Himawari House
Biracial (Japanese/white) Nao moved to the United States from Japan as a young child. As a new high school graduate, Nao returns to Japan to reconnect with the language and culture of her birth. Spending a gap year at Himawari Sharehouse and attending language school is an immersive experience, rooted in Nao’s longing to feel truly Japanese. Her housemates, Hyejuno (Korean) and Tina (Singaporean), and Japanese brothers Shinichi and Masaki, each have their own distinctive stories, while the believable friendship that develops among the group feels authentic to their age and experience. Nao’s year in Tokyo is filled with shared meals, television drama viewing, language school stress, late night conversations, and a romance. It’s also marked by her expanding Japanese language skills and growing sense of belonging. The graphic novel format is well suited to incorporating the range of languages spoken (English, Japanese, Korean, and Singlish) in predominantly bilingual speech bubbles, while also giving visibility to accents, mispronunciations, and moments of incomprehension. An Author’s Note addresses the inclusion of accents and mispronunciations, acknowledging their historically stereotyped use as comic relief in one-dimensional characters. Her intent here was to create “fully actualized, three-dimensional” characters whose accents are “not a point of shame but a point of pride, because after all, what is an accent but proof of the ability to speak more than one language.” Her success extends to visual depictions: the well-developed characters are always clearly identifiable in the finely crafted illustrations, which also deftly convey memories and emotions.
Illustrated by Harmony Becker
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 13 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Graphic Novel
Subjects:
Asian Americans
Friendship
Identity
Japanese and Japanese Americans
Japanese Language
Koreans and Korean Americans
Love and Romance
Multiracial Characters/Families
Singaporeans and Singaporean Americans
Travel
Diversity subject:
Asian
Publishers:
First Second, Roaring Brook
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 374
ISBN: 9781250235565
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 741.5 Becker