Pearl: A Graphic Novel
by Sherri L Smith (Author) Christine Norrie (Illustrator)
In a beautifully crafted and captivating graphic novel from award-winning writer Sherri L. Smith and Eisner-nominated artist Christine Norrie, a Japanese-American girl must survive years of uncertainty and questions of loyalty in Hiroshima during World War II.
Amy is a thirteen-year-old Japanese-American girl who lives in Hawaii. When her great-grandmother falls ill, Amy travels to visit family in Hiroshima for the first time. But this is 1941. When the Japanese navy attacks Pearl Harbor, it becomes impossible for Amy to return to Hawaii. Conscripted into translating English radio transmissions for the Japanese army, Amy struggles with questions of loyalty and fears about her family amidst rumors of internment camps in America -- even as she makes a new best friend and, over the years, Japan starts to feel something like home. Torn between two countries at war, Amy must figure out where her loyalties lie and, in the face of unthinkable tragedy, find hope in the rubble of a changed world.
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Kirkus
By turns devastating and uplifting, a powerful testament to the human will to survive—and thrive.
ALA/Booklist
A thing of great beauty and wonder growing as a response to friction and injury, a pearl is an inspired, indelible metaphor for this luminous, poignant coming-of-age tale set against harrowing, heart-wrenching real life events.
Publishers Weekly
A Japanese American 13-year-old questions her identity and loyalties when the two countries go to war in this emotional and riveting story of perseverance. Growing up in 1941 Hawaii, Amy heard magical stories about her great-grandmother's career as a pearl diver, called an ama, in Honshu. When she receives news that Sōsobo is ill, Amy makes the solo journey to visit her in Hiroshima. There, Amy meets family for the first time, and she quickly adjusts to life in Japan despite initial worries that her being American born would make the transition difficult. But when Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, Amy is forbidden from returning to the U.S. Moreover, she's conscripted into working as a monitor girl to translate radio transmissions from English into Japanese. Rumors of Japanese Americans being imprisoned in the U.S. leave Amy torn, wondering whether America is truly the land of the free, like she's always been told. Harrowing scenes of violence and tragedy are depicted by Norrie (Breaking Up) in a haunting progression of inky black panels while a muted blue and white palette adds ethereal ambiance to Amy's everyday life. Paired with carefully plotted dialogue and character interactions by Smith (American Wings), the creators emphasize Amy's struggles to heed her sōsobo's advice: "ikinokoru," or "you must survive." Ages 10-14. (Aug.)
Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Hornbook
Black-and-white illustrations colored with a solemn slate blue make expert use of the format to tell this painful and little-known history of Japanese American "strandees" whose stories often went untold for fear of American retaliation against "traitors."
Review quotes
Praise for Pearl:
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
"A truly beautiful story, artfully told." — School Library Journal's Good Comics for Kids Blog
"A deft and affecting historical graphic novel collaboration about a Japanese American teen's complex experiences of World War II in Japan." — Shelf Awareness
Sherri L. Smith is the prolific author of multiple award-winning children's books, including The Blossom and the Firefly, Flygirl, Orleans, and several books in the Who Was series. She has written for Bart Simpson comics, James Cameron's Avatar comics, and Wonder Woman. Her books have appeared on a number of state reading lists and have been named as Junior Library Guild, Children's Book Council, and American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults selections. Sherri teaches creative writing in the MFA in Children's Writing program at Hamline University, and has taught at Goddard College and Old Dominion University. She lives in Los Angeles with her partner and a disreputable cat. Visit her online at sherrilsmith.com.
Christine Norrie is a multiple Eisner-nominated artist and writer. She co-created the graphic novels Breaking Up with Aimee Friedman and Hopeless Savages with Jen van Meter and Chynna Clugston-Major, and has contributed to the Black Canary and Lumberjanes comics. She lives on a farm in Upstate New York, where she raises hens and maintains a large garden. Visit her online at christinenorrie.com.
JUV016000 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | General
JUV008090 - Juvenile Fiction | Comics & Graphic Novels | Historical
