Another perk of the meetings is choosing books from the review table. Most of the time, I pick books that I think my students will like. Sometimes, I pick something just because I like it. This one, I think, will suit us all:
All the Ways Home is Elsie Chapman's debut middle grade novel (her previous books have been YA and adult). We meet Kaede, the twelve-year-old main character, as he narrates from the very first page. It is the beginning of summer after a spring of hardship; Kaede's single mother was killed in a car crash, a loss Kaede has dealt with by acting out in increasingly dangerous ways. His emotionally distant grandfather arranges for Kaede to visit Japan to see his father and brother for the first time in nine years. As if that situation isn't awkward enough, Kaede must complete a summer writing project on the topic of "home", and do well enough to convince his principal and teacher to promote him to the next grade.
I must confess that I chose this book for the connection to Japan, where our daughter lives and works. I am enjoying the descriptions of the people and places, reminding me of our own trip to Tokyo to visit our daughter while she was studying abroad. Kaede's big brother lives in the same area as the restaurant that served us Thanksgiving dinner--and the chef was Canadian, just like Kaede. I am learning how to read kanji, and I'm a bit jealous that Kaede can read it fairly well despite his childhood in Canada (if one can be jealous of a fictional character!).
I also have students who are immigrants from Japan. I'm hoping the setting and details in All the Ways Home may bring a smile to their faces as well.
It's Monday, and I have a lot of personal connections with this story! What book have you connected with lately?
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