Book Review WEEDFLOWER

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kadohata, Cynthia. 2006. WEEDFLOWER. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689865740

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Sumiko, a twelve-year-old girl, lives in a flower farm in California. Because she is the only Japanese girl in her class, she does not have many friends, and much of Sumiko’s life has been filled with loneliness. The story begins with Sumiko running and yelling with excitement because she had been invited to her first birthday party! The excitement soon fades when the birthday girl’s mother quietly uninvited Sumiko because she is Japanese.

After Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government forces all Niekki—people of Japanese decent—to leave their homes and are sent to an assembly center at a racetrack, where they live in a horse stable. Eventually, they're moved to the Arizona desert, which is located on an Indian reservation.

Although Sumiko and her family are unhappy to leave their lives behind, they soon adjust to life on the relocation center. She forms new friendships with some of the Japanese kids, shares her interest in flower farming with Mr. Moto, and even makes her first true friendship with a Mohave Indian boy.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Set during WWII, Weedflower is a story about life as a Japanese American during World War II. Though a historical fiction novel about a Japanese girl, Kadohata presents a character whom many teenagers can relate to. Sumiko is a girl who is different and just cannot fit in with the rest of her class. She can’t seem to make friends, and she is filled with loneliness and sadness. The book begins by Sumiko describing what it feels like to be lonely. She describes feelings like “everyone was looking at you…like nobody was looking at you…like you didn’t care about anything at all… [and] like you were just about to cry over every little thing.” Young adults often struggle to find their identity and may not fit in. Readers will benefit from learning about Sumiko’s plight and how she overcame her obstacles.

The author’s style of writing reflects Japanese Americans culture. Kadohata includes Japanese words like Niekki, which means individuals of Japanese decent; chapon, which means a mix of Japanese and English; hakujin, which means white people; and haji, which means shame. Sumiko’s grandfather, Jiichan, who was born in Japan, struggles with the English language. After Sumiko wakes up late after the party she was uninvited from, he asks her “You go one party and now you think you can wake up late?”

Weedflower does not include many details about the war, but it does offer an excellent view on the discrimination Japanese American’s experienced during WWII.

4. AWARDS WORD AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
Jane Addams Children’s Book Award
PEN Center USA West Literary Award

BOOKLIST: “In a quiet, stirring narrative, the author of the Newbery Medal Book Kira-Kira (2003) once again brings close a little-known part of American history through the eyes of a child.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Kadohata clearly and eloquently conveys her heroine's mixture of shame, anger and courage. Readers will be inspired by Sumiko's determination to survive and flourish in a harsh, unjust environment.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “She is a sympathetic heroine, surrounded by well-crafted, fascinating people. The concise yet lyrical prose conveys her story in a compelling narrative that will resonate with a wide audience.”

5. CONNECTIONS
Students can read this informational book about life on a relocation camp.

Cooper, Michael L. 2002. REMEMBERING MANZANAR: LIFE IN A JAPANESE RELOCATION CAMP. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0618067787

Image Credit: schoollibraryjounal.com