So Far From The Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

I found this to be a well written novel that can be hard to read at times. The story takes place during World War II, and is about a young Japanese girl named Yoko who is forced to leave her home in Korea and travel with her family to Japan. I really liked the character Hideyo, Yoko's brother. In fact, I thought the best parts of the novel were the sections that told of Hideyo's struggles in attempting to reunite with his family. The book has some very intense moments and contains some mature themes. For example, Yoko learns of her grandparents death on the same day that her own mother dies. The book is centered around the themes of the brutalities of war and loss of family. The book does have a somewhat uplifting ending, with Yoko winning an essay contest and being published in a newspaper. Overall, I found the book to be a good, yet difficult, read. I would reccomend this book to older readers such as fifth or sixth graders, and I believe it could be used best in conjuction with a history lesson on World War II.