About this item
In this beautiful and haunting debut novel in verse, called "a tender piece on connectedness" in a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, an American-Japanese girl struggles with the loneliness of being caught between two worlds when the tragedy of 9/11 strikes an ocean away.Eleven-year-old Ema has always been of two worlds--her father's Japanese heritage and her mother's life in America. She lives in Japan and has spent summers in California for as long as she can remember, but this year she and her mother are staying with her grandparents in western Tokyo as they await the arrival of Ema's baby sibling. Her mother's pregnancy has been tricky, putting everyone on edge, but Ema's heart is singing--finally, there will be someone else who will understand what it's like to belong and not belong at the same time. But Ema's good spirits are muffled by her grandmother who is cold, tightfisted, and quick to reprimand her for the slightest infraction. Then, when their stay is extended and Ema must go to a new school, her worries of not belonging grow. And when the tragedy of 9/11 strikes, Ema, her parents, and the world watch as the twin towers fall... As Ema watches her mother grieve for her country across the ocean--threatening the safety of her pregnancy--and her beloved grandfather falls ill, she feels more helpless and hopeless than ever. And yet, surrounded by tragedy, Ema sees for the first time the tender side of her grandmother, and the reason for the penny-pinching and sternness make sense--her grandmother has been preparing so they could all survive the worst. Dipping and soaring, Somewhere Among is the story of one girl's search for identity, inner peace, and how she discovers that hope can indeed rise from the ashes of disaster.
About the Author
Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu is an American wife of a Japanese national and mother of two bi-national, bi-cultural, bilingual adults. She has lived in a multi-generational home (with her children's grandparents living downstairs) in Japan for more than two decades. Her debut middle grade novel, SOMEWHERE AMONG, is set in Japan 2001. At that time her children were in Japanese public elementary and nursery school. Historical events and tragedies that Japan and the United States have shared as well as details from her family life are woven through the story. References and resources can be found on her author's website. Her blog, Here and There Japan written especially for children, highlights photos and cultural details.BEYOND ME draws from years of following and photographing a neighborhood farmer and her experience of the 2011 earthquakes and aftershocks. She still lives in Tokyo, Japan. She inherited the garden work from Great-grandfather and Grandfather and spends a lot of time gardening. It keeps her grounded.SOMEWHERE AMONG is Donwerth-Chikamatsu's debut novel. Before publication, the manuscript won the 2013 Writers' League of Texas award in the middle grade category and has received these accolades as well:Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year Crystal Kite Award 2017 Freeman Book Award 2017 Writers' League of Texas Book Award 2016Writers League of Texas Manuscript Award 2013
