Sumiko, the protagonist in Weedflower, by Cynthia Kadohata, is twelve years old and a Japanese American. Before the story begins, Sumiko’s life is turned upside down by the death of her parents and just as she is beginning to settle into her new life, Pearl Harbor is bombed. Japanese-Americans are regarded as enemies inside the United States. The family is broken up and sent to two different internment camps, resulting in Sumiko residing on a Reservation. Sumiko learns how to find the joy of little things in difficult situations. Throughout the story, readers experience a variety of different emotions, whether they are despair and sadness, or joy and peace, they each convey a deeper meaning and lend useful life lessons.
This book is definitely a good choice for a 6-8th grade classroom. Early in the novel Sumiko is invited to a white classmates’ birthday party and is subsequently asked to leave because of her race. This provides a great opportunity for discussion about cliques, inclusion, racism, and stereotyping. I highly recommend this book, especially for girls, but it would definitely be enjoyable for boys as well. Weedflower may be best taught in concordance with a Social Studies Unit on WWII.
Kadohata, Cynthia. Weedflower. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006.
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