Lois Lowry's latest book is a thin volume with a lovely cover*, but it is powerfully packed.
With haunting and poignant verse, Lowry recalls and retells memories of her childhood in both Japan and Hawaii, while also sharing the tragic historical snapshots of lives lost at Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima. This novel in verse gives us glimpses of World War II in a way you might not expect -- not from Lois Lowry, and not in poetry.
The verses are written with efficiency, and, yet each line is rich in depth. I found myself rereading verse after verse, settling in the magic created by its existence. As with novels of verse, white space comes with it, and these generous spaces surround and almost protect the stories on the page.
But what makes this historical novel in verse special for me is the author's ties to this time in history -- and how she learned about them. I won't ruin this for you, but when you get a copy of this book, make sure to read the Author's Note at the end. I am reminded once again of the true value of back matter, reminded of why I advise the young readers in my library -- and the teachers -- to pay attention to these things. I treasure glossaries, and timelines, and acknowledgements, and, especially here-- author's notes.
On the Horizon is a timely example of the value of memory -- and the necessity of sharing it.
Don't read it because it is a Lois Lowry book -- although that may be what draws you to it, of course.
Read it because you want to find its value for your own life. In today's pandemic times, good books can add such joy, richness, distraction, and peace to solitary, quarantine hours.
Available now from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers.
Learn more about it here.
Kenard Pak (The Hundred Year Barn and Goodbye Autumn) illustrated the cover as well as pages within. Read more about his work here.
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