This novel-in-verse examines the aftershocks of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan and damaged a nuclear power plant in March, 2011, through the eyes of eleven-year-old Maya. Maya and her family were lucky. They didn’t lose their Tokyo home or the lives of family members, but Maya is still terrified. She feels helpless and hopeless. What can she do to help? She chronicles the 24 days after the quake, sometimes minute by minute. Maya and her friend Yuka fold paper cranes and ask for sunflower seeds to plant. She continues writing her journal for 113 days with interesting formatting and timelines. An author’s note tells more about the Great Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of March 11, 2011. mjw
| Title: Beyond Me Author: Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers Copyright: 2020 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-48143-789-9 Hardcover pages: 304 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction, Verse Book setting: Japan Author’s ethnicity: U.S. Author’s residence: Tokyo, Japan Subjects: Earthquakes, Family life, Japan, Novels in verse, Paper cranes, Sunflowers, Survival, Tsunamis |
Young Anita lives in a village in the Dominican Republic where she is a valiant princesa. She worries about boarding dragons (airplanes) that will take her to a new life in a new country. The vivid text describes her anxiety about what she will miss and what she will encounter in a new land. She becomes a brave princesa when she meets the dragon. “With one step I move away from the familiar. With another step, I walk into the unknown.” She becomes a “fearless dragon” of her own. The textured artwork was created using mixed media and finished digitally. mjw
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