Somewhere among

Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu

Book - 2016

Caught between her two identities eleven-year-old, Japanese American Ema's search for hope and inner peace is spurred on by the tragedy of 9/11, as she and her family watch as events unfold from Japan.

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Subjects
Published
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers [2016]
Language
English
Main Author
Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu (author)
Edition
First edition
Item Description
"A Caitlyn Dlouhy book."
Physical Description
441 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN
9781481437868
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Eleven-year-old Ema lives in a blend of Japanese and American cultures. As she says, binational/bicultural/bilingual/biracial, and half this/half that. As the summer of 2001 begins, Ema is preparing to leave Tokyo, but not for her traditional California summer with her mom's parents. This summer, Ema and her expectant mother retreat to the home of Papa's parents in western Japan. Ema's fierce obaasan is counterbalanced by her gentle jiichan, who never misses the daily news broadcast. This backdrop of world events maintains its own tension as Ema faces the challenges of school and a particularly troublesome classmate. Written in free-verse poems, this novel has a quiet pace reflecting the tranquility of traditional Japanese culture. As some readers might anticipate, the calamitous events of 9/11 reverberate across the distance to rattle Ema's world. The combination of free verse from the vantage of a mixed-race Japanese American youth is reminiscent of Holly Thompson's writing, although this book is better suited for younger readers.--Colson, Diane Copyright 2016 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Ema's life is in flux: her pregnant mother needs rest, so they've left Ema's father in Tokyo while they stay with her grandparents, Obaasan and Jiichan, in the country. Ema misses her home and friends, as well as visiting her maternal grandparents in California in the summer. Meanwhile, her American mother clashes with Obaasan frequently; Ema has trouble getting to know her stern grandmother, too, though she connects with kindhearted Jiichan. As fifth grade begins, sensitive Ema has difficulties at school, including a bully, but her main concern is the health of her mother's baby. Debut novelist Donwerth-Chikamatsu makes good use of the verse novel format to emphasize that "binational/ bicultural/ bilingual/ biracial" Ema is still learning English while revealing an intimate portrait of her daily struggles in an unfamiliar place. The novel is set over the course of several months in 2001, and while the 9/11 connection feels a bit tenuous, it provides a moving outside perspective on the tragedy and helps shape a universal message of "peace among nations/ peace among peoples/ peace in the heart." Ages 9-12. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.


Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-7-Ema's mom is expecting a new baby, and the pregnancy has been a tricky one, so her parents decide that she and her mother will stay in Japan with her paternal grandparents until the baby arrives. Complicating matters is the fact that her grandparents are very traditional and strict, which makes the biracial tween feel like even more of an outsider. She cannot keep herself from missing her old life of spending summers with her American maternal grandparents or relaxing with her father after work. To make matters worse, it seems she can never make her Japanese grandmother happy. Then tragedy after tragedy strike-all set against the backdrop of September 11, 2001. Everything starts to fall apart. After receiving a small gift during a chance meeting on a train, Ema realizes that she must do her best to remain positive and endure. Written as a first-person novel in free verse poetry, this is an engaging, quick read. Readers will relate to Ema's struggles to grow up and understand how different people react to grief and conflict. Those unfamiliar with Japanese culture will get a glimpse into how other students grow up. Though the topic is heavy, Donwerth-Chikamatsu's writing style will keep even reluctant readers wanting to know more about Ema's life long after the novel's end. This debut is sure to get young students thinking about global connections and how remaining positive through adversity in their own lives may make things a little better. VERDICT An absorbing and affecting story featuring a biracial middle grade protagonist.-DeHanza Kwong, Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte, NC © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

Japanese fifth-grader Ema and her pregnant mother must move to the other side of Toyko to stay for several months with Obaasan and Jiichan, Papas parents: Mom is weak with debilitating morning sickness, and Papa works long hours. No one is happy with the situation -- Ema will miss her usual summer visit to Moms parents in California; stern Obaasan is overly controlling and critical; and Ema must deal with new schoolmates -- and a bully. The one bright spot for Ema is Jiichan, who enjoys spending time with his granddaughter. Emas narration in this free-verse novel is quiet and thoughtful. The year is 2001, and the news is filled with heartbreak: the tragedy of the Ehime Maru, the Japanese ship sunk by an American submarine; the commemoration in August of the anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (where Jiichan lost his whole family); and then September 11th, especially traumatic for Emas American mother. The word heart appears throughout the poems, leading gradually to the climax, as Jiichans heart lands him in the hospital and a stranger gives Ema an origami doll with a heart on it and a message of peace -- a message that awakens in Obaasan a change of heart. When the baby arrives, Ema comes up with the perfect name for her new sister -- leaving her family and readers feeling full of hope for the future. Though Ema sometimes sounds older than eleven, thats a small caveat in an otherwise well-crafted, deeply absorbing novel. jennifer m. brabander (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

During her mother's difficult pregnancy, Ema and her parents move in with her Japanese grandparents. Usually, in August, Ema and her white, American mother visit Nana and Grandpa Bob in California. But Mom's pregnant and weak, so they move in with Papa's parents on the other side of Tokyo. A new neighborhood's hard, especially for a biracial kid who's called "foreigner" by strangers but identifies as Japanese. Ema describes her life and cares in thoughtful, quietly detailed free-verse poems. She worries about the baby ("Other babies have almost come but were lost"), the judgment of her domineering Obaasan (grandmother), and the frailty of sweet Jiichan (grandfather); she misses Papa, who's almost always at work. Carefully, she refrains from burdening anyone with her concerns. Woven right into this family's heart are events past and present, local and far-flung. One is Jiichan's boyhood trauma during World War II, "in the hills / watching / outside Nagasaki," and how that bombing means that Jiichan's ancestors have nothing like a grave: "There is nothing / no thing / left of Jiichan's family." Another is the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, which they watch unfold from Japan and which threaten her fragile mother's peace of mind. An occasional one-sentence poem, starkly alone on a page, strikes hard. Ema's profound choice of her baby sister's name brilliantly touches all the themes, including peace. A tender piece about connectedness. (Verse historical fiction. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Somewhere Among PREPARING MYSELF Not enough room for me to give Mom space, I crouch in my corner fold clothes for three seasons into my suitcase slide pencil case, supplies box, assignments, notebooks, and textbooks into my schoolbag and slip my NASA pen into my pocket. I do not want to go to stay with Obaachan, my Japanese grandmother, but it cannot be helped. Every August I pack my summer homework shorts and swimsuit to fly to Northern California with Mom but this year I am packing on a school holiday the longest day of the year to go to western Tokyo. I will miss six months of fifth grade at my school I will miss our holiday by the sea with Papa before California I will miss a whole month of having Mom's old room to myself. My friends will miss the cinnamon balls wrapped in pepper-red plastic I always bring back as souvenirs. JUNE 21, 2001 Excerpted from Somewhere Among by Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.