The Taste of Rain

Monique Polak

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English

ORCA BOOKS
01 February 2020

Early learning & early learning concepts; Young Adult

It is 1945, and thirteen-year-old Gwen has been a prisoner at the Weihsien Internment Camp in northern China for nearly two and a half years. Gwen is one of 140 children who were enrolled at a boarding school in Chefoo when the Japanese Imperial Army invaded China.

Life in the camp is difficult. There is not enough food or water, and even the children are forced to do hard labor. But Miss E., one of their teachers from Chefoo, has come up with an unusual scheme: she will follow the Girl Guide Code, treating Gwen and her friends as if they are part of a Girl Guide troop. Girl Guides promise not only to stay positive in the most challenging situations but also to do good turns, meaning they must be kind to others without any expectation of reward. Gwendolyn hopes that when she grows up, she will be as courageous and optimistic as Miss E.

But then Gwen learns that Miss E. is not as full of answers as she seems, and she realizes that in order to protect a friend, she will have to do something that could never be considered a good turn.

By: Monique Polak
Imprint: ORCA BOOKS
Country of Publication: Canada
Dimensions: Height: 191mm, Width: 127mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 227g
ISBN: 9781459820265
ISBN 10: 1459820266
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 01 February 2020
Recommended Age: From 9 to 12 years
Audience: Children/juvenile , English as a second language
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Monique Polak is the author of over twenty novels for kids and young adults. She has also written two nonfiction books for kids as well as a board book for toddlers. Monique teaches English literature, creative writing and humanities at Marianopolis College in Montreal.

Reviews for The Taste of Rain

This beautiful book is a song to courage and kindness, voices raised in cheerfulness faced with the hollowness of hope. It's about the dignity and spirit that frees a prisoner from despair, a deeply felt prayer and yet somehow--amazingly--a rousing hymn. I loved every note. --Tim Wynne-Jones, award-winning author of The Emperor of Any Place So well-told and compelling...It is the sort of novel that will engage and inform grown-up readers as well. Highly Recommended. --CM: Canadian Review of Materials Fascinating piece of history. --Kirkus Reviews