Skip to main content

5 Book and Adventure Pairings for Northwest Kids

From Sasquatch to 'Storm Boy,' stories come alive for Seattle-area families

Published on: August 31, 2017

5 Book and Adventure Pairings for Northwest Kids

bainbridge
Photo:
Credit: Amy E. Robertson

'Looking Like the Enemy' by Mary Matsuda Gruenewald (ages 10–14)

enemyOn Dec. 8, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan. Soon after, Japanese immigrants and Americans of Japanese descent residing on the West Coast were rounded up and imprisoned in internment camps. Author Mary Matsuda Gruenewald was 16 years old when her family was evacuated from their strawberry farm on Vashon Island; the young reader's edition of her memoir is a powerful read in social justice.

Outing: An easy walk from the ferry terminal in Winslow, the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum has a section dedicated to the World War II evacuation and internment of the island’s Japanese-American residents. Staff are friendly at this diminutive museum, and the hands-on exhibits are interesting for elementary students and older. Those who bring their car on the ferry can also visit the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial, a waterfront park and interpretive center.

Additional reads: The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida and Baseball Saved Us by Seattle author Ken Mochizuki (both ages 6–10).

Share this resource with your friends!