The Fences Between Us

Gr 5—8—Piper Davis, the 13-year-old daughter of a pastor for a Japanese Baptist church, shares her diary as she goes from worrying about when her father will let her date and wear lipstick to agonzing about her older brother who was stationed at Pearl Harbor on the Arizona when it was attacked on December 7, 1941. With Elaina Erika Davis's poignant pacing and clearly voiced characterizations, listeners will feel the emotional torments and celebrations that Piper experiences in this historical novel by Kirby Larson (Scholastic, 2010). Each event that Piper and her family must face—from her sister needing to find a job and ultimately marrying her boyfriend before he gets deployed to the food and materials rationing they must endure—is clearly conveyed through her diary entries and Davis's narration. Listeners will hold their breath along with Piper as she awaits the fate of her brother and his friends. Among the most powerfully expressed emotions are those that Piper feels as she tries to understand what is happening to her Japanese friends as a result of newly imposed government regulations. The scenes in the Japanese internment camps are heartbreaking, and Piper's confusion, anger, and frustration is palpable. The inclusion of an historical note, web resources, and an audio clip from President Roosevelt's speech about "the day that shall live in infamy" make this powerful audiobook even more robust.—Stephanie A. Squicciarini, Fairport Public Library, NY