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Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky
Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky
Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky
Audiobook5 hours

Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky

Written by Sandra Dallas

Narrated by Jennifer Ikeda

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

It's 1942: Tomi Itano, 12, is a second-generation Japanese American who lives in California with her family on their strawberry farm. Although her parents came from Japan and her grandparents still live there, Tomi considers herself an American. She doesn't speak Japanese and has never been to Japan. But after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, things change. No Japs Allowed signs hang in store windows and Tomi's family is ostracized. Things get much worse. Suspected as a spy, Tomi's father is taken away. The rest of the Itano family is sent to an internment camp in Colorado. Many other Japanese American families face a similar fate. Tomi becomes bitter, wondering how her country could treat her and her family like the enemy. What does she need to do to prove she is an honorable American? Sandra Dallas shines a light on a dark period of American history in this story of a young Japanese American girl caught up in the prejudices and World War II.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 16, 2015
ISBN9781490656458
Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky
Author

Sandra Dallas

Sandra Dallas, dubbed “a quintessential American voice” in Vogue Magazine, is the author of over a dozen novels, including Prayers for Sale and Tallgrass, many translated into a dozen languages and optioned for films. Six-time winner of the Willa Award and four-time winner of the Spur Award, Dallas was a Business Week reporter for 35 years covering the Rocky Mountain region, and began writing fiction in 1990. She has two daughters and lives with her husband in Denver and Georgetown, Colorado.

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Reviews for Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky

Rating: 4.196428714285714 out of 5 stars
4/5

28 ratings3 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked the narrative of the story and the story was interesting l loved it!!, ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In 1942 twelve year old Tomi Itano and her family work on their strawberry farm in California. She loves the way the red berries look against the white clouds and blue sky because it reminds her of the flag. She is a second generation Japanese American and couldn’t be more proud to be an American. When Tomi walks to town with her younger brother she is surprised to see a sign in a window proclaiming that Japanese are not allowed. She and her brothers were born in America, and they don’t even speak Japanese. Her father is suspected of being a spy and is taken away in handcuffs, and the fear in her heart becomes very real. Soon Tomi’s mother is selling all their belongings except a few things they will take with them when the government relocates them. Where are they going? They aren’t sure, but they eventually end up in an internment camp with other Japanese families they don’t know in Colorado. Tomi works to have a good attitude and helps her mom make their new home feel a little better. As time stretches on and the family is forced to live in poor conditions apart from the rest of the country, it's harder to be positive. Tomi is confused by the way they're treated and becomes bitter. Will Tomi see her father again? How long with the Itanos and other families need to stay in the internment camp? Will things ever get better? You’ll have to read this book to find out how things turn out for Tomi and her family.


    Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky by Sandra Dallas is a wonderful historical fiction book about a family who will tug at your heart. I could relate to Tomi and I felt sad for her when her life changed. I can’t imagine having to go through something like that, and not knowing if her life would ever go back to normal must have been terrifying. I would recommend this book to kids in fourth grade and up who enjoy learning about history. I think a lot of people know about World War II, but so many kids, and I am sure some adults, do not know much about internment camps. We get to see what life was like for a typical family who was forced out of their home and had to live under government supervision. I found myself hoping that good things would come their way and was impressed with their perseverance. We can all learn a lot from history and it is a reminder not to judge people or treat them differently because of their background. I look forward to reading more books about this time in history.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed the characters in this book because they had spirits that could not be broken. This author writes beautiful juvenile fiction and adult fiction. This author did a good job of presenting America in its true form. I thought this quote did a summary of an under theme in this book; "I thought America was pretty good country, until the war came along. Then I learned America isn't for a Japanese man or a Japanese woman. It isn't for Japanese children who are born in America either." Good did come about in the end, but the hardship was present also.