Kristen's understanding of Second Half of Weedflower

At the beginning of the book, I had a hard time getting into it but once I get going I really enjoyed it. I found myself reading it whenever I had a spare chance to find out what Sumiko was doing. I think that Sumiko  was such a sweet and very strong little girl. She always took good care of her brother, Tak-Tak. I thought it was sweet how they had a blanket separating Tak-Tak and Sumiko room and they would leave it open when Tak-Tak was scared and when Sumiko would take Tak-Tak's glasses off for him every night. I am an animal lover and I was so sad to read about the children killing the chicken and when they had to leave behind their neighbor's dog and their horse, Baba. Through everything her family went through, she never got down and depressed. I can't imagine being Sumiko and working like she did. Her and her brother lost both of their parents and were taken in by other famiy. Then, when they thought everything was okay again, their uncle and great-uncle were taken away and Sumiko, her cousins, brother, and aunt were forced to leave the home that Sumiko had grew comfortable with Through all of this she never seemed to pity herself. She was so strong through all of this. I was suprised to hear how content everyone was at the camp and the freedom that they did 
have. I thought that they would be completely miserable but they tired to make the best of it by planting gardening and cleaning their barracks. They also had more freedom than I though they would.
I think that this book would be wonderful for 5th-8th grade students to read to understand history. I have never enjoyed history, but this book didn't even seem like history. You, as the reader, felt as if you were right there with Sumiko through everything. This book would hep students to see how hurtful racism can be because the reader 
connects with Sumiko. You don't see her as Japanese or Frank as Indian, you just see them as people. I connected with this book because my grandparents were born in 1934 so they were seven when Pearl Harbor happened. I can't imagine them going through what the family in the story went through. I wish there was a sequel to this book so we could see how Sumiko and her family and friends end up.