Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13 (partial nudity and mentions of rape); Violence: PG13 (assault, gun and bomb use, war, corpses, suicide, and murder)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: SOME
When her father and brother go to join the fighting, San continues to go to class until she and her classmates are asked to become a nursing unit. San and the other girls are excited to do their part for the war, even though conditions in the cave where they are helping wounded soldiers are difficult. But the longer it goes on, the worse everything becomes.
Discussing war brings to mind distant battles and enemies, and it is easy to forget that war also impacts those who stay home and those who are teammates—or are supposed to be. San’s story highlights the heartbreaking effects of war on the young, with illustrations that manage to be ambiguous in form and still communicate the horrors the girls witness. While the information is interesting and the story is emotional, the ending felt abrupt, especially San’s change in the last chapter after all that she had experienced. The characters, including San, are Japanese.
Reviewer: Carolina Johnson
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