"Tomi was born in Hawaii. His grandfather and parents were born in Japan, and came to America to escape poverty.
World War II seems far away from Tomi and his friends, who are too busy playing ball on their eighth-grade team, the Rats.
But then Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese, and the United States declares war on Japan. Japanese men are rounded up, and Tomi’s father and grandfather are arrested. It’s a terrifying time to be Japanese in America. But one thing doesn’t change: the loyalty of Tomi’s buddies, the Rats."
""A gripping saga of wartime survival." -Kirkus Reviews, Starred
Based on a true story, this World War II novel by Scott O'Dell Award winner Graham Salisbury tells how Zenji, 17, is sent from Hawaii to the Philippines to spy on the Japanese.
Zenji Watanabe was born in Hawaii. He's an American, but the Japanese wouldn't know it by the look of him. And that's exactly what the US government is counting on.
Because he speaks both English and Japanese perfectly, the army recruits Zenji for a top-secret mission to spy on the Japanese. If they discover his true identity, he'll be treated as a traitor and executed on the spot.
As World War II boils over in the Pacific, Zenji is caught behind enemy lines. But even though his Japanese heritage is his death warrant, it's also his key to outwitting the enemy and finding the strength to face the terrors of battle, the savagery of the jungle, and the unspeakable cruelty of war.
The riveting Hunt for the Bamboo Rat is based on a true story and follows in the path of author Graham Salisbury's other highly acclaimed Prisoners of the Empire titles, which began with the award-winning Under the Blood-Red Sun.
Finalist for:
Nebraska Golden Sower Award
South Carolina Book Awards
'Salisbury has once again crafted a fine novel, based on an actual person, about first-generation Americans of Japanese descent and the clash of culture and national identity that World War II accentuated. . . . The story will leave readers spellbound.' -Kirkus Reviews, Starred
'Fast-paced and compelling, this title will be enjoyed by voracious and reluctant readers.' -SLJ
'The history is fascinating, and Zenji is a fictional hero readers will long remember.' -The Horn Book"
"Mokes is 12, and he knows he's supposed to stay out of town Saturday night when the Navy comes ashore. But tonight's the night when his hero, tough-guy Booley, has vowed to get revenge on a sailor. He's got to be there! One problem: Mokes's Dad is the chief of police. Written with the voice and rhythm of the street that only first-hand knowledge can provide, Shark Bait will attract young adult patrons to your library the way The Outsiders did a generation ago. In this gritty and realistic audiobook, 12-year-old Mokes is torn between obeying his father, the police chief in a small Hawaiian town, and hanging out with his trouble-seeking friends."
"Winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award
Fishing. This is it, the big time. Mikey's 13, a deckhand working on a charter boat in Hawaii. Working for the best skipper anywhere, his stepdad, Bill. Before Bill came along, it was just Mikey and his mom. Now they're a real family, and Mikey has a little brother. He can't believe how lucky he is. And now he's learning from the best, even though he's only 13. Because Bill believes in him. And Mikey won't let him down. He loves fishing and being out on the boat. But some seas, some fish, and some charter clients are a lot tougher to handle than Mikey ever imagined. Take Ernie and Cal—they chartered Bill's boat for three days and they're out for the adventure of their lives. Now it's up to Mikey and Bill to deliver it."
"Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction and the California Young Reader Medal, Graham Salisbury injects his books with the exotic color of his native Hawaii. Continuing the story begun in Under the Blood-Red Sun, House of the Red Fish returns to Honolulu one year after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Thirteen-year-old Japanese American Tomi Nakaji must struggle to support his family after the arrest of his father and grandfather."
