Chapter Book 4

Author	Cynthia Kadohata
Title	Weedflower
Illustrator	N/A
Readability Score	Grade level equivalent:  5.3 Lexile Measure: 750L Guided Reading: U
Genre	Fiction
Subgenre	Historical Fiction
Theme	This book emphasizes the importance of persevering in the midst of uncontrollable life circumstances.
Primary and Secondary Characters	Sumiko, Auntie, Uncle, Jichan, Tak-Tak, Bull, Ichiro, Melrose, Sachi, Mr. Moto, Frank, Miss Kelly
Award(s) date of publication	2006
Publishing Company	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
ISBN Number	0-689-86574-0
Brief Summary	After her parents die in a car wreck, Sumiko and her little brother Tak-Tak move in with Auntie, Uncle, grandfather Jichan, and cousins Bull and Ichiro on their flower farm in California.  Twelve year old Sumiko and her family are Nikkei (of Japanese descent living in America).  The story takes place during World War II.  Since Sumiko is the only Japanese American girl in her class, she often struggles with loneliness.  However, when her classmate Melrose invites her to a birthday party, Sumiko can hardly contain her excitement.  That is until she is escorted out of the party immediately after arriving due to the fact that she is Nikkei.  A few days later, Pearl Harbor is bombed and Sumiko’s life is forever changed.  Uncle and Jichan are taken to a prison camp within a few days of the bombing due to the government’s fear that they may be spies or loyal to Japan.  Shortly after, the rest of the family is forced to sell their belongings and the flower farm and are ordered to go to an internment camp in Poston, Arizona.  Once in Poston, Sumiko tries to make a permanent life for herself along with the other Japanese Americans.  She particularly enjoys planting flowers with her neighbor, Mr. Moto.  Sumiko even makes her first friend, Sachi.  While wandering around with Sachi, Sumiko meets Frank, a Native American boy close to her age.  Frank reveals that the internment camp is on Native American tribal land.  Despite their rocky start, Frank nicknames Sumiko Weedflower, and the two form and unlikely friendship until they are forced to part ways.
Picture of book cover
Description of how you would use book with students	I would use this book in literature circles and book clubs as part of a text-set along with other stories about the Indian Removal Act, slavery, and the Civil Rights Movement.  The mature subject matter of the book would lead to deep, meaningful discussions about America’s struggles with equality.