by Karen Hesse
First published 2003
Vera lives in the small Aleutian village of Kashega when Japanese forces invade Alaska in 1942. The attack shatters her quiet island life, but worse follows when American authorities force Vera and her entire community from their homes. They are relocated to internment camps on the mainland, prisoners in their own country despite having done nothing wrong. Vera watches her people struggle with overcrowded conditions, poor food, and uncertainty about their future. She must find ways to preserve her family's spirit and Aleut traditions while trapped far from the islands that have been home to her people for generations. Through Vera's eyes, the story reveals how war can devastate innocent communities and how ordinary people endure extraordinary hardship with dignity and hope.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, war
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-secrets, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Aleutian Islands, Kashega, Alaska
Period: 1942
156 pages · Hardcover · Margaret K. McElderry
Content warnings: war