I don't usually read children's books, so I am a little unsure of how to review/rate it. It's told as the diary of a 13 year old New Zealand girl in 1976. I thought pretty good, and I learned a lot about New Zealand, painlessly. For example, I learned that there was a group called the Polynesian Panthers, inspired by the Black Panthers in the US. That group was organized against Dawn Raids, which were attempts to deport Polynesian's in New Zealand, who might have overstayed their visas.

I also learned what hokey-pokey ice cream is, and that in the 1970's kids in New Zealand often had milk runs, which were like paper routes here, only with milk.

I think it could be a good book for middle school age kids who wanted to learn a bit about diversity from a global perspective. ( )

Well this is a tricky review to write so I will keep it simple.

5 stars for the subject matter of which all New Zealanders should know about.
2 Stars for the lacklustre delivery with a character who is 13 but seems more like a very young child due to the way she has been written.

I'll give it 3.5 but I really wish this had more teeth to it as it was an outrageous policy where people were terrorised and left traumatised. ( )

What a fantastic book -- from the depictions of a large, loving half-Samoan half Pakeha family, to the authentic voice of a 13 year old girl growing up in the mid-1970s. I found it absolutely enthralling. A great introduction to Civil Rights, especially Pasifika Civil Rights and the Polynesian Panthers. American kids might find this story a bit confusing because it is so compellingly set in its place (New Zealand) and time -- between everyday slang terms and the far more common use of Maori and Samoan words, but anyone who's spent time there will find it deeply authentic. This was a part of history I did not know anything about, and it's fascinating to track how differently things have developed in NZ, vs the US as time has gone by.
It's a also a great read about being 13, starting to think about the wider world and beginning to work towards personal independence. Sofia is a lively and engaging main character, and her little brothers' mischief is hilarious and her older siblings' interest in civil rights and change is inspiring.
Semi-autobiographical, great illustrations, good read alike for One Crazy Summer.

Advanced Reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.

Read it again as an audio book -- wow, great narration! I continue to think that this is a really fantastic book, no matter what format you experience it in.

Advanced Listening Copy provided by Libro.fm ( )

Sofia, a thirteen-year-old girl in Wellington, New Zealand in 1976, writes a diary: her entries often touch on that day's tea, candy, something that happened at school, a longing for new boots, or her younger brothers getting in trouble. But a civil rights story is emerging as well, through Sofia's older brother Lenny's involvement with the Polynesian Panthers, a group inspired by the Black Panthers in the U.S. Sofia is open to learning, and feels injustice strongly once she's made aware of it; she even makes it a topic of a speech she has to give at school.

The author nails a thirteen-year-old's diary voice and style here: civil rights movements, a new McDonald's, and her new job (a milk run) get nearly equal billing. But the climax of the story is when the whole family travels to a family reunion/birthday party and get "dawn raided" themselves; Sofia gives a speech about it in a school competition.

Sofia's dad is Samoan and her mom is white. Back matter includes a historical note and photographs, a glossary of New Zealand English words and slang, Māori words, and Samoan words, and a bibliography.

Quotes

"How about you show us your papers first? I'm Māori and I was born here." And he carried on, speaking in Māori. The cop got angry and told him to speak properly. He said, "I am. It's not my fault you're too ignorant to understand the language of the country you're living in." (59)

...they knew it was illegal, but they also knew it was the right thing to do. [conducting dawn raids on politicians so they know how it feels] (83)

I thought the media just reported the news, but Lenny told me that the media can influence public opinion by choosing what they report and how... (84)

It's funny...how us kids all remember different things about what happened. Sometimes we found ourselves arguing about how it happened and in what order things happened... (158)

'Educate to liberate'... information is power! (185) ( )

Told through the eyes of a thirteen year-old girl, this story is about one of New Zealand's dark history eras - the infamous Dawn Raids. An excellent introduction for young readers from 9 years-old upwards on the circumstances and events behind the racist and terrible practice, enforced by NZ's government, of randomly invading the homes of Pacific Islanders in early hours of the morning (hence, the name Dawn Raids) and terrorising families out of their beds, including women and children, in search of overstayers / illegal immigrants. Pacific Islanders only made up a third of overstayers at the time, and yet no raids were ever executed on the European majority of overstayers. Smith has written an important and necessary book. ( )

1976 in Cannon's Creek, Porirua, where the first McDonald's in New Zealand has just opened. 13-year-old girl Sofia is keen to earn enough money doing a milk run to buy some go-go boots, and finding a topic for the speech that she has to give at school. When her older brother starts to talk about how Pacific Islanders are being targeted by police, and being accused of being overstayers, she starts thinking about injustice and meets members of the Polynesian Panthers. Through Sofia's diary entries we learn of what it was like when her own family is caught up in a Dawn Raid. Author Pauline (Vaeluaga) Smith is of Samoan, Scottish and Irish descent. Well written, a much needed book on the topic. ( )