Contributor(s):Author: Amy Lee-TaiIllustrator: Felicia HoshinoMari wonders if anything can bloom at Topaz, where her family is interned along with thousands of other Japanese Americans during World War II. The summer sun is blazingly hot, and Maris art class has begun. But its hard to think of anything to draw in a place where nothing beautiful grows. Somehow, glimmers of hope begin to surface under the harsh sun--in the eyes of a kindly art teacher, in the tender words of Maris parents, and in the smile of a new friend. Inspired by her familys experiences, author Amy Lee-Tai has crafted a story rooted in one of Americas most shameful historical episodes--the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. The art schools which offered internees moments of solace and self-expression are a little known part of this history. Amy Lee-Tais gentle prose and Felicia Hoshinos stunning mixed media images are a testimony to hope and how it can survive alongside even the harshest injustice.