Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas

During World War II, the government opened up a Japanese internment camp in a small Colorado town. This book is written from the viewpoint of a 13-year old girl, Rennie Stroud, who up until that point had led a fairly ordinary and predictable life. Her predictable life vanishes when she is caught between the reality of the harsh treatment these internees experience at the hands of the local townspeople who fear, are angered by, and hate the newcomers, and the sympathy and love she develops for the Japanese helpers from the camp her father employs on their own farm. When a local girl is murdered, all suspicion falls on the members of the internment camp. The final surprise of the book is who committed the murder and why. This book does a great job of capturing the good and evil that was evident during this particular historical period, both in our society, and the people who were a living part of it.