At the Washington Library Media Association conference in October I attended a session led by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery, authors of The Two Bobbies and Nubs. Kirby also talked briefly about her new book, The Fences Between Us: The Diary of Piper Davis. This is the first in the Scholastic Dear America series to be published in 5 years.

I have really enjoyed some of the other Dear America books, so I thought it would be great to add this book, by a local Seattle author to our library collection. The story takes place in Seattle during World War II. Piper’s brother joins the Navy and is soon assigned to the USS Enterprise. Piper’s mother died when Piper was very young, and her father is the pastor of a Japanese Baptist church. In December of 1941, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, life changes dramatically for citizens of Japanese heritage and for Piper. She worries about her brother, and deals with the realities of incarceration as her father follows the members of his church went they are sent away first to Puyallup and then to Minidoka, an incarceration camp in Idaho. This story is historical fiction and is based partially upon the life of Pastor Emery “Andy” Andrews.

I have to admit that prior to reading this book, I had very little knowledge about this grim part of US History. Growing up on the East Coast, my relatives had served in WWII in France and Germany. In high school in California and in college in Maine, when we were taught about the war, nothing was said about the Japanese incarceration camps in our own country. It’s really only been in the last few years that I have started to learn more about this sad chapter of history. Kirby Larson’s book is a welcome addition to anyone interested in this aspect of American History.

Students, here are some related research topics. Minidoka, Japanese incarceration, Pastor Emory “Andy” Andrews, Issei, Nikkei, USS Arizona, bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japantown, Puyallup Assembly Center, Camp Harmony, Minidoka Irrigator, 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Civil Liberties Act, Densho Project.

Tomorrow Americans will celebrate our version of Thanksgiving Day. In kitchens all across the country, cooks will be preparing our traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner of roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce and pies. Many different cultures celebrate some kind of autumn harvest festival. Most historians believe the American Thanksgiving dinner dates back to the fall harvest celebration in 1621 at Plymouth Plantation after the Wampanoag Native Americans taught the Pilgrims how to hunt, fish and cultivate the land so they wouldn’t starve. According the History.com, our Thanksgiving Day didn’t become an official holiday until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed that it would be celebrated in November of each year. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed it into law that each year the holiday would be celebrated the 4th Thursday of November.

Curiously, nearly 90% of Americans will eat turkey on Thanksgiving, but it is not clear whether turkeys really were or were not on the original Thanksgiving dinner table. Certainly pies were not because there was a sugar shortage at the time and the Puritans did not have ovens to bake them in! I can’t even imagine Thanksgiving Day without pumpkin pie and turkey. What we do have in common with the original Puritans and Wampanoag Native Americans is the need to celebrate and remember what we are thankful for. So what are you thankful for? Readers, if you live outside of America, does your country have an autumn harvest festival? Tell us about it so we can learn more about our world and its cultures. Keep Reading and Happy Thanksgiving! Mrs. Hembree