The Sky We Shared

by Shirley Reva Vernick

Overview

In this thoughtful and deftly woven WWII novel, an American and Japanese teen with lives on opposite ends of the world discover that hate for an "enemy" leaves a heavy heart.

In southern Japan, Tamiko spends her time writing in her diary, dreaming of making theatrical costumes, and praying her brother Kyo makes it back from the war. She wishes she could be brave like him and help the war effort.

In rural Oregon, Nellie spends her time lying in the grass, studying the stars, and wishing for her pa to return from the war. She also wishes the boy next door, Joey, would talk to her again like he used to.

Soon the girls' lives become inextricably linked.

Tamiko and her classmates are brought to a damp, repurposed theater to make large paper balloons to help the military.

No one knows what they are for.

Nellie and her classmates ration food, work in salvage drives, and support their community.

No one knows what's coming.

Based on Japan's Project Fu-Go during the last stretch of World War II, The Sky We Shared uses the alternating perspectives of Nellie and Tamiko to depict the shared tragedies of two countries at war.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781947627543
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	06/07/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	11 - 17 Years

About the Author

Shirley Reva Vernick is an award-winning author and journalist. Her works include The Sky We Shared, Remember Dippy, The Blood Lie, and The Black Butterfly. Her interviews and feature articles have appeared in numerous magazines, national newspapers, and university publications. She also runs a popular storytelling website, storybee.org, which is used in schools, libraries, hospitals, and homes all over the world. Shirley graduated from Cornell University and is an alumna of the Radcliffe Writing Seminars. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/04/2022

Vernick’s (The Black Butterfly) well-researched novel centers two 14-year-old girls—one in America, one in Japan—as they grapple with survival during WWII’s final months. In Bly, Ore., Nellie Doud endures rationing and frequent blackouts caused by the war while navigating growing feelings for her emotionally withdrawn best friend Joey, who’s mourning his killed-in-action older brother. In Japan’s Shinji-cho village, Tamiko Nakaoka, who walks with a limp after recovering from polio, attends school amid food scarcity. When her brother enlists in the Imperial Army, Tamiko treks to nearby Kure City, where she intends to help with the war effort to provide better food for her family. There, she works 12-hour days gluing paper for balloons. But unbeknownst to Tamiko, these balloons are carrying bombs headed for Nellie in Oregon. Inspired by true events and told in alternating first-person perspectives that cover different periods in each girl’s life before converging at its affecting climax, Vernick’s moving prose renders both voices with empathy. Balanced narratives and steady pacing effectively highlight an often-overlooked period in both Japanese and American history. Historical context detailing Japan’s Fu-Go Project, a glossary, and more conclude. American characters cue as white. Ages 11–17. Agent: Deidre Knight, Knight Agency. (June)

Publishers Weekly

* "Engrossing." — The Horn Book, starred review

* "Vernick's moving prose renders both voices with empathy. Balanced narratives and steady pacing effectively highlight an often-overlooked period in both Japanese and American history." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A central, meaningful message about the flimsiness of hatred emerges, and the barbarities of the war are revealed in an uncommon, important way." — Foreword Reviews

"Highly relevant to today's world. . . This book could easily be used as a companion to lessons about World War II in the classroom." — School Library Connection

"In this extraordinary story inspired by a little-known incident during WWII, Vernick brings to life the hardship, trauma, loneliness and longing of two girls enduring the same war from worlds apart, yet with hope and the resilience of the human spirit always shining through, bright as stars against the night sky." — Margi Preus, Newbery honor-winning author of Heart of a Samurai

"Combining rich historical detail and urgent emotional drama, Vernick has created a unique and powerful coming-of-age story set against a complex and little-known chapter in America's war with Japan." — Robert Sharenow, author of The Berlin Boxing Club

"The Sky We Shared is a moving and beautifully researched story, rich with period detail, about two teen girls – one American, one Japanese – on either side of the Pacific in the latter days of World War 2. Readers will be captivated by the unique, powerful voices of Nellie and Tamiko as the girls discover through their experiences of family, tragedy, patriotism, and propaganda that hatred is not a cure for loss." — Janet Fox, author of The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle

Delaware Diamonds Awards Nominee 2024 - Diamond State Literacy Association

From the Publisher