A Place to Belong

by Cynthia Kadohata
Lexile:  690
Genre:  Historical Fiction

World War II changed everything for Hanako and her family.  They were living in California and were hard at work operating their own Japanese restaurant.  But then with very little warning, they were relocated to an internment camp.  Once the war was over, her parents had no choice but to return to Japan which means that Hanako will have to learn a whole new culture and way of life.  Hanako's grandparents are tenant farmers and have little to offer the family other than a joyful reunion and place to stay.  Food is scarce, work is hard, and Hanako isn't making friends.  She misses her old life in America and is struggling with watching the changes that the war has brought for her family and Japan.

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