Incommunicado

Gr 5–7—Twelve-year-old Ruby Opal Pearl, known as Jewels, lives in Sea Park, OR (population 542), and is entering seventh grade and "poooooberty" just as the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. Sea Park is a quiet tourist town, but its most prominent citizen, and one of the most important people in Jewels's life, is Tommy Kaye, a man with Japanese ancestry. Mr. Kaye owns many businesses in town, including the Stay and Play, the tourist cabins where Jewels lives with her unconventional mother, "Malice Alice," and her studious brother, Rex. Outraged by Sea Park's overnight suspicions of Mr. Kaye, who is a respected pillar of their community, and the arrival of an FBI agent looking for Mr. Kaye, Jewels decides to take matters into her own hands. After hiding Mr. Kaye—keeping him "incommunicado"—Jewels begins to unravel other mysteries about her town and her family. Although her efforts are misguided, readers will respond to Jewels's determination and courage. The novel is enriched by a vivid and memorable cast of supporting characters, including the protagonists' mother, who becomes more complex as the novel unfolds; Rex, a teenager who would prefer to focus exclusively on his academic pursuits but finds himself caught up in more immediate events; and a family friend, Father Donlevy, who offers guidance and support to Jewels.