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The Bracelet
In 1942 America, seven-year-old Emi and her Japanese-American family are forced to leave their home, a situation that becomes even more devastating when she loses a precious gold bracelet, a gift from her best friend.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
31 people are currently reading
801 people want to read
About the author
Yoshiko Uchida
51 books96 followersYoshiko, born on November 24, 1921, was the second daughter of Japanese immigrant parents Takashi and Iku. Her father worked as a businessman for Mitsui and Company in San Francisco, and Iku wrote poetry, passing along her love of literature to her girls. Though the Great Depression raged, the Uchida family enjoyed comforts because of Takashi's well-paying job and their own frugality. Yoshiko loved to write, and her stories played out on pieces of brown wrapping paper. She also kept a journal to record her thoughts and events.
Enveloped in love and tradition at home, Yoshiko weathered the prejudice she sometimes faced. Many white students at University High School in Oakland didn't invite her to their parties and wouldn't socialize with her, deeming her a foreigner. Even while attending the University of California at Berkley, Yoshiko often faced the same dilemma of being ostracized. She found friendships with other Japanese American students and was preparing to graduate when Pearl Harbor was bombed, changing her life.
The United States government rounded up 120,000 people of Japanese descent and put them into camps. The Uchida family first resided in a horse stall at a racetrack in California, surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. Though difficult to endure, the next move was worse. Almost 8,000 Japanese were sent to a relocation concentration camp called Topaz in the Utah desert. The detainees suffered from violent dust storms, scorpions, snakes, and exceedingly poor living conditions. Yoshiko taught second grade children there until she received a fellowship from Smith College to earn a master's degree in education.
Yoshiko and her sister both left the camp in May of 1943, with their parents gaining release later that year. Teaching for several years in a Quaker school outside of Philadelphia, Yoshiko decided to quit teaching and find work that allowed more time for writing. She moved to New York City and began as a secretary, penning stories in the evenings. Asked to contribute to a book about Japanese folk tales, Yoshiko discovered that though the book didn't come to be, with time she could create a full collection of folk tales. Writing a few pieces for adults, Yoshiko realized she was better suited for children's books.
A Ford Foundation fellowship sent her to Japan to research the culture and their stories. Spending two years, Yoshiko found her time to be healing as she learned about her own ancestry. The pain of the concentration camps lessened, and she began writing about the experiences in fictional books such as Journey to Topaz and Journey Home. Her career as an author soared as people regarded her as a pioneer in Japanese American children's literature. The author of almost forty works, including Japanese folk tales and stories of Japanese American children making their way in the world, Yoshiko traveled extensively, lectured, and wrote. After suffering from a stroke, Yoshiko passed away on June 25, 1992, in Berkeley, California.
Enveloped in love and tradition at home, Yoshiko weathered the prejudice she sometimes faced. Many white students at University High School in Oakland didn't invite her to their parties and wouldn't socialize with her, deeming her a foreigner. Even while attending the University of California at Berkley, Yoshiko often faced the same dilemma of being ostracized. She found friendships with other Japanese American students and was preparing to graduate when Pearl Harbor was bombed, changing her life.
The United States government rounded up 120,000 people of Japanese descent and put them into camps. The Uchida family first resided in a horse stall at a racetrack in California, surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. Though difficult to endure, the next move was worse. Almost 8,000 Japanese were sent to a relocation concentration camp called Topaz in the Utah desert. The detainees suffered from violent dust storms, scorpions, snakes, and exceedingly poor living conditions. Yoshiko taught second grade children there until she received a fellowship from Smith College to earn a master's degree in education.
Yoshiko and her sister both left the camp in May of 1943, with their parents gaining release later that year. Teaching for several years in a Quaker school outside of Philadelphia, Yoshiko decided to quit teaching and find work that allowed more time for writing. She moved to New York City and began as a secretary, penning stories in the evenings. Asked to contribute to a book about Japanese folk tales, Yoshiko discovered that though the book didn't come to be, with time she could create a full collection of folk tales. Writing a few pieces for adults, Yoshiko realized she was better suited for children's books.
A Ford Foundation fellowship sent her to Japan to research the culture and their stories. Spending two years, Yoshiko found her time to be healing as she learned about her own ancestry. The pain of the concentration camps lessened, and she began writing about the experiences in fictional books such as Journey to Topaz and Journey Home. Her career as an author soared as people regarded her as a pioneer in Japanese American children's literature. The author of almost forty works, including Japanese folk tales and stories of Japanese American children making their way in the world, Yoshiko traveled extensively, lectured, and wrote. After suffering from a stroke, Yoshiko passed away on June 25, 1992, in Berkeley, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
January 2, 2017
Emi, a young Japanese girl in second grade, receives a gold bracelet from her friend just before she, her mother, and her sister leave their home for an internment camp. War is raging across the sea, and because Japanese-Americans look like the enemy, they are the enemy. Emi's father has already been removed to a P.O.W. camp in Montana because he worked for a Japanese company. When Emi loses the bracelet, she discovers that it is not necessary to have objects to remember important people and places; they live in one's mind.
The Bracelet is a simple text that introduces young students to the internment of Japanese-Americans that occurred during World War II. It is informative and accessible (and includes a helpful author's note), but it lacks significant incident. I prefer Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, which is for slightly older children. Still, this is a lovely book. The author's description of the empty rooms, stripped of all personal belongings and furniture (where did all these items go?) will certainly remind readers of homes the have loved and left, and the sensory details the author provides about the "barracks" Emi and her family are forced to live in--actually barely refurbished horse stalls, with the lingering odor of the animals, as well as bugs, and dust--go a long way to underscore all that has been lost.
The Bracelet is a simple text that introduces young students to the internment of Japanese-Americans that occurred during World War II. It is informative and accessible (and includes a helpful author's note), but it lacks significant incident. I prefer Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, which is for slightly older children. Still, this is a lovely book. The author's description of the empty rooms, stripped of all personal belongings and furniture (where did all these items go?) will certainly remind readers of homes the have loved and left, and the sensory details the author provides about the "barracks" Emi and her family are forced to live in--actually barely refurbished horse stalls, with the lingering odor of the animals, as well as bugs, and dust--go a long way to underscore all that has been lost.
November 21, 2011
Summary: The historical fiction book "The Bracelet" is about a seven year old girl named Emi in the year 1942 who is being sent from her home in Berkeley, California to an internment camp with her mother and older sister. Her father was arrested earlier and sent to a different camp in Montana. She was crammed together into stables at a race track with other Japanese-American families and was living under horrible and rough conditions. Emi realizes that she has lost the bracelet that her best friend Laurie Madison gave her as a goodbye gift. At first she was so upset but she soon realizes that she does not need the bracelet after all as she will always carry Laurie in her heart and mind.
Age Ranges: This book is for the primary age ranges. Any child in the second grade or older will be able to understand this book fully and will really learn a lot.
Artistic Elements: There are a bunch of beautiful watercolor illustrations in this book that portray the meaning of this story very well. They are very detailed and every illustration goes exactly along with what is in the text. The text in this story is fairly big so the young readers won't have a hard time reading it and the words are not very hard to understand.
Recommendation: I would recommend this book to everyone. It is a great way to introduce to your children about how people were treated back in those times and how people were discriminated against due to their race, culture, gender and more. It really is a powerful message to the children that they can carry with them throughout their whole life.
Age Ranges: This book is for the primary age ranges. Any child in the second grade or older will be able to understand this book fully and will really learn a lot.
Artistic Elements: There are a bunch of beautiful watercolor illustrations in this book that portray the meaning of this story very well. They are very detailed and every illustration goes exactly along with what is in the text. The text in this story is fairly big so the young readers won't have a hard time reading it and the words are not very hard to understand.
Recommendation: I would recommend this book to everyone. It is a great way to introduce to your children about how people were treated back in those times and how people were discriminated against due to their race, culture, gender and more. It really is a powerful message to the children that they can carry with them throughout their whole life.
July 22, 2019
Beautiful but does have a very abrupt ending.
January 7, 2024
Those are things we can carry in our hearts and take with us no matter where we are sent.
❤️❤️
چیز های هستند که میتونیم در قلبمون نگهداریم و هرکجا که دلمون خواست با خودمون ببریم.
❤️❤️
چیز های هستند که میتونیم در قلبمون نگهداریم و هرکجا که دلمون خواست با خودمون ببریم.
August 5, 2025
"The Bracelet" tells the story of a young Japanese American girl (2nd grade) named Emi who is forced to leave her home with her family during World War II. After she loses the bracelet her best friend gave her, Emi realizes she can remember Laurie in her heart. The story focuses on the importance of family, the impact of prejudice, and the significance of personal belongings as reminders of home and heritage.
A teaching idea (CCSS RL.6.9) would be for students to read “The Bracelet” and view the video found at Japanese Internment Camp Survivors Speak Out, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXO7y.... How are the pictures related to the text? Compare the pictures from the book to the pictures of the camp in the video of the camps. How are they similar/different? What is emphasized in the story? What is emphasized in the video? Analyze what each author is trying to convey through his/her representation of the camp. This assignment focuses on compare and contrast and encourages students to consider the impact of prejudice and the importance of empathy and understanding by comparing the story and video. Further comparison should be made with the story/video and their own life.
A teaching idea (CCSS RL.6.9) would be for students to read “The Bracelet” and view the video found at Japanese Internment Camp Survivors Speak Out, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXO7y.... How are the pictures related to the text? Compare the pictures from the book to the pictures of the camp in the video of the camps. How are they similar/different? What is emphasized in the story? What is emphasized in the video? Analyze what each author is trying to convey through his/her representation of the camp. This assignment focuses on compare and contrast and encourages students to consider the impact of prejudice and the importance of empathy and understanding by comparing the story and video. Further comparison should be made with the story/video and their own life.
March 30, 2019
I enjoyed this book! I thought it was simple enough to be understood by young readers but still carried an important message about the camps the United States forced the Japanese into.
October 9, 2025
A poignant story about a Japanese American girl who was rounded up with her family in California after America went to war with Japan. Sensitively telling the story of what was unjustly done to over 120,000 people sent to these interment camps. Inhumanely this story shared that the family was given a horse stall in a barn for their apartment.
April 11, 2017
A good introduction to the subject of Japanese American internment camps.
July 28, 2021
The illustrations are beautiful.
December 31, 2022
A bittersweet story full of emotion. Lovely illustrations. Would be really good for readers age 9-12, as there is a lot of text.
Read
January 19, 2011 The Bracelet tells about the sadness a young girl named Emi feels when she learns her family is being sent to a prison camp for Japanese-Americans. Emi's friend Laurie brings her a going away present. It is a gold bracelet with a heart charm. She loves it instantly and vows to never take it off. Emi's family arrives at the camp and is assigned to a filthy barrack that used to be a horse stable. Emi later realizes she has lost her bracelet. She felt it was the only way to remember her friend Laurie. Later, as she unpacks her clothes she remembers how Laurie and she had both worn their red sweaters the first day of school. She realizes she doesn't need the bracelet to remember Laurie.
Social Studies Relevance: This book fits well into a unit that deals with World War II. It also would work nicely when discussing past experiences and learning from them to improve the present. It could be used to develop listening, speaking, reading, writing, citizenship and character skills.
Relationship to Social Studies State Core:
* Write a conclusion about an historical event in order to formulate and idea for present and future events.
* Create individually or in a group, one or more of the following: newspapers, posters, poetry, bumper stickers, interviews, surveys, bulletin boards, stories, letter writing, diaries, dialogues, or songs.
* Outline the major historical events, wars, and documents that played a significant role in the United States history from 1492 to the present.
* Evaluate with class members right and wrong actions, according to universal standards, as being morally acceptable or unacceptable.
Social Studies Relevance: This book fits well into a unit that deals with World War II. It also would work nicely when discussing past experiences and learning from them to improve the present. It could be used to develop listening, speaking, reading, writing, citizenship and character skills.
Relationship to Social Studies State Core:
* Write a conclusion about an historical event in order to formulate and idea for present and future events.
* Create individually or in a group, one or more of the following: newspapers, posters, poetry, bumper stickers, interviews, surveys, bulletin boards, stories, letter writing, diaries, dialogues, or songs.
* Outline the major historical events, wars, and documents that played a significant role in the United States history from 1492 to the present.
* Evaluate with class members right and wrong actions, according to universal standards, as being morally acceptable or unacceptable.
March 8, 2012
When I read this book I was more interested in the actual story then the elements that the author utilized. I believe this book is an amazing example of how important people can be in our lives, and to always appreciate what you have. Also, the main character, Emi, loses her new bracelet that her friend gave her allows the reader to obtain sympathy towards Emi. I did a little bit of independent research and found out that the author Yoshiko Uchida was also in an interment camp, indicating her knowledge of the subject. I love when authors use a little of their past to enhance their writings. This book is a wonderful book to use when your students are learning about the Japanese interment camps and the Asian exclusion acts.
July 20, 2017
Not quite what I was expecting it to be.
I thought it was going to be a story of the Japanese internment camps but instead I got a story of how friendship doesn't need physical proof to be true.
It's felt like the book was just beginning to dip itself into the pool but then suddenly jerked out stating that it was done leaving the reader feeling just lost at the abrupt end.
I also didn't really like the art style
I thought it was going to be a story of the Japanese internment camps but instead I got a story of how friendship doesn't need physical proof to be true.
It's felt like the book was just beginning to dip itself into the pool but then suddenly jerked out stating that it was done leaving the reader feeling just lost at the abrupt end.
I also didn't really like the art style
June 13, 2011
Perhaps because my older daughter is the age of the main character, this story was moving to me. It seems like it would be a good introduction to the story of the internment camps, and at least provided me an opportunity to talk with my daughter about what happened to our family.
July 24, 2016
Genre: Juvenile fiction, picture book, historical fiction
Format: Print
Plot: Emi, a Japanese-American child living in Berkeley, is sent to internment camps during WWII.
Readers advisory:
Review citation: SLJ 1993
Source: Best Books for Children
Recommended age: 6-10
Format: Print
Plot: Emi, a Japanese-American child living in Berkeley, is sent to internment camps during WWII.
Readers advisory:
Review citation: SLJ 1993
Source: Best Books for Children
Recommended age: 6-10
September 6, 2018
The Bracelet written by Yoshiko Uchida and illustrated by Joanna Yardley is a very sensitively written book about the Japanese-American interment camps. During W.W. ll specifically 1942 America and the Japanese were at war. In the Western United States Japanese and American-Japanese citizens were taken from their homes and sent to live in internment camps. The story opens with a little girl named Emi getting ready to be picked up and taken to one of the prison camps. She knows she is going to miss her home and friends, one friend in particular named Laurie Madison. Laurie came to say good-bye and brought with her a gift of a bracelet for Emi to take to camp with her. Emi tells Laurie she will never take it off and always remember Laurie because of it.
At the camp the bracelet is lost and EMi is heartbroken. She realizes as she unpacks her things she is reminded of things that her and Laurie did and discovers she carries Laurie in her heart, mind and memories and doesn't need the bracelet as a way to remember Laurie. I loved the illustrations in this book. The illustrations make it feel like there are real people on the pages of the book. The colors are happy with a touch of sadness reflecting the sadness that was going on in the book.
I would never have read this book if it had not been on the list and I am glad I did. It reminded me of one of the events in U.S. history that is definitely not a shining moment in U.S. history. The author explains in a very good way a sad event.
At the camp the bracelet is lost and EMi is heartbroken. She realizes as she unpacks her things she is reminded of things that her and Laurie did and discovers she carries Laurie in her heart, mind and memories and doesn't need the bracelet as a way to remember Laurie. I loved the illustrations in this book. The illustrations make it feel like there are real people on the pages of the book. The colors are happy with a touch of sadness reflecting the sadness that was going on in the book.
I would never have read this book if it had not been on the list and I am glad I did. It reminded me of one of the events in U.S. history that is definitely not a shining moment in U.S. history. The author explains in a very good way a sad event.
September 30, 2021
This book introduces Japanese internment to early elementary readers. It has more words than most picture books and the story, obviously, covers a tough subject. The author actually lived it and drew on her memories for many of her children's books. This one is basic. It explains WHAT happened and WHY but delves more into the feelings of the main character, Emi, and her fears of forgetting her best friend and her life before. She learns a valuable lesson about memory.
I liked the story very much. It's a tough subject but absolutely one that should be taught at a much younger age than most kids learn about it, if they learn about it at all. Obviously it's a little scary but it's told from 9-year-old Emi's point-of-view. It's boiled down more to her thoughts and feelings: why? Horrible! Will my best friend remember me? Will we be able to return home again? Adult readers will pick up on how strong and admirable Emi's mother is. This book feels very age appropriate and a good starting place LONG before the required high school read of Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment
The illustrations were done from life, from carefully chosen children from a Japanese-American school. They didn't really wow me but they're not awful
I liked the story very much. It's a tough subject but absolutely one that should be taught at a much younger age than most kids learn about it, if they learn about it at all. Obviously it's a little scary but it's told from 9-year-old Emi's point-of-view. It's boiled down more to her thoughts and feelings: why? Horrible! Will my best friend remember me? Will we be able to return home again? Adult readers will pick up on how strong and admirable Emi's mother is. This book feels very age appropriate and a good starting place LONG before the required high school read of Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment
The illustrations were done from life, from carefully chosen children from a Japanese-American school. They didn't really wow me but they're not awful
November 27, 2019
Summary: In 1942, Japanese-Americans had to move into internment camps. Although it is difficult for a girl named Emi to understand, her, her sister, and mother must leave. While Emi is feeling sad about what has happened, her mother helps her to learn a valuable lesson.
Review: The book, "The Bracelet" is an excellent way to help children learn about a not so pleasant time in American history. The illustrations in this book were so detailed and captured how Emi is feeling. I didn't find the ending of this book to be happy, but it helps you to realize what's important.
Pair: I would pair the book, "The Bracelet," with the book, "Baseball Saved Us," by Ken Mochizuki. The book, "Baseball Saved Us," is also about the Japanese-American internment camps. I like that this book goes into life after the internment camps, which "The Bracelet" does not. I think this would help children to understand how being in the internment camps impacted Japanese-Americans' lives. Children would also benefit from a discussion of the message behind both of these books.
Quote: When Emi is sad about losing the gift her friend gave to her, her mother tells her, "Those are things we carry in our hearts and take with us no matter where we are sent." I think this quote is beneficial for children to understand. Whether we are in a happy situation or a sad situation, it is the love we have that is the most important!
Review: The book, "The Bracelet" is an excellent way to help children learn about a not so pleasant time in American history. The illustrations in this book were so detailed and captured how Emi is feeling. I didn't find the ending of this book to be happy, but it helps you to realize what's important.
Pair: I would pair the book, "The Bracelet," with the book, "Baseball Saved Us," by Ken Mochizuki. The book, "Baseball Saved Us," is also about the Japanese-American internment camps. I like that this book goes into life after the internment camps, which "The Bracelet" does not. I think this would help children to understand how being in the internment camps impacted Japanese-Americans' lives. Children would also benefit from a discussion of the message behind both of these books.
Quote: When Emi is sad about losing the gift her friend gave to her, her mother tells her, "Those are things we carry in our hearts and take with us no matter where we are sent." I think this quote is beneficial for children to understand. Whether we are in a happy situation or a sad situation, it is the love we have that is the most important!
May 12, 2022
The Bracelet by Joshiko Uchida Illustrator Joanna Yardley, Hindi Language Translation by Arvind Gupta Children’s Illustrated Colour Picture Book- The book narrates the story related to Second World War about Japanese American citizens. 7-year-old, Emi, her sister and mother reside in Berkeley, California. In the year -1942 all Japanese- American families are sent to internment camp. Her father was arrested earlier and sent to a different camp in Montana. Each family is allotted a space for settlement. This is part of a race track used as a stable. All Japanese-American families are living here under rough conditions. Emi realizes that she has lost the bracelet that her best friend Laurie Madison gave her as a goodbye gift. At first, she was so upset but she soon realizes that she does not need the bracelet after all as she will always carry Laurie in her heart and mind. It is a great way to introduce to your children about how people were treated back in those times and how people were discriminated against due to their race, culture, gender and more. It really is a powerful message to the children that they can carry with them throughout their whole life. Coloured illustrations help the reader to relate to the story. I have read the Hindi Language translation of this book.
June 18, 2022
Emi, a young Japanese-American girl, is being sent away to one of the Japanese internment camps set up in America during World War II. She wonders if she will remember her hoe or her friends. On the morning the family is supposed to leave, Emi's friend stops by and gives her a bracelet to remember her by. She promises she will always keep it. The rest of the story details Emi and her family's trip to the interment camp. It describes their living space and how miserable Emi and her sister are. Emi loses her bracelet and is distraught. They look everywhere for it, but it does turn up. Later, she goes to un pack some of her things and pulls out a sweater. She is flooded with memories at home. The story end with her realizing she will always have her memories, even if her things are gone.
This book broke my heart. I'm an easy crier, don't get me wrong, but the way this book ends is so sudden. I also know that an abrupt end like that will invite difficult questions from my students. Explaining to kids the atrocities committed on United States soil is so difficult to figure out. However, I know our kids can handle these kinds of stories. We can take stories like these and help children learn how to be better. I'm excited for this conversation starter to be a part of my library.
This book broke my heart. I'm an easy crier, don't get me wrong, but the way this book ends is so sudden. I also know that an abrupt end like that will invite difficult questions from my students. Explaining to kids the atrocities committed on United States soil is so difficult to figure out. However, I know our kids can handle these kinds of stories. We can take stories like these and help children learn how to be better. I'm excited for this conversation starter to be a part of my library.
January 27, 2025
This book is about a Japanese-American girl named Emi. She and her family are being forced to go to an internment camp because the United States and Japan are in a war. She felt like America didn’t love or trust her family or other Japanese Americans. While Emi and her family were packing, Emi’s best friend from her second grade class stopped by to deliver a present. She brought her a bracelet to bring to camp. This book showcases Emi’s experience with being taken to the camp and how she had her bracelet to bring her small pieces of comfort.
A teaching point for my first graders would be to learn more about internment camps. I know that none of my students are aware that this has occurred so I think this could be a good introduction. I think to extend this, we could think about one item that brings us comfort in times of discomfort and things that we can always carry in our hearts that give us comfort, similar to Emi. We can then also turn it into a social-emotional lesson where we can talk about times of discomfort and how we handled those situations.
A teaching point for my first graders would be to learn more about internment camps. I know that none of my students are aware that this has occurred so I think this could be a good introduction. I think to extend this, we could think about one item that brings us comfort in times of discomfort and things that we can always carry in our hearts that give us comfort, similar to Emi. We can then also turn it into a social-emotional lesson where we can talk about times of discomfort and how we handled those situations.
July 23, 2024
The author draws on her own childhood as a Japanese-American during World War II living in an internment camp. She tells the story of a young girl’s discovery of the power of memory. Emi's friend Laurie brings her a going away present. It is a gold bracelet with a heart charm. She loves it instantly and vows to never take it off. On the first day of camp, Emi discovers she has lost her heart bracelet, she can’t help but worry, “How will I ever remember my best friend?”.
This book would be a good addition to a unit on World War II. Students research more about internment camps. The author herself was in an interment camp, indicating her knowledge of the subject. I love when authors use a little of their past to enhance their writing. This book is a wonderful book to use when your students are learning about the Japanese interment camps and the Asian exclusion acts.
1 like
This book would be a good addition to a unit on World War II. Students research more about internment camps. The author herself was in an interment camp, indicating her knowledge of the subject. I love when authors use a little of their past to enhance their writing. This book is a wonderful book to use when your students are learning about the Japanese interment camps and the Asian exclusion acts.
1 like
November 6, 2019
Genre: Free Choice-Historical Fiction
Awards: None
Audience: 2nd grade and up
A.The book is set in 1942 in Berkeley, California. This story happens in the midst of America's was with Japan. The United States government imprisoned 120,000 West Coast Japanese-Americans.
B. This story is told from the perspective of Emi the young girl being taken away from her home. The perspective on this story show the first hand emotions that the characters were experiencing. This makes it a window book into what it felt like to be in that time period.
C. Do you know another time where there was prejudice based on what was happening in the world?
Answer: Civil Rights movement, Anti German sentiment during World War 1
Awards: None
Audience: 2nd grade and up
A.The book is set in 1942 in Berkeley, California. This story happens in the midst of America's was with Japan. The United States government imprisoned 120,000 West Coast Japanese-Americans.
B. This story is told from the perspective of Emi the young girl being taken away from her home. The perspective on this story show the first hand emotions that the characters were experiencing. This makes it a window book into what it felt like to be in that time period.
C. Do you know another time where there was prejudice based on what was happening in the world?
Answer: Civil Rights movement, Anti German sentiment during World War 1
May 7, 2017
A child's look at Japanese internment during WWII in the US through the eyes of a young girl Emi. Emi's concern is that she will not be able to remember her friend because she has lost the bracelet her friend gave her.
I applaud this title for stating that the family was first placed in a horse stall at the fairgrounds for their lodging.
I am confused about the use of the term "prison camp" when most of the time I read of "internment camp". I need to check what term was being used at the time of this ongoing happening.
Interestingly the Library of Congress just this week (May 2017) published online newspapers that were published in the internment camps.
I applaud this title for stating that the family was first placed in a horse stall at the fairgrounds for their lodging.
I am confused about the use of the term "prison camp" when most of the time I read of "internment camp". I need to check what term was being used at the time of this ongoing happening.
Interestingly the Library of Congress just this week (May 2017) published online newspapers that were published in the internment camps.
April 17, 2022
The Bracelet is a story about a young Japanese girl, Emi, she and her family were sent to an internment camp during World War II. She along with other Japanese-Americans were living in horrible conditions. The story gets its name from a bracelet Emi received as a goodbye gift from her best friend Laurie. Emi ends up losing the bracelet but soon realizes the bracelet doesn’t carry the love and significance of her best friend, but her heart and mind does. This story is a great introduction to how Japanese people were treated during World War II and following, but it is shallow enough that children in second grade and older would be able to understand the elements.
December 12, 2016
This book is about an incredibly important topic--the imprisonment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. But I was disappointed in the poor quality of the writing. Instead of allowing the reader to be swept up in the characters' experience by subtly weaving in historical details, the author interrupted the narrative flow by lobbing bits of information at the reader along the way. In addition, the narrative wasn't fully developed and the resolution felt trite.
For a well-written, poignant picture book on this topic, check out So Far From the Sea, by Eve Bunting.
For a well-written, poignant picture book on this topic, check out So Far From the Sea, by Eve Bunting.
February 4, 2020
I feel that the story was quite good and that the illustrations were beautiful, but I felt that the story came to a quick end and left the reader with a sense as if the story isn't actually over. However I do feel that the teachings within the book are worth mentioning. The story teaches that you do not need material items to be able to remember someone by, but more importantly, that you can't stereotype people and you shouldn't discriminate or assume the worst in people. The book does a great job calling attention to a controversial topic such as judging people based on their race.
April 13, 2020
When the United States entered World War II, Emi, a young Japanese American girl, is sent to an internment camp with her father. With her, she carries a bracelet from her best friend, Laurie, as a sign of their friendship. This is a touching story that shows that when things are gone, our memories remain, and the friendships we have formed will still remain in our hearts. The only thing that I would say about this book was that it left me wondering and wanting to learn how it all worked out for Emi and her dad, and if she ever got to see her best friend again.
February 17, 2019
The story is about a Japanese American girl, Emi, whose family were forced to leave home and live in West Coast internment camps during World War II. The title of the book, the bracelet, comes from the gift sent by Emi's neighbor and her best friend Laurie, which represents the deep friendship and passing happiness of Emi. I do appreciate the book that unveil a cruel history, showing the unfair treatment, race prejudice and war hysteria endured by Japanese American during the World War II.
February 2, 2022
The girl in this book has to leave her best friend. Her mother and father left her as well. Before the girl leaves her best friend she is given a bracelet. She promises to never take it off. The is a remembering piece to help keep the ones she loves the most closer to her heart. The lesson is to never forget your closest connections. I would recommend this to fourth graders to help them understand the power of true connections.
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