Tomi was born in Hawaii. His grandfather and parents were born in Japan, and came to America to escape poverty.<br /> <br /> World War II seems far away from Tomi and his friends, who are too busy playing ball on their eighth-grade team, the Rats.<br /> <br /> But then Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese, and the United States declares war on Japan. Japanese men are rounded up, and Tomi’s father and grandfather are arrested. It’s a terrifying time to be Japanese in America. But one thing doesn’t change: the loyalty of Tomi’s buddies, the Rats.