Pearl

by Sherri L. Smith, Christine Norrie (Illustrator)

In a beautifully crafted and captivating graphic novel from award-winning writer Sherri L. Smith and Eisner-nominated artist Christine Norrie, a Japanese-American girl must survive years of uncertainty and questions of loyalty in Hiroshima during World War II. Amy is a thirteen-year-old Japanese-American girl who lives in Hawaii. When her great-grandmother falls ill, Amy travels to visit family in Hiroshima for the first time. But this is 1941. When the Japanese navy attacks Pearl Harbor, it becomes impossible for Amy to return to Hawaii. Conscripted into translating English radio transmissions for the Japanese army, Amy struggles with questions of loyalty and fears about her family amidst rumors of internment camps in America -- even as she makes a new best friend and, over the years, Japan starts to feel something like home. Torn between two countries at war, Amy must figure out where her loyalties lie and, in the face of unthinkable tragedy, find hope in the rubble of a changed world.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Historical, Young Adult, Japan, Comics

144 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2024

About the author

Sherri L. Smith is the award-winning author of YA novels LUCY THE GIANT, SPARROW, HOT SOUR SALTY SWEET, FLYGIRL and ORLEANS. In October 2015, she makes her middle grade debut with THE TOYMAKER’S APPRENTICE from G.P. Putnam and Sons for Penguin Random House.

Sherri has worked in film, animation, comic books and construction. Her books have been listed as Amelia Bloomer, American Library Association Best Books for Young People, and Junior Library Guild Selections. FLYGIRL was the 2009 California Book Awards Gold Medalist.

She loves her family, travel, chocolate chip cookies, reading, and and a really good cup of tea.

Reviews

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

✨ "To the Americans, I was a traitor. To the Japanese, I was American."

Beautiful graphic novel that dives into (see what I did there? lolol) identity, belonging and more.

I enjoyed how the story is told through the perspective of an American-born Japanese girl who grew up in the US but was in Hiroshima at the time of Pearl Harbor's bombing. It's a unique and lesser-known POV, especially with the protagonist's job as a translator, which made this an even more illuminating read.

The art and colour palette is simple yet impactful, especially with minimal text.

I thought the first half of the book was stronger. The second half left me with some questions and the ending didn't feel entirely satisfying. Still, I was engaged throughout.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covers very dark topics very...quickly? I'd be more interested in the book this gn was inspired by, as everything felt quite surface level until we discover the MC is a survivor of the atomic bomb.. and prior to that things regarding the war from the Japanese side, as a Japanese-American in Japan, seemed at a distance.

Drawing style and color scheme suited otherwise.

[Christine Lucia Asha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and illustrated, this story is one that young and old can read and ponder: a mixed girl is sent back to her heritage country right before it gets in a war with the US. She is torn between her family and home and her relatives and current home country.

Based loosely on Rahna Reiko Rizzuto's book.

[Barb reads......it ALL! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful graphic novel about WWII and the abuses on both sides.
From the beautiful cover illustration to the blue and white illustrations thru out, Pearl tells the story of American born Japanese girl, Amy as she journeys back to Japan to see her dying great-grandmother, only to be caught up in the clutches of war.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where is home when the country that raised you turns against you? Savor the images as this girl learns to cling to the most valuable gifts of her story, even when those gifts are hidden inside of her deepest pain, just like her grandmother who learned to dive for pearls in Japan. Beautiful and profound.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Advanced Reader Copy:
Beautiful art and touching story.

[Ave · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful art and story, almost cried a few times. learned along the way

[Rebeka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pearl is a short graphic novel, but wow, it left such a big impact. It tells the story of Amy, a Japanese-American girl caught between two countries during the war between Japan and America. Even though there weren’t a lot of words, the meaning behind the story was so powerful. The art played a huge role in showing emotions—like how the images lost color in the darkest moments, making everything feel even more real.

This book taught me more about the war and how it affected real people, not just soldiers, but families like Amy’s. It made me think about how war doesn’t just end—it leaves scars that last for generations.

Overall, Pearl was an amazing read. It proves that a story doesn’t need a lot of words to be meaningful. The emotions, the symbolism, and the history behind it all made it a book I won’t forget.

[⋆˚࿔ julia 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ // spoiler free

Pearl is such a beautiful story. The art from this graphic novel was so simple, and yet the power it held was so strong and incredible. I wish the “story” part was a little longer and dove a little deeper, but I enjoyed reading what was given! There was so much heartbreak and inspiration in this book. Beautifully written!

The characters in Pearl were so strong and uplifting. I really enjoyed getting to read this different side of the historical characters.

Pearl isn’t like every World War II story you’ll find on the shelves. This story is centered around a strong Japanese-American girl, and what she endures when the Pearl Harbor attack comes into her life. Strength and tragedy collide in this story. But in the midst of chaos; family, love, and determination always shine through. I highly recommend this beautiful historical piece!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•Age Rating: 12+
•Violence/Fear: ● ● ● ○ ○
•Language: ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
•Sexual Content: ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
•Drugs/Alcohol: ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

[Kate Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful graphic novel about identity, belonging, and survival. 🤍 I loved the pearl-diving metaphor throughout and the honest history of how World War II affected Japanese-Americans.

CW: war, the atomic bomb, portrayals of death and illness.

[Alisha (booksmellz) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy is a thirteen-years-old Japanese-American living in Hawaii. In the summer of 1941, Amy travels to visit family outside of Hiroshima when word of her great-grandmother falling ill is sent. When the Japanese navy attacks Pearl Harbor in December, it becomes impossible for Amy to return to Hawaii. Conscripted into translating english radio transmissions for the Japanese army, Amy struggles with where her loyalty really lies. In Japan, she’s American, but in America, with the rumors on internment camps, she would be Japanese. Torn between two countries at war, Amy must figure out where her loyalties lie and, in the face of the unthinkable, find hope amidst the rubble.

I’ve read a lot of various World War II novels but I actually hadn’t read one from an American’s perspective while overseas. I appreciate seeing the torn loyalties that Amy feels throughout the story - what America did to those of Japanese descent was ridiculous, even now, 80+ years later, the wording used to describe these camps varies depending on what website you use…

This would be a great addition to middle grade historical fiction as Pearl showed the struggles of what people went through during the war. It’s a bit simplified, yes, but the art of this graphic novel does a lot of “the talking” as well - even with the blue, black, and white color palette.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, beautiful novel about identity. I confess, I did feel like some of the details were lost in the illustrations, but perhaps that’s just because I don’t often read graphic novels. This was a very quick read, with illustrations as the main storyteller. I loved the theme of identity.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5*

A powerful story about survival. I have a love/hate with a one color palette. On one hand it can be very impactful and on the other it can be kind of muddled and hard to read especially when it's a darker tone. Anyway I enjoyed this. It was a quick read with a strong story.

[Talyr Lerwill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, easy read. This would be a great book for kids first learning WWII history. With a perspective from a Japanese American character living in Japan, children would see a side of WWII from the Japanese side of things.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy is sent from Hawaii to Hiroshima in the summer of 1941 to help/meet her grandmother before she dies. But in December everything changes, and she can't go home.

Why I started this book: New books arrived this week at the library.

Why I finished it: Simple, spare, inspiration and heartwrenching. This was such a great book.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable Book

A young Japanese American girl visits relatives in Okinawa Japan in 1941. When Pearl Harbor happens, she is stuck in Japan. Then brought to Hiroshima to translate American radio broadcasts. The Japanese American internment causes her to support Japanese forces. There’s more! A moving, heartbreaking story.

[elbow ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
a beautifully illustrated graphic novel about the experience of a japanese-american girl during world war 2. some of the nastier bits of the war were glossed over but this was still a nice read.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully rendered graphic novel about a Japanese American young girl stuck between worlds in WW2. It's tough in subject matter but conveyed abstractly enough that middle graders and up are a great audience for it.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful graphic novel for upper middle grade readers told from the perspective of someone who feels torn between her Japanese and American homes, cultures, and worlds while they are at war with one another.
Such an incredible look at identity and so beautifully illustrated, too.

[mol pop]

People who say children can’t handle mature topics are bozos and especially if it’s formatted for them- children’s literature is so important this was beautifully illustrated with an important story! Battle book for work

[Victoria Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Scholastic for the ARC of this book.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story had potential but the graphic novel format and lack of text in the book meant the book lacked substance. It was quite disappointing.

[Meri · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story of a Japanese-Hawaiian girl who was caught up in the bombing of Hiroshima. It’s about her mixed identity and learning to come home.

[Beth Geisler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very quick graphic novel set in WWII.

[Eliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pearl
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (3/5) or 5.71/10 overall

Characters - 6

Atmosphere - 6

Writing - 6

Plot - 5

Intrigue - 6

Logic - 6

Enjoyment - 5

[Elizabeth Seals · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. Almost made me cry.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this work of historical fiction powerful, yet wished the characters were more developed so that I could have connected with them more.

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and easy graphic novel. The art in this book is beautiful. I would have liked a little more, but sometimes less is more.

This is also a story we don’t see much about when it comes to WWII and Japan.

Great for middle school and early high school.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intense graphic novel about a Japanese-American girl who spends WWII in Japan. It deals with America’s internment camps, family separation, deaths of loved ones, the bombing of Hiroshima, and other tough topics. I checked this out for S. and read it too so we could talk about it. We both found parts a little difficult to follow - I am new to graphic novels and wished for more text at times. But it definitely packed an emotional punch.

[Julia Pika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning illustrations, I wish more details were given but it worked very well in conveying turbulent emotions.