Dawn Raid

by Pauline Vaeluaga Smith (Author) Mat Hunkin (Illustrator)

Dawn Raid
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

Imagine this: You're having an amazing family holiday, one where everyone is there and all 18 of you are squeezed into one house. All of sudden it's 4 o'clock in the morning and there's banging and yelling and screaming. The police are in the house pulling people out of bed ...

Sofia is like most 12-year-old girls in New Zealand. How is she going to earn enough money for those boots? WHY does she have to give that speech at school? Who is she going to be friends with this year?

It comes as a surprise to Sofia and her family when her big brother, Lenny, starts talking about protests, overstayers, and injustices against Pacific Islanders by the government. Inspired by the Black Panthers in America, a group has formed called the Polynesian Panthers, who encourage immigrant and Indigenous families across New Zealand to stand up for their rights. Soon the whole family becomes involved in the movement.

Told through Sofia's diary entries, with illustrations throughout, Dawn Raid is the story of one ordinary girl living in extraordinary times, learning how to stand up and fight.

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Publishers Weekly

Through the diary entries of 13-year-old Sofia Savea, Smith explores an era of New Zealand history little known to many readers outside Oceania: the 1970s movement for Pacific Islanders' rights. In Porirua, 1976, Sofia focuses on the opening of the first McDonald's in New Zealand, the white go-go boots she craves, and the speech she must prepare to give at school. Her father is a Samoan immigrant, but Sofia doesn't truly consider her ethnic heritage until her brother Lenny, 17, becomes active in Māori protests for land rights in New Zealand. Soon, Sofia finds herself drawn to social justice--especially when she learns about the growing anger at immigrant Pacific Islanders and the dawn raids, in which many are deported. Sofia's writing--about her troublesome younger brothers, her frustrations with managing money from a new part-time job, and awakening to injustice--feels relatable, while Hunkin's b&w art adds a personalized flair to the text. Smith realistically traces Sofia's growing political awareness and her development from reluctant to stirring public speaker in a straightforward voice that rings true. Back matter includes an extensive historical note with photographs and a glossary of New Zealand slang and Samoan and Māori words. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

Gr 5-8--Go-go boots, eating your first McDonald's burger, and watching the Sunday night Disney movie were major life happenings for many tween girls in 1976, including those living outside of the United States. So it is for Sofia, a 12-year-old New Zealander whose close-knit family of seven creates daily drama, making for engaging and entertaining diary entries. Sofia's father is Samoan and her mother is white. Sofia's life currently revolves around a speech contest at school, scoring a milk run to make money, and iconic 70s fashion. Yet Sofia's cultural and political interest is piqued when her older brother Lenny mentions the government Dawn Raids focused on deporting Pacific Islanders who have overstayed their visas, and the Polynesian Panthers, an organization fighting to help their victims. Eventually, Sofia's interests and mixed ethnicity collide as she comes to realize that she has a voice she can use to confront injustice. Vaeluaga Smith's debut chronicles ethnic bias through the honest lens of a preoccupied preteen narrator. The diary format preserves Sofia's inner thoughts, yet authentically bounces to major teen life happenings, at times diluting the plot's rising action. Readers will gain an understanding of the ethnic and cultural bias of this period along with the naive narrator, providing a soft introduction to a complicated and ongoing issue for those unfamiliar. The illustrative doodles add emphasis to major events and will appeal to tween readers. Text is peppered with New Zealand terms and phrases; a glossary offers opportunities for American readers to learn new words. VERDICT Smith's timely novel encourages empathy and understanding while spotlighting underrepresented history, and providing an example of how young people can take action. Highly recommended.--Mary-Brook J. Townsend, The McGillis Sch., Salt Lake City

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Pauline Vaeluaga Smith
Dawn Raid is the first book by Pauline Vaeluaga Smith, for which she received Best New Author at the New Zealand Book Awards and a NZ Storylines Notable Book Award. Pauline's heritage is Samoan, Tuvaluan, Scottish and Irish. Her work is heavily influenced by her experiences growing up in the 1970s, her roles as a teacher and university educator, her passion for civil rights and justice, and her deep interest in uplifting NZ Maori culture. She lives in a small seaside town at the bottom of the South Island of Aotearoa-New Zealand.

Mat Hunkin is an illustrator and comics artist from New Zealand. His day job is in the film industry.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781646140411
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Levine Querido
Publication date
March 20, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039120 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Prejudice & Racism
JUV016000 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | General
JUV074000 - Juvenile Fiction | Diversity & Multicultural
Library of Congress categories
Social conditions
Race relations
Politics and government
Social life and customs
New Zealand
1972-
Polynesian Panther Party
ALSC Notable Children's Book
Selection 2022

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