Kim/Kimi [Mass Market Paperback]

Hadley Irwin (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

Despite a warm relationship with her mother, stepfather, and half brother, sixteen-year-old Kim feels the need to find answers about the Japanese American father she never knew.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers of Abby, My Love, I Be Somebody and Irwin's other novels will lose themselves in her latest in which she again focuses on serious issues that young people can recognize. Here, 15-year-old Kim Andrews is obsessed by questions about her father, Kenji Yogushi, who died before she was born. Secure in the love of her Irish-American mother, stepfather and little half-brother, Kim still needs to find about her lost heritage. The girl goes in search of the Yogushis to San Diego, despite her mother's sad report, that they had disowned Kenji for marrying against his father's wishes. Kim meets hospitable Japanese-Americans as she carries on her mission and learns how they and their familiesall loyal American citizenswere imprisoned during World War II, after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Gaining understanding of Nisei customs and the injustices endured by her father's people, Kim fears but keeps a meeting with his mother and aunt, climaxing a drama that Irwin spices with naturally amusing episodes. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-12 Because she is Japanese-American and different from her mid-western classmates, teen-age Kim Anderson (nee Kimi Yogushi) is always uncomfortable when the subject of World War II arises. Even though she has a good relationship with her mother, stepfather, and half-brother, she feels that she needs a sense of belonging which she hopes to gain by finding her Japanese father's relatives, who disowned him when he married her mother. (Her father died before Kim was born.) She travels to Sacramento, where, after some research, and with the help of some Japanese-American friends of friends, she arranges a meeting with an aunt and her grandmother. The characterizations are especially good; Kim's realization that she is ``different'' still does not prevent her from having friends. The dichotomy between her Japanese background and American lifestyle and the eventual balance that Kimi achieves between the two is well handled, reflected in part by her initial love of teen romance novels and growing realization that they don't reflect the real world as she understands and accepts more and more of her heritage. The story moves along rapidly. The ending is exceptional because it's not pat; Kimi's grandmother does not immediately accept her. Parts of the book are reminiscent of Lowry's Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye (Houghton, 1978) .Bonnie L. Raasch, C. B. Vernon Middle School, Marion, Iowa
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (October 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014032593X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140325935
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,218,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kim Andrews or Kimi Yogusi, February 22, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Kim/Kimi (Mass Market Paperback)

The book I read is called Kim/Kimi. I rated this book a 4 out of five. I rated it this because it was boring at some parts. I also did because there was not much action until the middle of the book. I liked this book because it was interesting and was something new to read about. It was a good book. It was kind of boring at times but over all I liked it. A good book that has a similar story is The Hiding Place. It's similar because they both talk about concentration camps in them. This book is not as good as the other one but they both are good books. Both of the books take place during World War II. In The Hiding Place, the Nazis lead by Adolph Hitler were discriminating against the Jewish people. In Kim/Kimi the Americans discriminated against the Japanese-American people. Another good book that is similar is Uncle Toms Cabin. It's similar because it's talking about people with a different race and how they were mistreated because of there race or culture. So remember do not judge people because of the way look!!!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Will She Find Them?, March 4, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Kim/kimi (Hardcover)

This book is called Kim/Kimi. I personally thought it was a weird title but you have to know what it is about to relate to it. Kim/Kimi is the main character. Her father died when she was little and she is trying to find about what her father was like. She wanted to know if he had siblings so she could have an aunt or uncle. Her mom remarried and she never talked about her ex. Kim flies to California to look for information. Read this book to find out if she finds him!

I liked this book because it was well written and the author, Hadley Irwin, chose well words to use in his book also. I didn't really care for the end of the book because it was kind of dull and it should have told more of what happened later on. But over all it was an awesome book, and I would recommend this to anyone between the ages of 10-15.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Looking for a good book? Search no more!!, November 26, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Kim/kimi (Hardcover)

Looking For a Good Book? Search No More!

Outcast, weird, different, strange, odd, peculiar. These are the words Kim Andrews uses to describe her self.
In a small town in Iowa lived Kim Andrews (also known as Kimi Yoshugi.) Her father had died before she was born and her mom had remarried. She's a short, Japanese girl with short and straight black hair. Barely anyone at her high school looks like her and her only friend is Jav. She doesn't fit in, she doesn't belong. So she decides the only thing she can do is set out to find her Japanese family and heritage in Sacramento, California.
Kim reached California and met up with Ernie, the son of Barbara, the lady Kim would be staying with. Ernie and Barbara agreed that Kim could do the search by herself, if that's what she wanted.
She goes many places, but the most important is the Bureau of Vital Statistics. She finds out all the information about where her relatives live. I don't want to give too much away, but she does find two of her family members. You'll have to finish the book to see what happens.
This book supports the ideas of believing in yourself, being proud of your heritage and not worrying that you don't fit in. Everyone is special and different in the in their own way. Just because you have a different religion, race or heritage doesn't mean that you're strange or weird.
I liked this book because it was adventurous and funny. Whenever things got too serious, Kim would throw in a joke and it would relieve the stress. It also gives you a different perspective of what a person is feeling. Anyone ages ten to fifteen should buy this book.