Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen (utgåvan 2017)

Recommended Ages: Gr. 2-5

Plot Summary: Jasmine wants more than anything to help her family make mochi for the New Year. It's a two day process and her grandma comes in from Japan to help make the special treat and celebrate the new year. Her older sister is finally able to help now that she's 10. At 8, Jasmine knows she is ready and waiting two more years with the younger cousins is NOT an option. After much planning, she figures out how she wants to do it. Not working with the girls on rolling the mochi, but working with the boys on pounding the rice. She just needs to build up her arm muscles and convince her family to let her. Will she succeed?

Setting: US

Characters:
has a bully cousin

Recurring Themes: family, New Year, traditions, gender roles, strength, bully

Controversial Issues:

Personal Thoughts:

Genre: realistic fiction

Pacing: quick, medium-low amount of action
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Activity: ( )

What an admirable (and adorable) effort from eight-year-old Jasmine to prove to her family that she is strong enough to pound mochi with the boys. Points for incorporating Japanese American identity and cultural traditions, well-developed characters, and some sibling rivalry/love. ( )

Great book for young readers about bending traditional norms. ( )