"A stirring poetic tribute to the beauty and wonder of America's symbols, history, landscape"--

With national pride and occasional fear, a brother and sister face the increasingly oppressive occupation of Korea by Japan during World War II, which threatens to suppress Korean culture entirely.

"Nine-year-old Nanea Mitchell may be the youngest in her family, but she still wants to "dip her paddle in" and be useful. She knows she's grown-up enough to help in her grandparents' market. But before she can prove that she's ready for more responsibility, the unthinkable happens: Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, the naval base where her father works, and America is at war! With friends and family missing, and rumors of more attacks to come, Nanea worries...