{"product_id":"under-the-broken-sky-9781250754745","title":"Under the Broken Sky","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Necessary for all of humankind, \u003ci\u003eUnder the Broken Sky\u003c\/i\u003e is a breathtaking work of literature.\"--\u003ci\u003eBooklist, \u003c\/i\u003estarred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA beautifully told middle-grade novel-in-verse about a Japanese orphan's experience in occupied rural Manchuria during World War II.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTwelve-year-old Natsu and her family live a quiet farm life in Manchuria, near the border of the Soviet Union. But the life they've known begins to unravel when her father is recruited to the Japanese army, and Natsu and her little sister, Cricket, are left orphaned and destitute. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn a desperate move to keep her sister alive, Natsu sells Cricket to a Russian family following the 1945 Soviet occupation. The journey to redemption for Natsu's broken family is rife with struggles, but Natsu is tenacious and will stop at nothing to get her little sister back. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLiterary and historically insightful, this is one of the great untold stories of WWII. Much like the Newbery Honor book \u003ci\u003eInside Out and Back Again\u003c\/i\u003e by Thanhha Lai, Mariko Nagai's \u003ci\u003eUnder the Broken Sky\u003c\/i\u003e is powerful, poignant, and ultimately hopeful.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChristy Ottaviano Books\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMariko Nagai \u003c\/b\u003eis the author of \u003ci\u003eUnder the Broken Sky \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eDust of Eden \u003c\/i\u003eas well as several books of poetry and fiction for adults. She has received the Pushcart Prize in both poetry and fiction, as well as many other accolades. She is an associate professor of creative writing and Japanese literature at Temple University, Japan Campus, in Tokyo, where she is also the director of research.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Square Fish","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50628866179346,"sku":"9781250754745","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_556ab3f9-5149-47de-871d-39b32ec36d43.jpg?v=1732711322","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/under-the-broken-sky-9781250754745","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}