Fred Korematsu Speaks Up

By Laura Atkins, Stan Yogi and Yutaka Houlette

Winner, Carter G. Woodson Book Award

Winner, New-York Historical Society Children’s Book Prize

Winner, Social Justice Literature Award

Honor Title, Jane Addams Children’s Book Award

Finalist, 2017 Cybils Awards

Nominee, Georgia Children’s Book Award

Nominee, Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award

Nominee, South Carolina Junior Book Award

A Kirkus Best Book of the Year

An Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California Outstanding Title

Fred Korematsu liked listening to music on the radio, playing tennis, and hanging around with his friends—just like lots of other Americans. But everything changed when the United States went to war with Japan in 1941 and the government forced all people of Japanese ancestry to leave their homes on the West Coast and move to distant prison camps. This included Fred, whose parents had immigrated to the United States from Japan many years before. But Fred refused to go. He knew that what the government was doing was unfair. And when he got put in jail for resisting, he knew he couldn't give up.

Inspired by the award-winning book for adults Wherever There's a Fight, the Fighting for Justice series introduces young readers to real-life heroes and heroines of social progress. The story of Fred Korematsu's fight against discrimination explores the life of one courageous person who made the United States a fairer place for all Americans, and it encourages all of us to speak up for justice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heyday
• Release date: May 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781597144551

Laura Atkins

Laura Atkins is an author, teacher, and independent children’s book editor with over twenty years of editorial experience. She worked at Children’s Book Press, Orchard Books, and Lee and Low Books, helping to produce winners of the Coretta Scott King Award and American Library Association Notable Book selections, among others. She taught creative writing at the National Centre for Research in Children’s Literature (NCRCL) in London, where she also received her M.A. in children’s literature, and she completed her M.F.A. in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2016. In addition to cowriting Fred Korematsu Speaks Up, Laura is the author of the lighthearted picture book Sled Dog Dachshund (Minted Prose Press). Passionate about diversity and equity in children’s books, Laura is based in Berkeley, California, where she lives with her daughter.

Reviews for Fred Korematsu Speaks Up

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fred's story is told in verse. He's growing up as a Japanese-American in California. He faces discrimination. When WWII begins, his family is forced into internment camps. He decides to go into hiding away from the coast. He is arrested and decides to challenge the law in court. Between chapters there are historical bits, definitions, and timelines that puts the story into a larger context. The overall message in the book is that standing up for what you believe and challenging the government can be lonely and costly, but one person can eventually make change.