Gaijin: American Prisoner of War
by Matt Faulkner
Picture book · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 750L · 2014
Why we'd hand it over
A respectful, illustrated account of a real POW's childhood resilience; Faulkner's watercolors humanize without sanitizing, making it an honest entry point to WWII Pacific history for kids ready for real stakes.