Somewhere Among (eBook)

In this beautiful and haunting debut novel in verse, called a tender piece on connectedness in a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, a Japanese-American 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 worldsher fathers Japanese heritage and her mothers life in America. Shes spent summers in California for as long as she can remember, but this year she and her mother are staying with her grandparents in Japan as they await the arrival of Emas baby sibling. Her mothers pregnancy has been tricky, putting everyone on edge, but Emas heart is singingfinally, there will be someone else who will understand what its like to belong and not belong at the same time. But Emas 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 her mother grieves for her country across the oceanthreatening the safety of her pregnancyand her beloved grandfather falls ill, Ema 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 senseher grandmother has been preparing so they could all survive the worst. Dipping and soaring, Somewhere Among is the story of one girls search for identity, a sense of peace, and the discovery that hope can indeed rise from the ashes of disaster.