Praise for John Smelcer:
Smelcer's anger about these stolen children is apparent but controlled,
and he provides a well-judged balance of horror and hope, with the
friendship among his protagonists giving the book heart. --Horn Book
A poignant story of colonization and assimilation, something I know a
little bit about. A masterpiece. --Chinua Achebe
Smooth, cadenced telling. . . . The four protagonists are accessibly
teen, which gives their plight an immediacy. --Bulletin of the Center
for Children's Books
Smelcer's prose is lyrical, straightforward, and brilliant . . .
authentic Native Alaskan storytelling at its best. --School Library
Journal starred review
A spare tale of courage, love and terrible obstacles. --Wall Street
Journal
A thought-provoking and moving coming-of-age story. --Publishers
Weekly
Heart-tugging moments of clarity and poignancy that recall Jean
Craighead George's Julie of the Wolves. --Booklist
This writer speaks from the land, and for the land, and the people who
belong to it. --Ursula K. Le Guin
Kiska's home in the Aleutian Islands is a peaceful paradise until Japan
invades in 1942. Soon after, a US naval ship arrives to evacuate
everyone in her village to an internment camp almost 2,000 miles
away--where they are forgotten. Informed by true events, this is the
story of a teenage girl who steps up when her people need a hero.
John Smelcer is the author of over forty books, including essays,
story collections, poetry, adult novels, and six YA novels.
See commentary by John Smelcer on NPR's Code Switch, Feb. 21, 2017, in
which the author discusses the Aleut evacuation and its context and
effects.
