ABOUT THIS BOOK

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.


REVIEWS

Winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

A Booklist Children’s Editor’s Choice


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Graham Salisbury’s family has been in the Hawaiian Islands since the early 1800s. He currently lives with his family in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of the award-winning Blue Skin of the Sea and Lord of the Deep.


AWARDS

WINNER 1996 - Massachusetts Children's Book Master List
NOMINEE 1998 - Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award
WINNER 1998 - Hawaii Nene Award
WINNER 1999 - California Young Reader Medal
WINNER 1995 - Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
WINNER 1995 - ALA Best Books for Young Adults



RELATED LINKS

Click here for Graham Salisbury’s printable Author Bio