About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
When Canada went to war with Japan following the bombing of Pearl Harbour, Canadians of Japanese descent were declared "Enemy Aliens." Without recourse of any kind, they were forced to leave their homes along with the British Columbia coast, their possessions were sold, and their rights as citizens denied. Caged Eagles follows fourteen-year-old Tadashi Fukushima and his family as they embark on a tortuous physical and emotional journey. Along with neighbours from their remote village on the northern BC coast, they travel by fishing boat to Vancouver, where they are placed in detention in Hastings Park, the Pacific National Exhibition ground, and forced to live in cattle stalls. For Tadashi detention becomes both an adventure and a dilemma as he struggles to understand the undercurrents of racism and injustice that have overtaken his life and those of his community.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 12
- Grade:
- 8 to 12
- Reading age:
- 12
Awards
- Runner-up, UNESCO Children's Book Prize nominee
- , United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Prize for Children's and Young People's Literature in the Service of Tolerance
- Long-listed, ALA Best Books for Young Adults
- Commended, American Library Association (ALA) Best Books for Young Adults
- Commended, CCBC Our Choice
- Commended, Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Our Choice
- Short-listed, CLA Book of the Year for Children nominee
- Short-listed, Canadian Library Association (CLA) Book of the Year for Children
- Commended, PSLA Top Forty
- Commended, Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA) Top Forty
Editorial Reviews
"Subtle and powerful."
— The Globe and Mail
"Earns a place in both history and English classrooms."
— Quill & Quire
"This novel is a moving account of one family's struggle to understand the injustice that has overtaken their lives and the racism that has imprisoned their community. Walters successfully captures the fear and uncertainty of the time."
"Walters's careful explanation of historical events and sensitive narration of the Fukushima family's story predominate to make Caged Eagles a memorable reading experience."
— Resource Links
"Walters successfully combines history, adventure, and social criticism in Caged Eagles while providing young readers a glimpse into Canada's past and a chance to consider serious issues inherent in any complex, multicultural society."
"Highly recommended."
— CM Magazine
"An excellent book for a middle grades reader, it is perfect as a companion to a social studies unit to explore a new historical perspective of the second World War."
— Alan Review
"What begins with a poignant scene in which a small, seven-year-old child asks her brother which of her dolls to pack...ends with an equally compelling vignette."
— VOYA
"[Walters's] fast-paced novel avoids heavy-handed moralizing as it portrays the internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II."
— Booklist
