Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Beautifully written, this novel shines a new light on the Japanese internment during WWII. Manami is an interesting narrator, considering her silence through most of the book. I liked this device, although her family's ability to know just what she was thinking without talking about it was a bit too convenient. I was also interested to learn about the differences between the internees, those from the city and those from the country. Each device demonstrating the families loss, from the dog to the garden worked well. However I do feel for some young readers, more explanation about the internment system might be needed. In addition, a few sections of the story feel a bit thin, like the relationship between the teacher and Manami's brother. Still, the writing and imagery is beautiful and the feeling of the character comes across well.


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