Yoshiko Uchida draws on her own childhood as a Japanese-American during World War II in an internment camp to tell the poignant story of a young girl s discovery of the power of memory. Emi and her family are being sent to a place called an internment camp where all Japanese-Americans must go. The year is 1942. The United States and Japan are at war. Seven-year-old Emi doesn t want to leave her friends her school her house; yet as her mother tells her they have no choice because they are Japanese-American. For her mother s sake Emi doesn t say how unhappy she is. But on the first day of camp when Emi discovers she has lost her heart bracelet she can t help wanting to cry. How will I ever remember my best friend? she asks herself. * Yardley s hushed realistic paintings add to the poignancy of Uchida s narrative and help to underscore the absurdity and injustice suffered by Japanese American families such as Emi s. --Publishers Weekly starred review Will find a ready readership and prove indispensable for introducing this dark episode in American history --School Library Journal