Details place the affecting story in a real, not idealized, America. --Kirkus Reviews
It's the last day of the newspaper drive and Nim, a Chinese-American girl in San Francisco during World War II, is determined to win. Her nearest rival has cheated. Undaunted, she leaves Chinatown and walks up Nob Hill after school, determined to find more scrap newspaper. Nim's sweet seriousness and ingenuity are captured in the text and in the luminous, grave illustrations. --The New York Times Book Review Based on the author's childhood memories, Nim's story celebrates the patriotism of Asian family members in embracing their new home and country and their efforts to maintain their cultural traditions. A fine addition. -- School Library Journal Nim and the War Effort is a 1997 New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year.