To Stand Above a Midnight Fire

by Jerrie Oughton, Paul Oughton (Illustrator)

Overview

Zoe Willoughby’s first glimpse of Ki Kamamoto in September of 1941 isn’t favorable. He’s stomping through mud puddles, acting stupid, just like other boys in her sixth grade class in Kentucky. But Ki isn’t like the others. He’s good at art, funny, and easy to talk with. Even so, at school and at home, Zoe doesn’t always feel close to friends and family–until that December when the awful news of the Japanese attack arrives from Pearl Harbor.

Because the Kamamotos have the face of the enemy, Ki’s classmates and the community begin to harass his family. The abuse begins on a small scale but soon escalates into a life or death situation.

A decision has to be made. How Zoe’s family can best protect their Japanese friends. There are two possibilities: Help them get to one of the Japanese Relocation Camps or hide them in their home.

During those opening months of WWII, Zoe discovers that friendship can be a lot like fire. The closer you get, the warmer you feel–and the greater the chance for getting burned.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940012596666
Publisher:	Author Illustrator Source
Publication date:	05/03/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	212 KB

About the Author

graduated from Broughton High School. The English teacher who inspired noted novelist and Duke University Professor, Reynolds Price, Armistead Maupin, and novelist Anne Tyler, also touched a chord deep within Oughton. Jerrie dedicated her first book, How The Stars Fell Into The Sky to Phyllis Peacock. After graduation from Meredith College, where she was chosen Outstanding Student Teacher of the Year, Oughton taught elementary school in Raleigh.

Literary dreams for Oughton may have begun in Raleigh classrooms in the late 50's, but it took her tenacity to make it pay off almost 40 years later when she became a published author. The Magic Weaver of Rugs, her 2nd book was published spring of 1994 by Houghton Mifflin Co. and was also named by the National Council for Social Studies as one of the notable books of the year. Both picture books were featured in Smithsonian Magazine in their year-end celebration of the best in children's books.

Oughton's first novel for young adults, Music from a Place Called Half Moon, takes place in the mountains of North Carolina. This novel won the 1995 Bank Street College Award for exceptional literature for young people and was nominated for the South Carolina Junior Book Award for 1997-98. The War In Georgia, Jerrie Oughton's second novel for young adults was honored by the American Library Association by being placed on the 1998 list of Recommended Books for Young Adults. Perfect Family, a novel of teen problems, is a favorite among teenage girls. A gripping story of teen love gone awry in the fifties, its subtle message is one of empowerment for young women in today’s world.

Since publication of her first book in 1992, Jerrie has made author visits to over three hundred schools and universities in Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, and Ohio. Jerrie delights in visiting schools and sharing her message of hope and hard work paying off.