A warm-hearted and honest glimpse at living between cultures during 9/11. The poetry's cadence isn't as crisp as other novels-in-verse, but I do very much like the story. ( )

Ema doesn't fit. She's always felt like she didn't belong anywhere---not in her father's Japanese world or her mother's American world. Now she has a chance to have a companion in her doesn't-fit-ness; Ema's mother is expecting a baby. But Ema's mother is having problems with her pregnancy and the family is staying with Ema's grandmother, who Ema has trouble getting along with, and then 9/11 strikes....

A beautifully told story, of finding connection, of adapting to other people, of changing, of finding new ways to relate to others, written in poetry, a perfect choice for this story of a Japanese-American girl and her family. ( )