It was ok ( )

At the Weihsien Internment Camp, 13 year old Gwendolyn and her fellow classmates are prisoners of the Japanese. Gwendolyn idolizes Miss E, one of their former teachers. In order to maintain hope, Miss E. has the former class follow the Girl Guide Code. The Code requires them to do good turns, act courageous, and maintain standards, all amidst the horrifying and terrible conditions of the camp.

I thought this was an excellent middle school book. Gwendolyn was a likeable and relatable character. The book did not shy away from the horror of the camp, but rather tried to show the hope and despair of the children. Overall, well worth reading. ( )

During World War II, Japan invaded China and placed enemy aliens, civilians who were living in China, into internment camps. This included adults and, in this book, children from a boarding school. The teacher taken with them worked hard to keep up their morale, and keep them functioning as a group. These children have been incarcerated for almost three years, starved and doing physical labor for the Japanese. ( )

I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book from LibraryThing.com in exchange for an honest review.

The Taste of Rain is a testament to the strength of character required to endure the trauma of an internment camp. Miss E is an incredible character.
I didn't realize this was a middle-grade book until I received it in the mail. I fully expected to find it boring and condescending but was pleasantly surprised to find myself completely absorbed in the story.

Full review on my blog: https://sarahsreads.home.blog/2019/09/19/the-taste-of-rain-by-monique-polak/ ( )

I received a free advanced copy of this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

In the darkest moments, having hope and a positive attitude is sometimes the only thing that can help you survive. That’s the theme of this upper elementary/middle grade novel that tells a different WWII story than usual. We follow the fictionalized account of 13-year-old Gwen who narrates life for her and her classmates as prisoners of the Japanese at the Weihsien Civilian Assembly Center in China. The students have been living in the prison for several years after their boarding school was captured by the Japanese during their invasion of China during WWII. The girls have survived through the leadership of their teacher Miss E, who has them follow the Girl Guide Code (the British version of the Girl Scouts) and continue their lessons as best they can to maintain some sort of structure in such horrible conditions. Miss E is their rock and attempts to put a positive spin on everything to help keep the girls from falling apart mentally and emotionally.

While this book is recommended for ages 9+ it still deals with some of the horrific things these children would have experienced in a prison camp. One student gets electrocuted from a loose wire on an electric fence, also a Japanese soldier who is caught helping the girls gets tortured and killed. The girls also have to kill a beloved pet pig for food. The author does a good job of presenting these traumatic events in an age appropriate way. ( )