about World War II and Japanese internment.” -- School Library Journal

Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston (YA Fiction)
Recommended for teens in grades 7 - 12

During World War II a community called Manzanar was hastily created in the high mountain desert country of California, east of the Sierras. Its purpose was to house thousands of Japanese American internees. One of the first families to arrive were the Wakatsukis, who were ordered to leave their fishing business in Long Beach and take with them only the belongings they could carry. For Jeanne Wakatsuki, a seven-year-old child, Manzanar became a way of life in which she struggled and adapted, observed and grew. For her father it was essentially the end of his life. "An extraordinary episode in American history." -- Library Journal

The Star Fisher by Laurence Yep (YA Fiction)
Recommended for teens in grades 7 - 12

Fifteen-year-old Joan Lee and her family find the adjustment hard when they move from Ohio to West Virginia in the 1920s.
"This poignant, gently humorous novel is about prejudice and acceptance....Joan Lee is a child of two worlds. As a Chinese American, she has never felt her separateness more than now, in 1927, in this new place in West Virginia. Only Miss Lucy, their landlord and neighbor, seems welcoming....There's nothing coy about Yep's portrait of prejudice, which he sketches from several angles." —Booklist

Looking Like the Enemy : my story of imprisonment in Japanese-American internment camps by Mary Matsuda Gruenewald ; adapted by Maureen R. Michelson Recommended for teens in grades 7 - 12

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Mary Matsuda Gruenewald recounts the experiences she and her family had after being evacuated to an internment camp for Japanese Americans during World War II.