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39th out of 90 books
—
138 voters
Aleutian Sparrow
In June 1942, seven months after attacking Pearl Harbor, the Japanese navy invaded Alaska's Aleutian Islands. For nine thousand years the Aleut people had lived and thrived on these treeless, windswept lands. Within days of the first attack, the entire native population living west of Unimak Island was gathered up and evacuated to relocation centers in the dense forests of...more
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
May 31st 2005
by Margaret K. McElderry Books
(first published October 1st 2003)
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Karen Hesse has created a very poignant novel.
I was pleased with the form of writing, terse vignettes bring a type of transcendence of the mundane, spotlighting the daily activities and subsequently infusing the prosaic with meaning. An example of this would be the use of descriptions of the preparation of meals.
The writing style being focused and simple fits the form perfectly. The free verse form has an interesting effect when used to describe a story of multiple years.
The author writes abou...more
I was pleased with the form of writing, terse vignettes bring a type of transcendence of the mundane, spotlighting the daily activities and subsequently infusing the prosaic with meaning. An example of this would be the use of descriptions of the preparation of meals.
The writing style being focused and simple fits the form perfectly. The free verse form has an interesting effect when used to describe a story of multiple years.
The author writes abou...more
I think this is a great book to use in conjunction with a social studies lesson about WWII. The story of the Aleutians is not one commonly addressed in education, so it is a good way to show the marginalized accounts of some groups. It also offers a great basis for comparison regarding the treatment of others and the "persecution" some experienced at the hands of governments. I would not use it without background knowledge of both the time period and the people first. I also do not...more I thin...more
Jun 17, 2008
Valerie Dominguez
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
teachers and students 6th through 8th grade
Recommended to Valerie by:
J-Lynn my Literacy II instructor
This book is a good resource to incorporate with in a unit on WWII because it presents a culture that isn't one that is usually discussed, or known about. I am not saying that time should be spent reading the entire book, but a few key poetic versus to show what the Aleutian people went through would be helpful. Also being that is is historical fiction it would allow the students to learn about this occurence in a more interesting way. With a read aloud of just a few of the poems it may spark so...more
The historical content included in this book was very eye opening and interesting. If poetry interests you this is an excellent choice that will keep you entertained as well as informed. Hesse uses short precise stanzas and vivid descriptions which come together to create an interesting, thought provoking read.
As a teacher, if I incorporate this book into my curriculum I will use it as a segway or compliment to some other lesson. Possibly with a unit on WWII to offer other perspectives on the wa...more
As a teacher, if I incorporate this book into my curriculum I will use it as a segway or compliment to some other lesson. Possibly with a unit on WWII to offer other perspectives on the wa...more
My first impression of this book was that it appeared to be an easy read. However, the writing style is too sketchy. The author’s switching from log style observation to romantic poetic style description is distracting and a serious interruption to the flow of the story. The author relinquishes any responsibility for historical accuracy by stating that it “is a work based on true events.” The author does not state which events these are, so further research would have to be done by the reader to...more
Aleutian Sparrow is a historical fiction novel that illustrates the experiences of the Aleutian people when they were removed from their homeland after it was bombed by the Japanese during World War II. The novel, which is written in free verse and is narrated by a fourteen year old girl named Vera, takes one through the upheavals, the heartache, and the perseverance of her people in a time of uncertainty and desperation. The text is filled with images that bring light to the brutal experiences...more
This historical fiction book provides another perspective about WWII and the relocation of the native Aleutians. This story is told from the perspective of a fourteen year old girl, written in free verse. Aleutian Sparrow is a quick read and the poems are well identified to tell the reader what they are about. In addition, Karen Hesse provides the reader with a map at the beginning to give the reader an idea of where the Aleutian Islands are located.
This book offers itself for many lessons, such...more
This book offers itself for many lessons, such...more
I like this book well enough and think that it would be a good addition to a WWII unit or poetry unit. It would also be a good way to introduce poetry and perspective. Children are more willing to write poetry when they find out that it doesn't always have to rhyme or be a specific length However, in a school setting some background knowledge would I need to provide lots of discussion time for students to work out the complex issues of intolerance, persecution, and feeling of sorry that book evo...more
Jun 16, 2008
Candy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
teachers
Recommended to Candy by:
J-Lynn
This is a book that offers a different perspective of a critical historical event. It allows one to see a minority group whose experience has been marginalized. it is written in poetry form, the verses are not consistent and can either leave a lot to the imagination or provide an incomplete story. I think it depends on what you are looking at using the book for and what style you like to read. If you want to give the students an opportunity to look at perspectives or poetry, excellent choice. It...more
This book was a great use of perspective. Written in all poems, which was fantastically done, it shows the point of view of the Aleutian people who were taken from their home by their government, American government.
This book would be great when learning poems, or when learning about different perspectives and teaching children to be skeptical about what is in their History books.
Will be most useful if paired with an American governement article showing the government's view of them moving the...more
This book would be great when learning poems, or when learning about different perspectives and teaching children to be skeptical about what is in their History books.
Will be most useful if paired with an American governement article showing the government's view of them moving the...more
This book is written in poetry form from the view of Vera, a young Aleut girl. It takes place during WWII when the Aleuts were relocated to camps in Alaska. This was because the Japanese invaded the Aleutian islands.It shows some of the stuggles Vera and the other people had to go through during this time. It gives another perspective on WWII, and connects to the reader on an emotional level. It also touches on other issues the Native American groups were facings at the time. I liked that it was...more
Written in poetry, this book tells the forgotten story of the forced relocation of Native Alaskan tribes during WWII. Not many Americans realize that Japanese soldiers invaded American soil, off the coast of Alaska, during WWII. For the native inhabitants of those islands, the invasion began a long ordeal of poor living conditions and discrimination.
Told through the voice of a teenage Aleut girl, the story is informative, compelling, and simultaneously heart-breaking and heart-warming.
I highly r...more
Told through the voice of a teenage Aleut girl, the story is informative, compelling, and simultaneously heart-breaking and heart-warming.
I highly r...more
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This slim volume, written in luminous free verse, tells the story of the Aleutian Evacuation during WW II.
I had never heard of this episode in the USA’s history. Shortly after the Japanese attacked Attu Island in June 1942 (an attempt to distract the US Navy away from the South Pacific), the government decided that it would be “best” for the Aleutian natives living on the islands to be evacuated “for their protection.” Nearly 900 Aleuts were removed by the US government from nine villages on si...more
I had never heard of this episode in the USA’s history. Shortly after the Japanese attacked Attu Island in June 1942 (an attempt to distract the US Navy away from the South Pacific), the government decided that it would be “best” for the Aleutian natives living on the islands to be evacuated “for their protection.” Nearly 900 Aleuts were removed by the US government from nine villages on si...more
This is the fictionalized account of the true event during World War II when the U.S. government relocated thousands of residents of the Aleutian Islands to the forests in southeast Alaska as told through the eyes of a young girl, Vera. They remained there for three years, and one in four died. This book should be included in any study of World War II as much as study is given to the relocation of Japanese, which has been given more attention. I never knew of this relocation or its effect on the...more
1 like
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like
· see review
In June of 1942, the Japanese attacked Alaska's Aleutian Islands, and occupied the westernmost two. Fearing for the lives of the Aleuts, the U.S. government evacuated the western ones. The Japanese were repelled by late summer of 1943, but the natives were not permitted to return home until the war ended 2 years later.
This is the story, beautifully told, of some of those who were uprooted. The Aleuts were fishermen who knew and loved the stark rocky islands and every fresh, cold blast of ocean...more
This is the story, beautifully told, of some of those who were uprooted. The Aleuts were fishermen who knew and loved the stark rocky islands and every fresh, cold blast of ocean...more
Jun 06, 2009
Patrick
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
young-adult
I have established that I like this style of story told through little vignettes rather than a more coherent plot. I also like historical fiction and well-done teenage angst. This book scores very highly on fascinating historical fiction that I had never heard of and thus garners three stars. The actual writing and characters were easily my least favorite of the 4 Karen Hesse books I have read. Not that they're horrible--just very non-interest-grabbing.
Fascinating things I didn't know:
1. The Jap...more
Fascinating things I didn't know:
1. The Jap...more
This book has many excellent ways it can be applied to lessons and thematic units. It can be easily added to reading groups and book clubs during WWII units. In addition to all the possible application to its concrete time period and setting, this book can be coupled with class discussion and exploration into the power of intolerance, misunderstanding, and the command to remain authentic, and true to one’s self in the wake of sorrow, disease and a family dismantelling.
"Aleautian Sparrow" is a Juvenile fiction book that broaches tough subjects of discrimination, war and suffering. This book surprised me in that it doesn’t go by chapters, but by short one-page stories that are a cross between a poem and a diary entry. Although unusual, this format works and conveys the main character’s emotion well.
The author’s purpose for writing this book is summed up in her dedication. It is for “the Unangax, the people of the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands.” It’s to show an...more
The author’s purpose for writing this book is summed up in her dedication. It is for “the Unangax, the people of the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands.” It’s to show an...more
disclaimer: i had a traumatic experience with "out of the dust" by karen hesse, so it's fair to say that i came into this reading with baggage. however, the topic- the native alaskan people of the aleutian islands displaced during world war II- really appealed to me because i've never even heard it mentioned before.
another disclaimer is that i have never truly loved a novel in poetry before. i've liked them but not loved them. maybe i don't understand the art or beauty of prose poetry, but it i...more
another disclaimer is that i have never truly loved a novel in poetry before. i've liked them but not loved them. maybe i don't understand the art or beauty of prose poetry, but it i...more
Jan 01, 2011
Nina
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who likes historical ficiton with WWII as a focus
Recommended to Nina by:
J-Lynn VanPelt
A book written about a young girl, Vera, who is living Unalaska on the Aleutian Islands with an elderly couple so she can attend school. In May of 1942 she goes home to visit her mother and friends and the Japanese invade the Aleutian Islands. The U.S. evacuates the population of these islands in order to "rescue" them from the Japanese. Three years they spend trapped in what basically amounts to an internment camp in a completely strange place far from home. When they are finally allowed to ret...more
Jun 17, 2008
Warren
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
4th-8th grade students
Recommended to Warren by:
UNR professor
This is a very good Historical Fiction book. There are many different spots that can be turned into a good lesson about some less talked about subjects during the world war. I think this is a nice was a introduce this to the children. I also think that this book would work well with some sort of compare and contrast with the Diary of Anne Frank. These are very similar books and I think you could make many references to each. Very good book here.
It is good book for connecting social study and literature such as World War II, or Native American history. I recommend that before reading book, you can see the map of Alaska islands, or bring picture in your class. it is help for understanding this book very well.
This book is like diary which is written poem, so it is easy to read; children do not get stress to read even ESL learners.
This book is like diary which is written poem, so it is easy to read; children do not get stress to read even ESL learners.
This is a really short book wrote in poetry form that is really good to show this style of writing and poems. Through out the book it talks about people and distortion by other people and makes kids think about what else we are missing. It is a historicla fiction book, but provides great inofmation that can be taught in a week and be tied to history, writing, geography and reading.
A beautifully written story told from the eyes of a native Aleutian teen. Adding yet another layer to the horrors of war is the little known fact about the travesties that haunted and scarred the small chain of islands off Alaska's coast called the Aleutians. In 1942, the Aleutian Islands were attacked by Japan. Vera and her family are forced to move to from their land, where they made seal-gut pants, could capture cod with their hands and gather grass for fires and medicine to a dirty, inhospit...more
Jun 15, 2008
Jessica P.
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
young teens
Recommended to Jessica P. by:
J-Lynn
Shelves:
young-adult,
japanese-americans,
native-americans,
multicultural-themes,
history,
racism,
broken-homes,
families,
friendship,
environment,
poetry,
poverty,
z7th,
z6th,
z8th
This is a wonderfully written story about the Aleutian tribe, told through a young girl's point of view. She has many struggles with mother and within herself about staying true to her Aleutian tribe's way of life, or adapting to the way of life she was forced into when she and her tribe were involuntarily evacuated from their Alaskan island.
This book was highly recommended by my Goodreads friend, Cherylann as a follow up to Out of the Dust which is a special favorite of mine. Hesse does such a great job of capturing the essence of history and she does not disappoint in this book. As a result of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the distrust of Japanese, they gentle Aleuts were forced to relocate to inhospitable lands, boredom, loneliness and death from disease. This free verse novel truly captured the mistakes that history makes dis...more
This is a WWII story told by a young girl about the Aleutian tribe and their relocation. The story depicts the struggle of the tribe as they try to keep their heritage and community in unfamiliar environments.
Apr 19, 2010
Kristi
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
grades 5 and up
Recommended to Kristi by:
Ginny Sieck
Karen Hesse uses spare but lyric prose to convey a sense of place and time. A little known piece of American history is brought to life, and readers will come away with a deep sense of regret for the actions of our government with regards to the native Aleutian people from 1942-5. Yet despite the terrible situation they find themselves in, their culture and hope survive.
The audiobook has additional material - an interview with a woman who was 5 years old at the time of the evacuation. She share...more
The audiobook has additional material - an interview with a woman who was 5 years old at the time of the evacuation. She share...more
This YA book gives a heart wrenching look at the US Government's displacement/internment of the Aleutian people (from the islands off the west coast of Alaska) following the attack on Pearl Harbor in order to "protect them" from Japanese attacks. Each one- page "chapter" is written in an unrhyming poetic-style prose and is unlike anything I have ever read before. I've read and studied about the internment of Japanese Americans during this same time period, but was completely unfamiliar with the...more
This book is told through a series of poems. It is the story of Vera who lives on the Aleutian Islands off of Alaska during WWII. She is forced to leave everything she knows.
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Karen Hesse is an American author of children's literature and literature for young adults, often with historical settings. Her novel Out of the Dust was the winner of the 1998 Newbery Medal and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. In 2002, Hesse was a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship.
For more information, please see http://us.macmillan.com/author/karenh...
More about Karen Hesse...
For more information, please see http://us.macmillan.com/author/karenh...
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