Warriors in the Crossfire
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
This gripping historical novel is set on the tiny island of Saipan, which the Japanese had long governed, near the end of World War II. Thirteen-year-old Joseph, the son of a local village chief, and his half-Japanese best friend, Kento, have their loyalties tested when U.S. troops arrive and one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific war is fought. Caught in the crossfire between the Americans and Japanese, the boys learn what it really means to be a warrior. The novel is based on historical facts, and an afterword describes the real-life account of what happened on Saipan—the unimaginable horrors of what is now called Suicide Cliff.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Flood s (Sand to Stone and Back Again) first novel recounts a story of a forbidden friendship on the Japanese island of Saipan during WWII. Thirteen-year-old cousins Kento and Joseph have been friends forever, but are divided by class when the war intensifies. Kento is half Japanese, while Joseph is one of the natives, who are suspected of being spies for the Americans. Restrictions and curfews multiply for the islanders, but the boys figure out a way to remain friends in secret, as Joseph shares survival skills with Kento, who teaches him kanji in return. The Japanese may have taken our stores, our schools, even our lands, but they could not take this, Joseph affirms. When the Americans invade, Joseph s father tasks him with keeping his mother, sister, and nephew safe, and Joseph wonders if he has risked his family s safety by trusting Kento. Drawing from true events in Saipan s tragic history, Flood s concise and passionate fictionalized account raises myriad complicated questions about friendship, family, and honor. Through Joseph s eyes, readers experience the pain of war and loss firsthand. Ages 11 14.
