WHILE I WAS AWAY
“An emotional, contemplative tale of risking and growing.“
~Kirkus Book Review
Booklist, starred review: “Twelve-year-old Waka’s parents realize that despite being raised in a bilingual household, her Japanese needs a boost…[more]“
This middle grade memoir follows Waka’s journey as a Japanese American who was sent to live in Japan with a grandmother she barely knew and attend public school because her parents feared she was losing her culture (HarperCollins / Quill Tree, January 2021).
Available through Annie Bloom’s Books, HarperCollins, IndieBound, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Target.
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