Thursday, August 25, 2022

Brainstorm 272: Japan Reads


The Seniors at our school are gearing up to host a Japanese-themed Carnival next Saturday and as their supervisor I’ve been finding myself thinking ALL about Japan. So I thought, why not fully embrace Japan on the brain and also do a Japanese-themed Brainstorm this week? I’ve narrowed things down to books by Japanese authors or authors of Japanese descent that highlight what life in Japan is or was like. To help myself further narrow down the list I reserved all the manga to share next week. Click on the titles to see my full review of each book including any content notes/trigger warnings.


The British Museum Haiku edited by David Cobb

The British Museum has compiled a selection of haiku by renowned Japanese poets both ancient and modern, organized them by their seasonal setting (which is traditional for haiku according to the intro), and paired them with Japanese artwork. The result was a very artistically pleasing little book. Whoever paired the poems and artwork did a fantastic job; they complemented each other exceptionally well.

Target Readers:

Poetry Fans, Works in Translation Fans, Art Lovers, Seasons Celebrators, Adult Readers (though approachable to Middle Grade & YA Readers)

 

Drawing from Memory by Allen Say

Picture book author and illustrator Allen Say illustrates an autobiography describing his childhood in Japan and path to becoming an artist. There’s a sequel that talks about his move to America as an older teen.

An eye-opening look at what life was like for Say as a child. The way he was tutored by a popular Japanese cartoonist was fascinating. The book looks like a picture book, but the layout is often more graphic novel-like and blends real photographs with illustrations.

Target Readers:

Autobiography Fans, Graphic Novel Fans, Art Lovers, Japanese Culture Studiers, Japanese History Buffs, Nonfiction Fans, Upper Middle Grade/Young Adult Readers

 

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder

An aging math professor with brain trauma-induced memory issues and a housekeeper and her son are forever changed when an agency pairs the housekeeper to work for the professor. 

A sweet story of the healing and blessings friendship can bring.

Target Readers:

Contemporary Fiction Fans, Translated Fiction Fans, Feel Good Story Fans, Math Lovers, Intergenerational Friendship Story Fans, Adult Readers (though approachable to YA and even high reading Middle Grade readers)

 

I Really Want to See You, Grandma by Taro Gomi

Yumi really wants to see Grandma. Grandma really wants to see Yumi. But what happens when they both leave to go visit the other at the same time? Will Grandma and Yumi ever meet?

This had a good touch of humor and also featured a variety of transportation methods for kids who love things that go. This was originally written in 1979 in Japanese so kids get a look at what things were like pre-cell phones.

Target Readers:

Humor Fans, Things That Go Fans, Grandma/Granddaughter Story Fans, Translated Fiction Fans, Picture Book Readers

 

The Last Cherry Blossom by Kathleen Burkinshaw

Yuriko is a well-off girl in Hiroshima during WWII. Her father runs the newspaper. She lives with him and her aunt and younger cousin, both of whom she can only tolerate. Her best friend lives just down the street, and they like to listen to jazz secretly together. As 1945 draws closer, a lot of changes are on the way for Yuriko as her father remarries, a deep family secret comes out, and 1945 itself will change all of their lives forever when the bombs fall.

This is biographical fiction heavily based on the author's mother's childhood. The book does a fabulous job of bringing to life what life was like for an average, upper-middle class Japanese girl during WWII.

Target Readers:

WWII Story Readers, Historical Fiction Fans, Biographical Fiction Fans, Survival Story Fans, Middle Grade Readers

 

The Mystery of the Masked Medalist (Kudo Kids, #1) by Maia & Alex Shibutani with Michelle Shusterman

Andy and Mika are super excited to be traveling to the summer olympics in Tokyo with their parents. Their mom is covering events for a sports website, and their dad is a food writer who will be doing a little work too while they are there. Andy and Mika have plans to play an online game that introduces players to various parts of Tokyo while they try to figure out who the former Olympian designer of the game is to win the chance to be beta testers for the Olympian's future video games. Andy and Mika are playing in a team with two friends in California. Andy and Mika will play live, while their friends play in VR. All of them are very motivated to win, but someone is sabotaging the game and stealing clues. Can Andy and Mika figure out who it is and unmask the Masked Medalist? And what is going on with Mika when she isn't playing Masked Medalist?

This is a good mix of tour of Tokyo, description of being at live Olympic events, and a competition mystery.

Target Readers:

Mystery Fans, Contemporary Fiction Fans, Olympics Fans, Travel Story Fans, Sibling Story Fans, Middle Grade Readers

 

Newcomer (Detective Kaga, #2) by Keigo Higashino, translated by Giles Murray

A woman has been murdered and the unassuming Detective Kaga is on the case. But this story is told from the perspective of the people who are interviewed over the course of the investigation. Each of them has little secrets or mysteries that they each have. And one of them is a murderer. Through the points of view of all this disparate people, the course of the investigation slowly comes to light to the reader, and eventually the case is solved.

Hands down one of the most unique and cleverly written murder mysteries I’ve ever read! Don’t worry about jumping into this series at #2, you don’t have to read #1 to understand what is going on.

Target Readers:

Mystery Fans, Contemporary Fiction Fans, Translated Fiction Fans, Adult Readers (though approachable to Young Adult)

 

The Sakura Obsession: The Incredible Story of the Plant Hunter Who Saved Japan's Cherry Blossoms by Naoko Abe

This is both the history of Japan's relationship with cherry blossoms and how it evolved over time (and continues to evolve), and the biography of Collingwood Ingram, a man who in collecting as many varieties of flower cherry trees as he could and talking about them, managed to save several varieties from extinction and encouraged the planting of flowering cherries over several nations.

You would think a book on trees and a man who liked collecting them would have a high probability of being dry as dirt (or bark as it would be), but this was an absolutely fascinating read. Naoko Abe shares that she originally wrote a shorter version of this in Japanese and was asked numerous times to translate it. In order to do so she realized she'd need to explain parts of Japanese culture and history to the English speaking world, so she expanded it for a non-Japanese audience and this is the result. And it is absolutely fascinating.

Target Readers:

Biography Fans, Japanese History Fans, Japanese Culture Studiers, British History Fans, Cherry Blossom Lovers, Botany Enthusiasts, Adult Readers (though approachable to YA Readers)

 

The Star Festival by Moni Ritchie Hadley, ill. by Mizuho Fujisawa

Keiko, her mama, and her Obaasan are getting ready for Tanabata Matsuri, aka Star Festival, in Japan. The dress up in their special summer kimonos and Oba relates the folklore behind the festival to Keiko. They then tie their wishes to the bamboo outside, and go to the festival to enjoy special foods. But when Oba disappears, Keiko recreates events in the folklore to find her grandmother.

This is a cute story of 3 generations celebrating a festival together with illustrations that are absolutely stunning.

Target Readers:

Japan Festival Explorers, Japanese Culture Studiers, Art Lovers, Grandmother/Granddaughter Story Fans, Japanese Folklore Fans, Picture Book Readers

 

While I Was Away by Waka T. Brown

When Waka was finishing up 6th grade, she ignored her mom asking in Japanese for her to help fold laundry. Her mom decided her Japanese must be suffering horribly from life in the US, and so she sets up for Waka to go to public school in Japan for 5 months from the end of 6th grade into her 7th grade year. Waka is horrified. She's going to have to live with her strict grandmother who even adults in the family avoid. She's sure she is going to be horribly behind in reading and writing, and she's afraid she won't have any friends. But as the months progress, Waka finds happy surprises in store, and much to learn from her time in Japan.

An honest memoir of an immigrant kid trying to navigate the tightrope walk between cultures. It is at times bittersweet, but relatable to any expat or immigrant.

Target Readers:

Memoir Fans, Cross-Culture Experience Story Fans, Immigrant Experience Story Fans, Japan History Studiers, Japanese Culture Studiers, Third Culture Kid Story Fans, Nonfiction Fans, Middle Grade & YA Readers




Thursday, August 18, 2022

Brainstorm 271: STEAM Reads

It’s the first Friday of the school year, so the Brainstorm is back from its summer hiatus. For this first Brainstorm of the school year I have some STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) books for you and your student readers. Click on the titles to see my full reviews and any content notes/trigger warnings. 

For those who are new to the Brainstorm this year, a note on some terms used frequently:

Lower Grade= K-3 grade

Middle Grade= 3-8 grade

Young Adult= Teenagers

Book by John Agard, ill. by Neil Packer

Book introduces readers to his earliest origins and many forms, from clay to leaf to skin to paper to digital, and the various cultures who influenced his development. Book also gives readers little history lessons on alphabet origins and other writing and printing tools that have revolutionized his from over the years. And lastly, he gives a little shout out to libraries through time. 

A creative way to teach kids about the history of books over time that is shorter than it looks and acknowledges both Eastern and Western contributions. The only bad thing about it is that the title is notoriously hard to find in a search (search by the author’s name).

Target Readers:

Curious Readers, Nonfiction Readers, History Buffs, Creative Writing Fans, Book Lovers, Reluctant Readers, Middle Grade Readers

 

Built for Speed (Layla and the Bots, #2) by Vicky Fang, ill. by Christine Nishiyama

Layla and the Bots are slotted to perform at a go-kart race. They are excited to watch the race, but find that one of the would-be contestants can't race because she can't use her feet to control the gas and brakes. Can Layla and the Bots modify a go-kart so Tina can race?

I love that Layla and the Bots are helping a girl in a wheelchair get the opportunity to race too. There's some great problem solving of very real engineering issues along the way, and problem solving about how to make the race fair for all after Tina gets this souped up kart. This whole series excellently models empathy, business, invention, coding, and problem solving skills.

Target Readers:

Robot Lovers, Budding Scientists, Graphic Novel Fans, Scifi Fans, Tinkerers, Problem Solving Story Fans, Lower Grade Readers

 

The Crayon Man: the True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons by Natascha Biebow, ill. by Steven Salerno

A picture book biography of Edwin Binney, who led a team to invent the Crayola crayon and bring color to children's everyday drawings.

Biebow did a stunning job in presenting the information that helps readers easily grasp how revolutionary Binney's invention was, the invention process, enough introduction to the time period and major players to easily follow, and doing all that in just a few sentences a page. It's an exceptional picture book biography. And the artwork is fittingly bright and colorful.

Target Readers:

Crayon Aficionados, Art Lovers, Invention Story Fans, Picture Book Biography Fans, Lower Grade Readers

 

Deliciously FoxTrot by Bill Amend

A collection of comics featuring the Fox family's daily nerdy/humorous/realistic antics all throughout the year.

Target Readers:

Comic Readers, Humor Fans, Science/Math Nerds, Scifi/Fantasy Fans, Family Story Fans, Middle Grade through Adult Readers

 

The Gift of Pain by Dr. Paul Brand with Philip Yancey

Dr. Paul Brand grew up in India and England, the son of British Christian missionaries to the mountainous region of India. He was sent to England for schooling, and then he went on to university eventually ending up in the medical field. He finished up his program with the military as WWII hit England, and eventually made his way back to India where he and his wife practiced medicine. Originally a hand surgeon, Brand found himself more and more working with lepers in India and went on to make some revolutionary discoveries about the disease and how to help people live without sensation in their extremities. For decades it was thought that the lost fingers, toes, and noses were just a part of the disease, but Brand discovered all these losses were due to lack of pain receptors. He became a world-renowned expert on working with people who lacked pain messages, and as a by product, had a unique perspective on pain and why pain is not always a bad thing. In working with patients in India and the US, he also had a unique perspective on the role of culture in pain and how we view it.

What a book! With stories that really stick with you, make you think, and amaze, this also reveals just how intricately our bodies are created.

Target Readers:

Autobiography Fans, Medical Case Studies Fans, Medical History Fans, India Setting Fans, Christian Nonfiction Fans, Adult Readers (though approachable to YA)

 

If You Love Robots You Could Be… by May Nakamura, ill. by Natalie Kwee

A leveled reader that gives readers a quick taste of the kinds of things a robotics mechanical engineer, an electrical engineer working with robots, and a systems engineer working with robots would do. The back of the book briefly outlines 5 other occupations that also work with robots.

The book also includes ideas of how kids can try out some of these fields right now.

Target Readers:

Robot Lovers, Curious Kids, Occupation Studiers, Tinkerers, Picture Book Readers 

 

Machines That Think (Big Ideas That Changed the World, #2) by Don Brown

A nonfiction graphic novel that explores the history and development of machines that can perform calculations from ancient times to present and upcoming computers.

The graphic novel format and length are perfect for even kids reluctant to read nonfiction.

Target Readers:

History Buffs, Curious Readers, Tech Lovers, Graphic Novel Fans, Nonfiction Fans, Reluctant Nonfiction Readers, Middle Grade Readers

 

The Woman All Spies Fear: Code Breaker Elizabeth Smith Friedman and Her Hidden Life by Amy Butler Greenfield

A biography of Elizebeth Smith Friedman who became an instrumental code and cipher breaker in the first half of the 20th century, bringing down mob and drug leaders, figuring out WWII secrets, and paving the way for women leaders in the field.

Amy Butler Greenfield did a phenomenal job of presenting Elizebeth's story for teens. It was expertly researched, included lots of photos, and had just the right amount of code breaking details to show Elizebeth's genius without causing readers to get lost in the technical details. I think this was just as good, if not even better than the adult bio I read on this amazing woman.

Target Readers:

Spy Story Fans, Biography Fans, Code & Cypher Fans, Curious Readers, History Buffs, Nonfiction Fans, YA & Adult Readers (though approachable to high reading Middle Graders)