Beyond Me by Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu - ESSENTIAL

 Beyond Me by Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu, 290 pages. Atheneum (Simon), 2020. $18

Content: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Maya and her friend Yuka are just at the end of 5th grade when the big earthquake and Tsunami hit Japan on March 11, 2011. Maya feels scared, lost and worried. Then she learns that the worst of the quake and the tsunami hit northeast in the country. She helps in relief efforts, collecting food, clothing and other essentials with her mom. School is closed. Maya and Yuka decide to fold 1,000 paper cranes to help. Maya hears that sunflowers can help absorb radiation. She starts growing sunflowers and plans to send the seeds to the northeast. 

Maya's story is heart wrenching. Reading this I felt that I was right there with her. She is an amazing girl, and keeps going even when she is so frightened. It is very touching. I highly recommend this book. Read it out loud to your children, your students. It is amazing. I could not put it down! The book tells the story from Maya's point of view, in verse. Dates and times are added for each aftershock and tremble. 

Ellen-Anita LMS