I Survived the Japanese Tsunami, 2011 (I Survived #8) (8)

Ben has just lost his dad, so his mom suggests they take a family vacation to visit his uncle in Japan. There, the unthinkable happens. This books starts out slow, and it seems odd that the main character would be an American visiting Japan rather than a Japanese child. It also seems like too much

Show More

is happening with Ben to know how to feel about him However, the book is suspenseful and action packed, and will likely keep the attention of young readers.

Show Less

After the death of his father Ben goes to his fathers hometown in Japan. Now Ben is in a foreign country and a no idea what to do when suddenly a wall of water comes rushing towards him. He is separated from his family as the waves crash into his uncles home. Now he has to find a was to survive.

I've come to the realization that Tarshis gives the protagonists sob-story backgrounds (death of a parent or emotional tragedy) so she can eschew having characters actually suffer REAL loss *during* the books. No one is ever maimed. No one of importance dies. They're well-written books, I just wish

Show More

she'd trust kids more with heavy emotions.

Show Less

In 2011, while visiting his father's hometown in Japan shortly after his death, eleven-year-old Ben finds himself and his family being swept away by a terrible tsunami that leaves him stranded and alone in a strange country, far from home. Book #8

Overall an extremely emotional book. Very engaging despite its shortness of it. Really excellent. Well done.