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I Wanna Be Your Shoebox
Because Yumi RuIz-Hirsch has grandparents from Japan, Cuba, and Brooklyn, her mother calls her a poster child for the twenty-first century. Yumi would laugh if only her life wasn't getting as complicated as her heritage. All of a sudden she's starting eighth grade with a girl who collects tinfoil and a boy who dresses like a squid. Her mom's found a new boyfriend, and her ...more
Hardcover, 208 pages
Published
July 29th 2008
by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
(first published January 1st 2008)
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Reviewed by JodiG. for TeensReadToo.com
Everybody has one perfect moment in time upon which they will someday look back and think, "that was when everything changed." For Yumi Ruíz-Hirsch, that moment is here.
Yumi lives in a perfect cross-blend of cultures and ethnicity that make her so identifiable to teenagers today. What is there in the world that can't be tackled by a part-Jewish, part-Cuban, part-Japanese, American girl? Plenty.
First of all, Yu...more
Everybody has one perfect moment in time upon which they will someday look back and think, "that was when everything changed." For Yumi Ruíz-Hirsch, that moment is here.
Yumi lives in a perfect cross-blend of cultures and ethnicity that make her so identifiable to teenagers today. What is there in the world that can't be tackled by a part-Jewish, part-Cuban, part-Japanese, American girl? Plenty.
First of all, Yu...more
"I wanna be your shoebox" is a wonderful book. The plot revolves around Yumi Ruiz-Hirsh, a twelve year olf that is half Cuban, quarter Jewish, quarter Japanese and some Guatemalan thrown in there. She is a surfer, plays the clarinet, loves Mozart, the Ramones and punk music and lives in California. Needless to say, she has an interesting background. Her parents are divorced and her mom is a somewhat famous writer and her father plays in a band and tunes piano as a side job.
Yu...more
Yu...more
Yumi's dad is half Japanese and half Jewish; her mom is Cuban. She is like no one she has ever met. But she fits in fine at school with her musician friends in the orchestra, which is all well and good, until the school announces that there is no longer a budget for the orchestra and it will be disbanded. To make things worse, Yumi's grandfather has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and her mother's boyfriend is cramping her style. Yumi, however, has a few plans. For one thing, if she is going...more
Christina Garcia seems to have created the ultimate in non-didactic multicultural literature in the central character of her novel I Wanna Be Your Shoebox. Yumi Ruiz-Hirsch is part Cuban, part Japanese, and part Jewish. But she is also part musician, part surfer, and part historian. Yumi's eighth grade year seems to be more than a little filled up. Within the span of a few months, she has found out that her school will be cutting her beloved orchestra from its budget, her mother is remarrying, a...more
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I liked this book a lot more than I thought I was going to. It's about a multiracial girl (part Russian Jew, Japanese, Guatemalan, and Cuban) who's having a hard time in life. Her parents are divorced, her dad's depressed, her mom's got a new boyfriend, they're getting kicked out of their beachfront apartment, her grandfather is sick, one of her guy friends has a crush on her, and, to top it all off, the orchestra she plays in at school is getting cut. The author ably weaves these different t...more
I Wanna be Your Shoebox is a great book about a girl named Yumi Ruiz going in to eighth grade with a lot of crazy things happening in her life. Her grandfather is dying, her mom has a new boyfriend , and her dad is struggling with his music career. She also has many other difficult things to deal with. The book is mainly about Yumi trying to deal with all of the issues in her life.
I absolutely loved this book. It first drew me in because I could really relate to Yumi. This book really cha...more
I absolutely loved this book. It first drew me in because I could really relate to Yumi. This book really cha...more
Sweet book about a girl from a super-multi-culti background with super-diverse interests (classical music! punk! surfing! family history!). Yumi's beloved dying paternal grandfather is a Brooklyn Jew; her grandmother's Japanese, and her family on her mom's side is Cuban. The super-crammed plot is about Yumi trying to save her school orchestra, cope with her depressed songwriter dad and about-to-remarry mom, deal with boys, wrap her brain around an impending move, process her grandfather's mortal...more
this book is kind of the perfect little-bit-of-everything read. thirteen-year-old yumi ruíz-hirsch is part cuban, part japanese, part jewish, part punk rock, part classical, part surfer, part vegetarian, part activist, and part historian. what could be a didactic nod to multiculturalism and liberal ideals is so much more. it is about family and music and moving and divorce and friendship and crushes and death and coming of age. occasionally the narrative gets a little overwhelmed with all the di...more
Thirteen-year-old Yumi fits the bill as a thoroughly modern, Southern California surfing, multi-cultural teen. She lives with her Cuban mom and sees her Japanese-Jewish dad often. He's a struggling punk-rock musician still waiting for his big break. Through talks with her grandfather, Yumi comes to some understanding about family issues. The music theme is continues with a story line around Yumi's orchestra (she plays the clarinet). The story lines tie up niecely in this humorous, yet thoug...more
Yumi's family members are various kinds of unconventional, and she's not exactly ordinary herself: a preteen classical clarinetist and surfer who is learning about LIFE in big ways.
Nothing extraordinary here except the extraordinary ways "real people" are human and live life. And that's more than enough.
The writing moves smoothly from Yumi's Brooklyn-Jewish grandfather's tales of his life to Yumi's own struggles with her parents to conversations with her school ...more
Nothing extraordinary here except the extraordinary ways "real people" are human and live life. And that's more than enough.
The writing moves smoothly from Yumi's Brooklyn-Jewish grandfather's tales of his life to Yumi's own struggles with her parents to conversations with her school ...more
Even though this book doesn't have much of a plot, it hangs together anyway. The narrator is someone I want to get to know better, so I keep reading. Her life is interesting and believable--her parents are divorced, her dad is depressed, her school's orchestra is being dropped because of budget cuts, she likes a boy who isn't interested in her, etc.--but she's not living in a storybook world. It's very much twenty-first-century southern Cal. It works well.
Excellent book to tie in with an oral history project.
Realistic fiction tied into some historical (all the stories her grandfather tells her). I do think anyone reading this would have to have at least some background knowledge of what it might "mean" to be a Russian Jew, Japanese (immediately post WWII), or Cuban to really understand some of it.
Which might leave kids out. But all in all, good book.
Realistic fiction tied into some historical (all the stories her grandfather tells her). I do think anyone reading this would have to have at least some background knowledge of what it might "mean" to be a Russian Jew, Japanese (immediately post WWII), or Cuban to really understand some of it.
Which might leave kids out. But all in all, good book.
Yumi is not your average teen. Her parents have been divorced for a while; her mom, a Cuban author, her dad, the punk rocking son of a Japanese mom and New York Jewish dad. Yumi's on a search to find out who she is: is she her heritage? is she a clarinet player? a surfer? a conductor? a daughter? a granddaughter? a traveler? a runaway? a friend or GIRLfriend? Find out along side Yumi as she listens to the stories of her dying grandfather's life, as she supports her dad's punk rock career, learn...more
Well-done, quick read about a multicultural California girl and the changes she faces as she turns 13. Her mom is getting serious with a boyfriend, her grandpa is dying, and her school orchestra is being shut down! Might be too slow for some middle-schoolers (the parts of grandpa narrating the story of his life are great but maybe not for kids who love "ACTION") but hopefully the surfing and music stuff will keep them going through this one.
Well-written with a super endearing main character. Yumi is part Cuban, part Japanese and part Russian Jew, but this book isn't really about that...it's more to do with her relationships with her family, friends, and how the heck to save the school orchestra. Although I really liked this book, I have a feeling this may be one that appeals more to adults than to kids.
Very sweet story from an author I adore. Yumi is a junior high girl dealing with the news that her beloved grandfather is dying, her orchestra program has been canceled and needs saving, and her mother is planning to get married. Sometimes, your shoebox gets a little too full. I immediately encouraged my 6th-grade daughter to read it.
I loved the feel of this book. It was contemporary and memoir-ish at the same time. The relationship between the girl and her dying grandfather is precious and deals with death matter-of-factly. I loved the grandfather's tone and way of speaking, the way he jumps around in his memory as he tells his granddaughter his life story.
I guess I'll add Yumi to the list of characters I've gotten to know this summer. The book was fun and light. There's something to be learned. I enjoyed the emphasis on family. Saul telling Yumi his life story and what that meant to him. And of course along the way Yumi learned a little something about herself.
In this book,the character Yumi is strong because she goes through many changes in her life like her grandpa dying and her moving.She doesn't like this change.Yumi handles this kind of badly but survives the prblems.I would recommened this book to anybody because it can prbably relate to anybody.
Yumi Ruiz-Hirsch is a clarinet-playing, punk-rock-loving surfer girl trying to keep her school's orchestra alive, and listening to her grandfather Saul's life story. Nice middle-school read.
One of the first I've ever read that deals with issues of being multi-racial and multi-religious - a more and more common experience, but grounded in a strong story, great characters and lots to make it a wonderful read!
I am not a big fan of realistic fiction, but I enjoyed this one. When I finished though all I could think was, "this is the most well adjusted 13 year old around."
this book is about life and how nothing stays forever
Sweet, funny story about family and big changes in one punk-rock-loving surfer girl's life.
It was okay, but I found myself waiting for it to be over. The reader read too fast and mispronounced a lot of words.
It took me a little but to get into the story but once I did I really enjoyed the relationship between Yumi and her grandfather.
Currently reading for my monthly book reviews.
If you r wondering, I have not put this book in read because it so awesome ive read 4 times. Read it.
IT IS SUPER BORING!!!!!!!!!
this book shares the viewpoint of Yumi Ruiz-Hirsch, her mother is cuban and her father is japanese on his maternal side and jewish on his paternal side.
This book covers the everyday life of Yumi along with her grandfather's reminisces as he fights cancer. The grandfather's viewpoint contains historical information which I enjoyed.
This book covers the everyday life of Yumi along with her grandfather's reminisces as he fights cancer. The grandfather's viewpoint contains historical information which I enjoyed.
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After working for Time Magazine as a researcher, reporter, and Miami bureau chief, Garcia turned to writing fiction. Her first novel, Dreaming in Cuban (1992), received critical acclaim and was a finalist for the National Book Award. She has since published her novels The Agüero Sisters (1997) and Monkey Hunting (2003), and has edited books of Cuban and other Latin American literature. Her fourth ...more
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“Nobody is ready for death. If you ask Joe Blow on the street, he aint gonna tell you he thinks he'll live forever. But when the end is near you'll realize you've been believing that all along. It's like getting caught with your pants down. That's why you gotta live, little one. Yeah stop and smell them roses.”
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“Before you know it you'll be my age telling your own granddaughter the story of your life and you wanna make it an interesting one, don't you? You wanna be able to tell her some adventures, some excitements, some something. How you live your life, little one, is a gift for those who come after you, a kind of inheritance.”
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