WEEDFLOWER

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kadohata, Cynthia. 2006. WEEDFLOWER. New York: Atheneum Books. ISBN 1416975667

PLOT SUMMARY
Sumiko is a young girl, who was born in America to Japanese parents. When she was young her parents died in a car accident. Leaving her and her younger brother to live with their Aunt, Uncle, Cousins and Grandfather on their flower farm. Sumiko was the only Japanese American girl at her school and felt loneliness and isolation as a result of not having many friends. Life on the farm was happy until the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. Within a few days her Uncle and Grandfather were sent to Prison Camp in the North due to the fact that they were born in Japan. The family burned all of their belongings that would imply that they are loyal to Japan. A few months later the family was evacuated to Arizona.

When Sumiko arrived in Arizona, her life changed. It was hot, very hot. Not at all like the cool southern California weather that she was used to. The family was relocated to a camp that had been placed on an Indian reservation. The transition to the sand and harsh conditions took time to get used to. Sumiko made friends with other children, but had a hard time understanding how the children did whatever they wanted, often not listening to their parents. She also became friends with an Indian boy who was interested in learning about irrigation. Sumiko’s neighbor planted a garden complete with flowers thanks to Sumiko who had brought carnation seeds. When the time comes to leave Sumiko is sad to leave her friends and the place she called home in the middle of the desert.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This is an incredible story of how a young girl finds happiness during a sad and uncertain time in her life. The character is developed to become a young girl finding her way during a time when her family has been placed in a prison camp because they are Japanese descendants. She is not bitter or angry, but she is lonely. Loneliness and boredom can be powerful and cause you to lose focus. The reader is taught that anything is possible, even in the harshest of conditions. Sumiko helped her neighbor build a beautiful garden by willingly helping to transport water to the site. What resulted was a garden that she was proud of and it kept her and her mind busy during a time in which there was little to do. She found peace in the structure of the camp, and was unhappy to leave and face a future of uncertainty that came with moving.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Reviewed in School Library Journal: “Kadohata brings into play some complex issues, but they realistically dovetail with Sumiko’s growth from child to young woman”
Reviewed in Publishers Weekly: “Kadohata clearly and eloquently conveys her heroine’s mixture of shame, anger and courage. Readers will be inspired…”

CONNECTIONS
*Invite students to write a story about how life was different during World War II.
*Other books by Cynthia Kadohata:
Kadohata, Cynthia. KIRA-KIRA. ISBN 0689856407
Kadohata, Cynthia. CRACKER!: THE BEST DOG IN VIETNAM. ISBN 141690638X