Reviews

Up From the Sea by Leza Lowitz

k_l3's review

dark emotional informative sad tense

littlelikkel's review

hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

missmary98's review

5.0

So short, but also so powerful. I can't imagine losing everything like that.

safiaisreading's review

4.0

Told from the point-of-view of Kai, a half Japanese and half American kid. The story is set in 2011 when a massive tsunami hit the Tohoku coast in Japan and sent the country chaos. Inspired by a young boy -the author met in the disaster zone- who loves soccer and creates a soccer team to rally his town after the tsunami. The story is beautifully written and Kai is an endearing narrator.

Kai.
It means ocean.
Mom named me that
to anchor me.

THE QUAKE MOVED THE EARTH
ten inches
on its axis.
I guess
I shifted,
too.

THE RADIO TELLS OF WHOLE VILLAGES
wiped out
along the Tohoku coast—
Rikuzentakata,
Minamisanriku,
Ishinomaki,
Onagawa,
Kesennuma.
Tens of thousands
could be dead or injured,
thousands more missing,
hundreds of thousands
homeless,
including me.
The prime minister
says we’re not alone.
I feel alone.
Can’t stop checking
my ruined
phone.

This is the first novel in verse I've read. It is also the first book I've read by Leza Lowitz AND I've loved every bit of it.

maycie_reads's review

hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

ellanapton's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

babayagareads's review

5.0

This is easily the best YA novel I have read so far in 2016. Thanks, Mollie! I'm definitely going to start recommending this to patrons at the library.

dlberglund's review against another edition

4.0

This is the first book I've read that attempts to tell some of the stories of the 2011 Japanese earthquake through a fictional narrative. The author include an afterward which explains some of the pieces that she put together from real people's stories, and how she fictionalized them. It's written in poetic verse, which makes it a little easier to read through without feeling overwhelmed by the tragedy. The tragedy is quite overwhelming in itself, and the narrator's personal struggles make it even moreso. However, Kai reads a little younger than his intended age, and I was repeatedly surprised that he was supposed to be finishing high school.

sandraagee's review

4.0

Great read about a boy who survives the 3/11 tsunami in Japan. The first third or so of the book is fairly intense as it discusses the actual tsunami. The rest of the book deals more with Kai's grieving and recovery. Verse is great for telling emotional stories, and this book's use of the technique is certainly no exception.

afro8921's review

4.0

Kai is a 17 year-old Japanese soccer enthusiast on March 11, 2011 when a tsunami hits his coastal town. Kai is left to wonder how to rebuild a life that was slightly fractured before, but seems horribly broken after the tsunami. This novel is told in verse and is paced superbly. The language used vividly depicts the horrific experience of town torn apart and their efforts to rebuild. Readers who come from diverse backgrounds will identify with Kai's attempt to be both Japanese and American.