Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky

by Sandra Dallas

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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction, Historical, World War II, Young Adult, Childrens

216 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

Award-winning author SANDRA DALLAS was dubbed “a quintessential American voice” by Jane Smiley, in Vogue Magazine. Sandra’s novels with their themes of loyalty, friendship, and human dignity have been translated into a dozen foreign languages and have been optioned for films.

A journalism graduate of the University of Denver, Sandra began her writing career as a reporter with Business Week. A staff member for twenty-five years (and the magazine’s first female bureau chief,) she covered the Rocky Mountain region, writing about everything from penny-stock scandals to hard-rock mining, western energy development to contemporary polygamy. Many of her experiences have been incorporated into her novels.

While a reporter, she began writing the first of ten nonfiction books. They include Sacred Paint, which won the National Cowboy Hall of Fame Western Heritage Wrangler Award, and The Quilt That Walked to Golden, recipient of the Independent Publishers Assn. Benjamin Franklin Award.

Turning to fiction in 1990, Sandra has published eight novels, including Prayers For Sale. Sandra is the recipient of the Women Writing the West Willa Award for New Mercies, and two-time winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award, for The Chili Queen and Tallgrass. In addition, she was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award, the Mountain and Plains Booksellers Assn. Award, and a four-time finalist for the Women Writing the West Willa Award.

The mother of two daughters—Dana is an attorney in New Orleans and Povy is a photographer in Golden, Colorado—Sandra lives in Denver with her husband, Bob.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/sandra...

Reviews

[Lisa C · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have so many problems with this book I don't even know where to begin. The moral of this book seems to be, even if you are falsely imprisoned or forced to leave your home for a relocation camp, you should still be a happy and proud American. No one was allowed to be a proud Japanese American; the characters were either proud Americans or traitors to their family and their new homeland.

This book had a disturbing forceful Patriotism above all else theme. Each time a character expresses any type of unhappiness at the internment camp, they are encouraged, by everyone else to suck it up, be proud to be an American, and to stop dragging their family down into a depressive state.

Oddly, Dallas make the point several times in the narrative and in the author's note that the camps were "relocation" camps NOT prisons. This seems like a misleading and useless disclaimer. The camps may not have been technically "prisons" but innocent Japanese families were forced to live there in sub-par and over crowded conditions. They were kept in the camp by barbed wire and armed guards. They ate slop and had little access to medical care or resources. They may not technically have been prisons but families were certainly imprisoned in them. If it walks like a prison and quacks like a prison . . .

Worse than all else, the characters were so one dimensional. Tomi had always had a Pollyannaish approach to life in the camp. She was determined to make the best of her new, hopefully temporary, life. That's fine. However, when Tomi is reunited with her father who had been falsely imprisoned for two years, she starts to recognize that the US, the country she loves, treated her father (and her) terribly. She is no longer able to "look back with anger but to look ahead with hope." Her family and friends basically pester her until she recognizes how bad her attitude is. Her brother, now an enlisted man, writes her and pleads, "I think you are the only one who can help pop. I don't know how, but you have to think of a way or our family will never be the same." Never be the same?!? The father had been falsely imprisoned, the family was force-ably removed from their home, they were forced to live in a horse stall and then in an internment camp. The son went off to war. OF COURSE THEIR FAMILY WILL NEVER BE "THE SAME" AS BEFORE.

At no point does Tomi find strength or growth by questioning her undying love of the country that imprisoned her. In fact, she wins an essay contest with a piece she wrote called, "I am an American." it includes the line, "in America, everyone had an equal chance. If ht worked hard, he could build his own business. His children would be free to choose their future, too." Lovely, except, SHE'T NOT FREE. She's in an internment camp. With barbed wire and armed guards.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Tomi Itano is proud to be an American, but that pride is severely challenged when all Japanese come under suspicion of spying after Pearl Harbor. Her father is imprisoned, and the rest of the family moves to a relocation camp in Colorado. Although conditions are challenging on many levels, Tomi makes the best of the situation and tries to behave in as normal a fashion as she possibly can. When her father finally joins the family, he is bitter and angry, and seems to hate his adopted country. As Tomi tries to understand how the country that embraced immigrants could also be the same one that behaved so inhospitably toward her father, she struggles with her own complex feelings about this land where she was born. The author covers some familiar territory here, making sure that readers are living through a time when fears and paranoia overshadowed all other concerns. She provides glimpses into life insider those camps and reminds readers what it means to be an American. Middle graders need to read this one to understand the climate of those times and how xenophobia can prompt rash acts and the tendency to demonize others.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars to this middle school novel by Sandra Dallas. I have read and loved many of her books, including Tallgrass, which is the adult version of this story. Tallgrass and Red Berries, White Clouds Blue Sky both tell the story of the Japanese who were interred in "relocation camps" during World War II. Tallgrass tells the story from the perspective of a young American girl who lives in the town of Ellis, where the internment camp is located. Red Berries tells it from the perspective of a young Japanese American girl whose family goes to live in the camp, when their father is unjustly sent to prison. It is a story of hope and courage, as well as trials and tribulations. A favorite quote is "I have been told that it is the Japanese way to look ahead with hope, rather than back with anger." Perhaps that is a lesson we should all try to learn.

Good book for middle schoolers to introduce them to this era in American history, and to begin conversations about what it means to treat someone differently based on race.

[Skylar Garner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book 🥲 This book was so beautiful. I absolutely enjoyed every second of it and will 100% re-read. Definitely recommend! Would give it 10 stars if I could. Will definitely be reading more of Sandra Dallas’ books as soon as I can get my hands on one 😁😁

[Marleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books by Sandra Dallas are a treat and I always look forward to them because they bring us warmth and true insight into the soul. They’re simply the kind of books that I enjoy.
I understand that this book is meant for a younger audience, but it's nonetheless gripping and beautiful as it tells the story of an American-Japanese family that is relocated to an internment camp during the second World war.
Sandra Dallas tackled this particular subject before in her book called Tallgrass, which told us another story of the stigmatization and prejudice the American-Japanese had to endure. The way the world is turning now, it seems that history might be repeating itself in that regard.
For me, it was love at first sight with the Itano family. The story revolves mostly around Tomi Itano, who’s 12 years old when her family is forced by the authorities to relocate from her family-run strawberry farm in California, to a camp in Colorado. Tomi, her mother and two brothers, Roy and Hiro, take life in the camp in stride, and that was admirable. Their father was held in another camp, which was more like a prison and when he’s finally reunited with his family his faith in the American dream has been truly shaken.
Some might say that this story, meant for younger readers, is more optimistic than what reality must have been like. I agree with that, but then it also showed how truly resilient the American-Japanese community was.
Big applause for the narrator of this recorded book: Jennifer Ikeda gave all the characters an authentic voice. Her voice for little brother Hiro always made me smile!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky by a Sandra Dallas, for me, was educational, emotional and thought provoking. Yes, at times it sounded cheerful but the character growth of the mom, the ‘broken’ dad, and kind teacher make this book a must read, especially today. 4 red, white and blue stars for survivors.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read quite a few historical fiction novels set during WWII dealing with the Japanese internment camps. I really liked this one. It is a simple story and I realized about 1/4 of the way through that it is a Juvenile Fiction. I think I reserved it based on the author, but didn't realize it was a Juvenile Fiction book. I've read many of her books but this is only her second JF book and I've only read her adult novels. I would definitely let my 12 year old read this. It is very well done, it introduces this topic in our American history and does a great job of covering it. I kind of felt that the writing is a little choppy compared to her adult novels. However, it is well suited for the age group the author is targeting. It is a quick read as well. I'm going to have my daughter read it. I'm hoping she will want to know more about this. I wish more 12 year olds were reading these kinds of books instead of Hunger Games, Divergent, and Twilight. Those are for older readers. This is the kind of writing I want my kid to be reading.

I am a fan of Sandra Dallas, and I'm glad to know she has another JF book out there. Of course there is a quilting reference in this book as well as the other adult books I've read :)

[Marika Gillis · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a lot that is good about this book: it takes place in Colorado, it exposes readers to the (perhaps lesser-known) perspective of Japanese Americans who were sent to internment camps during WWII, it is written simply and it has a clear message. For these reasons, this book might be a good choice for the Pikes Peak Battle of the Books list. I, however, found the book to be a bit contrived and sort-of preachy. There was nothing subtle about the message of patriotism that the author wanted to get across and I don't think she needed to use every character to repeat it. I wish Dallas would have trusted her readers enough to allow her characters to have more depth and her storyline to be more intricate.

(It's worth noting that there is an adult version of the same story written by the same author. I believe it is titled Tallgrass.)

*Read this a second time to help compile lessons so our 4th grade teachers could use it to teach this year. This is a great novel to use in teaching to support study of the Japanese Internment camps during WWII. Students who might normally struggle with novel studies might find this book to be clear and straightforward. There is not a lot (any!) inferring or reading between the lines required by this one!

[Mary Louise Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old and All-American, Tomi Itano,a second generation Japanese American lives on a strawberry farm with her family in California until Pearl Harbor. Then Pop is suspected of being a Japanese spy and is sent away, while Tomi, her mother, and brothers are sent to Tallgrass internment camp in Colorado.

Tomi's older brother thrives as he continues to play jazz music with his band in the camp and Tomi's mother changes from being a shy Japanese housewife to an outspoken American which causes conficts when Pop gets reunited with his family in the camp. Tomi has conflicting viewpoints about the camp and who she is until her essay, "Why I Am An American" wins Colorado honors.

I enjoyed the Colorado setting and knew the author used her research when she included information about Colorado's Governor Carr during WWII.

[Mississippi Library Commission · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sandra Dallas tackles the relocation of Japanese and Japanese-Americans to internment camps during World War II in this wonderful Magnolia Award nominee for 6th to 8th graders. A tight knit family is torn apart at the beginning of the war: the father is sent to a special prison camp for interrogation; the rest of the family ends up in Colorado. (If you've never been to the eastern half of New Mexico or Colorado, note that it can be incredibly dusty and windy--huge gloom factors until you become accustomed to it.) The family's struggles to adapt and yet remain true to themselves and their heritage is completely engrossing. We loved the examination of what it means to be an American, as important a topic now as it was nearly 75 years ago.

[Kiera LeBlanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time is as good as the first.
I loved this book so much when I was younger and reading it again reminds me why: I love how positive Tomi and her family were about the whole situation and he author brought light to this serious topic.

[Candace Simar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful YA book about the Japanese internment camps during WW2. This book is exquisitely written and a delight.

[Tatiana Lira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, truly enjoyed this book. I first read it back in elementary school, when my father was passionate about getting me to read historical fiction novels. Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky shows us the perspective of one of the hundreds of thousands of Japanese-American families forced into internment camps after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor during World War II. I remember being really captivated by the main character, Tomi Itano, and now, after re-reading it, I realize why. She is a loving, caring young girl who isn't afraid to embrace her racial identity at a time where the country blames all those like her for something they had no part in. So what I cherish most about this novel is how 3-dimensional each character is. In most American novels about people of color, the supporting roles most often portray some sort of stereotype and hardly undergo a personal change as the storyline progresses. Tomi Itano's family is totally different, and that results in the beautiful achievement of a balance between loving your ethnicity and loving your country. The bombing of Pearl Harbor has rarely been described from the perspective of those made to stay within internment camps, so I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to truly learn more about the event from all points of view.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A historical fiction about an American Japanese family being sent to a relocation camp after the attacks on Pearl Harbor. While we learn a lot about World War II in history, the relocation camps and what that entailed for these families in America was something I knew nothing about. I appreciated the author enlightening the readers. This was an easy read with a sweet story line. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Sara Peterson Johns · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 10 year old daughter recommended this book to me and I loved it. I never knew that the Japanese were sent to internment camps during WWII. I look forward to reading the adult book about this same camp, Tallgrass.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky from the library and read it this evening. If you get a chance read it. It's a fictional account of a Japanese family forced into an internment camp during WWII. Mostly, it's a story about family, love of country and hope. I really enjoyed it.

[Nic · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a disappointing read. It is painfully shallow and underestimates its young readers in the worst way.

[Grace Millard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. I can tell that a lot of thought, effort, and love went into this.

[Lindsay Washington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky was a great developing story with the main character and the family as a unit. It was an easy read. I am not usually a fan of historic but it was a great read.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

American bornTomi Itano, 12, her younger brother Hiro and older brother Roy, 17, have been raised by their Japanese-born parents to love the United States and to be the best Americans they can be. Every morning, the family solemnly raises the American flag to fly over their rented strawberry farm in California. The Itanos, Osamu called Sam and his wife Sumiko, had made a pretty good life for their family.

But in January 1942, shortly after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, it all changed. Suddenly signs reading "No Japs" appeared in store windows, Tomi was no longer welcomed in her Girl Scout troop, and worse than anything, Pop was arrested as a spy by the FBI.

Then came the notice that the family had two weeks to get ready to go to a "relocation camp" taking only what they could carry in suitcases. Everything they owned was sold for a few dollars each, prized momentos from Japan were burned and the family found themselves living in a smelly horse stall at the Santa Anita Racetrack for the first months of internment, eventually being transfered to Colorado and a camp called Tallgrass.

Throughout their ordeal, Mom, Tomi, Hiro and Roy keep their spirits up, trying to make the most of the situation they are in, even though they hear very little from Pop, and really have no idea what is going on with him. Tomi meets a girl at Tallgrass named Ruth and the two girls become best friends. Roy, who had a band called the Jivin Five in California, decides to form a jazz band at Tallgrass, playing at Saturday night dances. Mom, who had always been a perfect Japanese wife, doing only what her husband said she could do, suddenly blossomed, teaching a quilting class and making her own decisions. Hiro and his new best friend Wilson start playing on the camp's baseball team. All the Itanos seem to have adjusted, believing that living in the internment camp is only a temporary situation and they will eventually be able to return to their old life once the war ends.

But when Pop shows up at the door unexpectedly, everything changes. He looks almost unrecognizable - gray haired, stooped and walking with a cane. And he is angry and bitter at what has happened to him, and has turned on his adopted country. Suddenly, happy, optimistic Tomi begins to behave with the same bitterness and anger towards the country she had always loved. Tomi has become so inflamed, even Ruth doesn't want to hang around with her anymore.

So, when when a newpaper runs a essay contest, Tomi's teacher wants her class to participate, answering the question Why I am an American, Tomi is faced with quite a dilemma - how should she honestly write the essay.

Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky is the middle grade version of Sandra Dallas's adult novel Tallgrass, which I have not read. I've read a lot of books about Japanese internment, and while I do believe it is a shameful period of American history, I can't say I was terribly inspired by this particular book.

Factually, this was a good novel, although a bit too didactic at times. It is meant for young readers who may not know much about how the Japanese were treated in this country during WWII, and I realize that inserting factual information is a tricky business. Still, that could have gone more smoothly, or put into notes at the end of the novel.

But I found Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky forced and emotionally cold. I never really formed a clear picture of Tomi, Roy or Hiro, though I felt their mom was a better drawn character, and it wasn't until Pop arrived at Tallgrass that there was any real feeling. I kept wondering how and why the Itano family didn't get angry, bitter, depressed at having their lives disrupted, when everything they worked for was lost, and people who were friends suddenly turning on them, at least for a while. That's a lot of emotional stuff to handle for anyone, but they just easily assimilated throughout their whole ordeal.

In the end, Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky is an OK novel at will give readers some insight to what life was life in the internment camps. I am, however, now curious to read Tallgrass and see what that novel has to offer.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

This review was originally posted on The Children's War

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 or 3.5. I can’t decide.

[Nevaeh Lavoie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. One of my favorite parts was when she went to the relocation camp called Tall Grass. I loved the emotion this story gave, it made me feel very bad for what happened the to Japanese during Pearl Harbor. I learned that sometimes in life people don't think before they say/do. This goes with how, when Tomi and Ruth were going to one of the stores to sell tickets, it had a sign saying NO JAPS. That made me feel more emotion because just because they were Japanese doesn't mean they did anything. This story was very heartbreaking, and sad, but towards the end it made me feel good. I really felt there should be a part two to this book, because it left me thinking with loads more questions. This also made me think of what Tomi would do next when she got to California. I really hated how badly treated they were. This makes me think of the theme people don't think before they say. Because it badly hurt Tomi, and the rest of her family.

[Claire · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this book just did not do it for me. Not a fan of the writing. At all.

So much telling instead of showing. Everything was spelled out. And instead of just crafting a good story and letting the story speak for itself, the author interrupted the flow with historical explanations. The dialogue was stilted and unrealistic. The overuse of "grinned" and "shrugged" and "frowned" and "took his/her hand" and "thought that over" grated on me. And sadly, none of the characters were ever truly developed in a sympathetic, realistic way. I think the dialogue and the infodumps played a large part in the lack of character development for me--I couldn't ever feel connected, because the writing distanced me from the characters' true selves.

The treatment of the issues seemed simplistic as well. I'm not sure if the author based the characters' thought processes on how actual Japanese-Americans felt at the time, or if she made up how she thought they should have responded.

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does the United States treat all citizens equally? Is it possible that because of your race you could be asked to leave your home? Due to Pearl Harbor this is how the Japanese were treated during World War II.
Tomi is a second generation Japanese girl living in California at the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Shortly after this event, she and her family are separated. Her father is accused of being a Japanese spy and is taken away to prison. She, her mother and siblings are sent from their home in California to a relocation camp in Colorado. Tomi's mother makes the best of a bad situation while in Colorado. Can Tomi remain optimitic and upbeat in her new environment? Will the family ever see their Dad again?
If you like books that cause you to tear up or cry, you will enjoy this poignant, touching and hopeful story.

[Emily Cooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can definitely tell that the author generally writes for adults and was trying to dumb this down to a kid's level. She went a little too far for me. I read a lot of middle grade fiction, and kids can comprehend more than she gives them credit for here. If you're looking for an introductory book into WWII and American fear of the Japanese, this would be a good jumping off point, but I would probably look for others as well. The main character does have to deal with lots of emotions that are created by fear, hate and prejudice not just in herself, but also her family members and fellow Japanese at the work camps. This was a tragic period in American history, and I pray that we would never repeat such acts toward our fellow men.

[Thaynes4 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a very good book because it showed how a Japanese family felt during the time that the US declared war on Japan. The book Red Berries, White Clouds Blue Sky both tell the story of the Japanese who were interred in "relocation camps" during World War II. Tomi is an American citizen. She is Japanese American. She is allowed to have an American citizenship because she was born in the US but her parents aren't because they were born in Japan. Twelve-year-old Tomi Itano is proud to be an American, but that pride is severely challenged when all Japanese come under suspicion of spying after Pearl Harbor.

[Relyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever read a middle grade children's book that made you cry three or four times? Yeah, me either. Till now. Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky was a tiny miracle; a perfect book at the perfect moment. In a time when so many educators are concerned about teaching our children to love America and be proud of our country; to accept and learn from our history - the good and the bad - here comes a book that does just that. Sandra Dallas, as always, never flinches away from the hard parts of American history and human nature. Somehow, though, her compassionate story telling and deeply real characters always leave me proud of who I am and where I'm from. What a writer!

[Beth E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sandra Dallas created a sensitive portrait of what life was like for the Japanese interred in America in WWII, told through the eyes of a Japanese- American girl. This book was sensitively and carefully written.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to my aunt who sent this selection for read-aloud! My 4th graders loved it -- it gave them history (about the Japanese internment/relocation camps during WWII) that they hadn't had previously, as well as being an engrossing character story.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book really shed light on what happened to Japanese American families during WWII. As a classroom teacher I think reading and discussing books like this are so important.