Up From the Sea
Publisher
Crown
Publication Year
2016
ISBN
9780553534740
Pages
257 pages
Genre
historical
Format
novel in verse
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
A novel in verse about the March 2011 tsunami that sent Japan into chaos, told from the point-of-view of Kai, a biracial teenaged boy. The March 2011 tsunami devastated Kai's coastal Japanese village, and he lost nearly everyone and everything he cares about. When he's offered a trip to New York to meet kids whose lives were changed by 9/11, Kai realizes he also has a chance to look for his estranged American father. Visiting Ground Zero on its tenth anniversary, Kai discovers that the only way to make something good come out of the disaster back home is to return there and help rebuild his town.
Grade Level
9-12
Lexile Measure
750L
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; Racial Diversity; Family member death; Biracial; death of a mother; death of a grandmother; death of a grandfather; tragedy; grief; loss; biracial teenager; mixed race
Main Character
male teenager
Race/Ethnicities
Japanese / White
Family Formation
estranged father
Awards
Green Earth Book Award, 2017, Long List, Young Adult Fiction
Best Books for Teens, 2016
Keywords
Tohoku earthquake and tsunami; estranged father; soccer; New York; Japan; 9/11 attack
Diversity Impact
indirect
STARS Citation
Lowitz, Leza, "Up From the Sea" (2016). Diverse Families. 376.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/376