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Aiko Cassidy #1
Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible
Aiko Cassidy is fourteen and lives with her sculptor mother in a small Midwestern town. For most of her young life Aiko, who has cerebral palsy, has been her mother's muse. But now, she no longer wants to pose for the sculptures that have made her mother famous and have put food on the table. Aiko works hard on her own dream of becoming a great manga artist with a secret identity.
When Aiko's mother invites her to Paris for a major exhibition of her work, Aiko at first resists. She'd much rather go to Japan, Manga Capital of the World, where she might be able to finally meet her father, the indigo farmer. When she gets to France, however, a hot waiter with a passion for manga and an interest in Aiko makes her wonder if being invisible is such a great thing after all. And a side trip to Lourdes, ridiculous as it seems to her, might just change her life.
Gadget Girl began as a novella published in Cicada. The story won the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award in Fiction and was included in an anthology of the best stories published in Cicada over the past ten years.
When Aiko's mother invites her to Paris for a major exhibition of her work, Aiko at first resists. She'd much rather go to Japan, Manga Capital of the World, where she might be able to finally meet her father, the indigo farmer. When she gets to France, however, a hot waiter with a passion for manga and an interest in Aiko makes her wonder if being invisible is such a great thing after all. And a side trip to Lourdes, ridiculous as it seems to her, might just change her life.
Gadget Girl began as a novella published in Cicada. The story won the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award in Fiction and was included in an anthology of the best stories published in Cicada over the past ten years.
256 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2013
5 people are currently reading
817 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Kamata
43 books301 followersFive-time Pushcart Prize nominee Suzanne Kamata is the author of the memoir Squeaky Wheels: Travels with My Daughter by Train, Plane, Metro, Tuk-tuk and Wheelchair (Wyatt-Mackenzie, 2019); the novels Indigo Girl (GemmaMedia, 2019), The Mermaids of Lake Michigan (Wyatt-Mackenzie, 2017), Screaming Divas (Merit Press, 2014), Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible (GemmaMedia, 2013) and Losing Kei (Leapfrog Press, 2008); and editor of three anthologies - The Broken Bridge: Fiction from Expatriates in Literary Japan, Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs, and Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering (Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing, 2009). Her short fiction and essays have appeared widely. She was a winner in the memoir category of the Half the World Global Literati Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
February 14, 2014
Gadget Girl by Suzanne Kamata is one of the smartest and fun books I’ve read. It’s thoughtful, quirky, and very well-written. It’s told in the first person-perspective of Aiko Cassidy who has cerebral palsy and pursues a dream of becoming a manga artist. I loved Aiko’s voice- perky, creative, at times insecure, at times impatient, all while mixing in teenage angst and questions of identity.
Full review at my blog:
http://tieryas.wordpress.com/2014/02/...
Full review at my blog:
http://tieryas.wordpress.com/2014/02/...
June 9, 2013
I absolutely LOVED Gadget Girl. I read the whole book in one sitting and cried at the end. Such a lovely story with lovely people. I do hope there is a sequel to come because I want to see Aiko visiting Japan for the first time and meeting her biological father and half brother.
August 6, 2014
Although I really liked how it all came together at the end and contemplated that fourth star, and still am, I decided that "liked" is probably a more accurate description of my feelings for most of the read. I wish I could give more details about the ending, but I think it would spoil it for you. One thing I can reveal is that the ending was a pleasant surprise. The main character, Aiko Cassidy, travels to Paris with her artist mother for a summer during much of the book's last half. I really wasn't expecting much from Part Six, the last part, called "Michigan, Again", but, well, I did get a bit teary-eyed and flooded with emotion, damn it, so clearly the various elements built to something rather sublime.
The cover and title may be misleading. This YA novel is not speculative fiction at all. Gadget Girl is the name of a manga that 15 year old Aiko creates in her spare time. It's one of many elements that may endear her story to you, depending on your buttons. Others include: coming of age, artists, mothers and daughters, single-parent families, and cerebral palsy (topics listed under the ISBN number). Obviously I'm a sucker for some of them. Aiko has cerebral palsy. It definitely affected her life and story but without hijacking the narrative completely. That struck me as realistic at times, while at other points I wasn't sure what I thought of the light treatment (but really, I wouldn't know how much cerebral palsy would, could, might color someone's consciousness).
I almost want to say this novel was hyper-realistic, maybe because it was mainly quiet and completely convincing, even when Aiko gets to experience some romance in Paris. It took awhile for me to identify with her, though the book is first person, but when I put the book down for good I felt close to her. Aiko tells us the entire story and her mother often seemed selfish but I felt for her too by the end, caught glimpses of what made her tick. And her father too, a little. Ah, pain. Ah, life. It can be so messy.
The cover and title may be misleading. This YA novel is not speculative fiction at all. Gadget Girl is the name of a manga that 15 year old Aiko creates in her spare time. It's one of many elements that may endear her story to you, depending on your buttons. Others include: coming of age, artists, mothers and daughters, single-parent families, and cerebral palsy (topics listed under the ISBN number). Obviously I'm a sucker for some of them. Aiko has cerebral palsy. It definitely affected her life and story but without hijacking the narrative completely. That struck me as realistic at times, while at other points I wasn't sure what I thought of the light treatment (but really, I wouldn't know how much cerebral palsy would, could, might color someone's consciousness).
I almost want to say this novel was hyper-realistic, maybe because it was mainly quiet and completely convincing, even when Aiko gets to experience some romance in Paris. It took awhile for me to identify with her, though the book is first person, but when I put the book down for good I felt close to her. Aiko tells us the entire story and her mother often seemed selfish but I felt for her too by the end, caught glimpses of what made her tick. And her father too, a little. Ah, pain. Ah, life. It can be so messy.
May 23, 2013
Gadget Girl turned out to be completely different from what I expected. Going in I thought it was going to be about a girl who lives vicariously through the character she has created in her anonymously published manga, Gadget Girl. While this is a partly what happens, it is minor portion of Aiko's story. Aiko is an amazing artist in her own right, but she lives in the shadow of her sculptor mother serving as her inspiration for her art. On first reading, it's hard to see past how Aiko's mother exploits her cerebral palsy and makes her an unlikeable character. Who could do that to their own daughter?
Another layer to this story is Aiko's desire to meet her father. All that she knows is that he is an indigo farmer living in Japan. Anytime Aiko asks her mother about him, she gives vague responses or changes the subject. Why is her mother keeping him a secret? Why haven't they ever met? This too adds to my dislike of the mother. BUT when they get to Paris, this begins to change. And what I think is the major focus of this story reveals itself. Her mother begins to reveal bits about her past. Aiko learns that Paris is where her parents met when she always thought they met in Japan. Secrets and truths are exposed and the mother is no longer the villain that I thought she was. Aiko begins to step out of her comfort zone and live a little - be more than invisible. She doesn't feel so different in a culturally diverse city (much different from her Midwestern town). And the relationship begins to evolve between mother and daughter - Aiko becomes more that just her mother's muse.
Gadget Girl was a delight to read. It was funny and emotional. I would have liked to see some of the graphic art of Gadget Girl the comic. That would have been a nice addition to the story. I haven't read a mother-daughter story in a while and this one was great at showing just how complicated and dynamic those relationships can be. I would definitely recommend this book for mother/daughter book clubs.
Another layer to this story is Aiko's desire to meet her father. All that she knows is that he is an indigo farmer living in Japan. Anytime Aiko asks her mother about him, she gives vague responses or changes the subject. Why is her mother keeping him a secret? Why haven't they ever met? This too adds to my dislike of the mother. BUT when they get to Paris, this begins to change. And what I think is the major focus of this story reveals itself. Her mother begins to reveal bits about her past. Aiko learns that Paris is where her parents met when she always thought they met in Japan. Secrets and truths are exposed and the mother is no longer the villain that I thought she was. Aiko begins to step out of her comfort zone and live a little - be more than invisible. She doesn't feel so different in a culturally diverse city (much different from her Midwestern town). And the relationship begins to evolve between mother and daughter - Aiko becomes more that just her mother's muse.
Gadget Girl was a delight to read. It was funny and emotional. I would have liked to see some of the graphic art of Gadget Girl the comic. That would have been a nice addition to the story. I haven't read a mother-daughter story in a while and this one was great at showing just how complicated and dynamic those relationships can be. I would definitely recommend this book for mother/daughter book clubs.
October 12, 2013
In GADGET GIRL: THE ART OF BEING INVISIBLE Suzanne Kamata skillfully spans three continents and cultures--Japan, United States (Michigan), France--as the main character goes on a search for her identity, the truth about her father, and a quest for love, great food and manga. It's rare that I read a book where there are so many likable realistic characters, yet the plot is so compelling that I was willing to walk in Aiko Cassidy's sensible shoes (she has cerebral palsy) and let her take me anywhere on her adventure. And O la la, what an adventure in Paris and Lourdes!
I can't say enough good things about this literary muli-cultural story. But I don't want to give away any spoilers.
I can't say enough good things about this literary muli-cultural story. But I don't want to give away any spoilers.
June 24, 2013
I received this book in exchange of an honest review and I can say is that I'm very lucky that I had this chance.
Aiko is a fourteen years old girl. She's living with her mother in Michigan and hopes that someday she'll have the chance to met her Japanese father. But Aiko is not a normal girl. She was born with cerebral palsy and because of this a lot of kids from her school laugh of her. But she finds shelter in drawing her own manga, Gadget Girl. The story of her manga took aspects of her real life, a few characters of her story being recalling some of the students from her school.
Her life changes when she's going to Paris with her mother who is a sculptor and Aiko is her muse. There she meets a lot of people but more importantly, she meet Herve, her mother's friend's child who is a waiter at his family's cafe. Herve is the only boy who has ever shown interest for her and from this point she starts to loose herself for the first time.
But there not only that she starts to think of herself of more than she though she was, but also she gets to know details about her father, details that may change her little by little.
I loved this book. The moment I started it I couldn't put it down. It is a beautiful summer reading and not only. This story has everything that a reader need. It is about how life hasn't been fair with any of as but by the end of it we can see the light even in the darkness. That is how Aiko was. She started to see the beautiful in herself, even thought she didn't think it existed.
Aiko is a fourteen years old girl. She's living with her mother in Michigan and hopes that someday she'll have the chance to met her Japanese father. But Aiko is not a normal girl. She was born with cerebral palsy and because of this a lot of kids from her school laugh of her. But she finds shelter in drawing her own manga, Gadget Girl. The story of her manga took aspects of her real life, a few characters of her story being recalling some of the students from her school.
Her life changes when she's going to Paris with her mother who is a sculptor and Aiko is her muse. There she meets a lot of people but more importantly, she meet Herve, her mother's friend's child who is a waiter at his family's cafe. Herve is the only boy who has ever shown interest for her and from this point she starts to loose herself for the first time.
But there not only that she starts to think of herself of more than she though she was, but also she gets to know details about her father, details that may change her little by little.
I loved this book. The moment I started it I couldn't put it down. It is a beautiful summer reading and not only. This story has everything that a reader need. It is about how life hasn't been fair with any of as but by the end of it we can see the light even in the darkness. That is how Aiko was. She started to see the beautiful in herself, even thought she didn't think it existed.
December 20, 2017
I loved the focus on art, ethnic identity, disability, and nontraditional family. Aiko is a talented young mangaka who hides her talent from her mom, a famous artist in the Midwest. Now that she's started puberty, Aiko resents being her mom's model and muse. In a moment of anger she accuses her single mom for exploiting disability for her art, since Aiko has cerebral palsy. Aiko uses very disparaging language to describe her disability (words like gimp) and longs for a cure, but her mom finds beauty in people with disabilities and tells Aiko that she loves her as she is. This novel as at its best when examining this complex mother-daughter relationship and artistic inspiration. I related to it as an artist who is also the daughter/subject of an artist. Kamata writes really well about fine art and manga.
Unfortunately the central story arc veered away from the main point of tension between mother and daughter: Aiko's estranged Japanese father. Aiko longs to visit Japan to meet her biological father, but her mom takes her to Paris instead, where Aiko falls for French boy. I think the book would have been stronger had it been set in Japan instead of France. Paris felt too much like an entertaining diversion, requiring a huge plot twist to justify it. The author, who lives in Japan with her biracial family, clearly knows her adopted country well and the passages about indigo farming were more interesting to me than a touristy summer in Paris. The Japanese part of the story felt under-developed. Perhaps the author is planning a sequel?
Unfortunately the central story arc veered away from the main point of tension between mother and daughter: Aiko's estranged Japanese father. Aiko longs to visit Japan to meet her biological father, but her mom takes her to Paris instead, where Aiko falls for French boy. I think the book would have been stronger had it been set in Japan instead of France. Paris felt too much like an entertaining diversion, requiring a huge plot twist to justify it. The author, who lives in Japan with her biracial family, clearly knows her adopted country well and the passages about indigo farming were more interesting to me than a touristy summer in Paris. The Japanese part of the story felt under-developed. Perhaps the author is planning a sequel?
May 28, 2013
This book got my attention from the very first sentence and ensured my interest throughout. With an unusual main character, a girl with cerebral palsy, this book had a different feel to it unlike books where everyone is perfect from head to toe and insta love happens.
I have never read a manga but the way this book relies on it, I’m tempted to give them a read now. I love how unique the plot was, how different and real the characters.
I immensely loved the emotions this book brought out in me – empathy, sadness, happiness, delight. Oh, the world!
With a powerful background and brilliantly sketched characters, this book had a strong grip on the storyline and the pace, never letting go.
Add in Paris and Japan, and a travel aficionado like me is literally in heaven. Even though there’s not much of travel going around nevertheless I loved the description of places the mother-daughter duo visited in France.
Despite the fact that the book’s main character is a teenager, I believe the plot is more mature and not just YA.
Overall, though this is not my usual kind of read, I immensely enjoyed this book and look forward to more books by Suzanne Kamata.
Read more of my reviews at Reviewing Shelf.
I have never read a manga but the way this book relies on it, I’m tempted to give them a read now. I love how unique the plot was, how different and real the characters.
I immensely loved the emotions this book brought out in me – empathy, sadness, happiness, delight. Oh, the world!
With a powerful background and brilliantly sketched characters, this book had a strong grip on the storyline and the pace, never letting go.
Add in Paris and Japan, and a travel aficionado like me is literally in heaven. Even though there’s not much of travel going around nevertheless I loved the description of places the mother-daughter duo visited in France.
Despite the fact that the book’s main character is a teenager, I believe the plot is more mature and not just YA.
Overall, though this is not my usual kind of read, I immensely enjoyed this book and look forward to more books by Suzanne Kamata.
Read more of my reviews at Reviewing Shelf.
July 17, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story revolves around a teen with a disability who learns how to love herself for her vs. who she feels she should be all set with a mixed family setting, single parent setting, art, creativity, love and living life.
For me this book hit home. I am not a teenager but I became disabled when I was in my early 20's. I also come from a single parent home and I dabble in the arts. To me, this book was a great inspiration.
I do recommend this book for anyone with a disability as I think it would be more treasured for those of us with hardships. Someone in a previous review stated she was looking for a climax. I'd like to point out that learning to live life to one's fullest and being able to be yourself- despite one's disability- is the climax. Only those that have been through this will get this aspect, I think.
For me this book hit home. I am not a teenager but I became disabled when I was in my early 20's. I also come from a single parent home and I dabble in the arts. To me, this book was a great inspiration.
I do recommend this book for anyone with a disability as I think it would be more treasured for those of us with hardships. Someone in a previous review stated she was looking for a climax. I'd like to point out that learning to live life to one's fullest and being able to be yourself- despite one's disability- is the climax. Only those that have been through this will get this aspect, I think.
July 28, 2016
I really loved this book. Not sure why it took me so long to get around to reading it. It made me laugh and cry. Even though it's fairly short, there are some great characters and unexpected twists in it. Also, for me the relationship between the teen daughter and her mother really rang true.
December 15, 2025
read this a while ago and forgot to add it. it was alright.
May 6, 2021
Enjoyed it. Sad/happy. Mostly set in France.
November 13, 2014
[Originally posted on Alexa Loves Books]
Three things about Gadget Girl immediately caught my eye - the cover, France and Japan. Reeled in even further by the promise of a cute contemporary story, I started and finished this novel in a matter of hours. Aiko's tale flows easily from scene to scene, setting to setting, and wraps up with an ending that's perfectly satisfying. If you're on the hunt for cute (and fairly unique) contemporary reads, this might be just the sort of thing you're looking for.
Aiko is the kind of female character I generally love: quirky and unique and all sorts of wonderful. Even though Aiko generally keeps to herself (mostly because of her condition), her thoughts are very entertaining! One of her particularly admirable traits is her dedication to her art, as she consistently works on a manga entitled, you guessed it, Gadget Girl. It's also pretty cool to see how she doesn't let her cerebral palsy get to her when it comes to living her life, as she constantly seems courageous enough to go on a bunch of adventures (particularly when she arrives in France!).
Aiko has always been her mother's muse, since her mom is pretty determined to make the world aware of cerebral palsy through her art. Their relationship is one of the things I liked reading about in the book, because we see both the good parts and the not-so-good parts of it in this book. Aiko's mom is pretty cool and very determined to make her daughter feel normal in spite of the condition (which is what she thinks her art does). It's been Aiko and her mom against the world for as long as Aiko can remember, and that's something that really reinforces their bond. On the not-so-good side, Aiko has issues with her mom constantly using her as a muse. Plus, sometimes, when she gets too into her art, she doesn't necessarily pay very much attention to Aiko or taking care of things (like making sure they're fed properly for instance!). In the end, one thing is clear to us -- Aiko loves her mom, and her mom loves her too.
I enjoyed reading about the other characters, like Whitney (Aiko's best friend) and Herve (a boy Aiko meets in France). But my favorite character has got to be Raoul, who is Aiko's mother's latest boyfriend. He completely won me over with how charming and kind he was to Aiko. It was so fun to read about him being a superb cook, particularly since his food always sounded so delicious!
The setting of this book was also a standout - particularly the parts that were set in France. It was fun to read about Aiko's adventures in Paris, particularly in terms of the food she ate and the places she was able to visit. And she also took a side trip with her mother to Lourdes, which was very interesting indeed as I rarely hear of that setting mentioned in fictional books! I've always dreamed of visiting France myself, so to sort of get the chance to do that was definitely a bonus.
Story-wise, Kamata takes a risk by juggling so many various threads in Aiko's experience. There's the longing she has to meet her father, even though she knows nothing but the most basic things about him. There's the complications of the relationship she has with her mother. Then there's her dream of becoming a manga artist -- if she can manage to be brave enough to reveal that she creates Gadget Girl. And, of course, there's her first experiences with love and romance. Even with all of these things happening to Aiko, Kamata does a great job keeping them all equally balanced in the telling of this story. None of the stories really falter, though I do think the way that certain things ended (particularly the bit with her father) was a bit too neat for my tastes.
My only real reservations about Gadget Girl? I wish I'd felt more connected to Aiko. I did like her a lot, but I wasn't personally invested in her character and remained on the fringes as an observer. I also wish that there had been bits of the Gadget Girl manga included, because it would have been really cool to see the product of Aiko's hard work!
Gadget Girl is really a quick, enjoyable read that will keep you occupied for a couple of hours! I was entertained as I followed Aiko on all her adventures, including when she had her "moment of truth". It's always fun to read an easy, contemporary novel every now and then, and Kamata did a good job with this one!
Three things about Gadget Girl immediately caught my eye - the cover, France and Japan. Reeled in even further by the promise of a cute contemporary story, I started and finished this novel in a matter of hours. Aiko's tale flows easily from scene to scene, setting to setting, and wraps up with an ending that's perfectly satisfying. If you're on the hunt for cute (and fairly unique) contemporary reads, this might be just the sort of thing you're looking for.
Aiko is the kind of female character I generally love: quirky and unique and all sorts of wonderful. Even though Aiko generally keeps to herself (mostly because of her condition), her thoughts are very entertaining! One of her particularly admirable traits is her dedication to her art, as she consistently works on a manga entitled, you guessed it, Gadget Girl. It's also pretty cool to see how she doesn't let her cerebral palsy get to her when it comes to living her life, as she constantly seems courageous enough to go on a bunch of adventures (particularly when she arrives in France!).
Aiko has always been her mother's muse, since her mom is pretty determined to make the world aware of cerebral palsy through her art. Their relationship is one of the things I liked reading about in the book, because we see both the good parts and the not-so-good parts of it in this book. Aiko's mom is pretty cool and very determined to make her daughter feel normal in spite of the condition (which is what she thinks her art does). It's been Aiko and her mom against the world for as long as Aiko can remember, and that's something that really reinforces their bond. On the not-so-good side, Aiko has issues with her mom constantly using her as a muse. Plus, sometimes, when she gets too into her art, she doesn't necessarily pay very much attention to Aiko or taking care of things (like making sure they're fed properly for instance!). In the end, one thing is clear to us -- Aiko loves her mom, and her mom loves her too.
I enjoyed reading about the other characters, like Whitney (Aiko's best friend) and Herve (a boy Aiko meets in France). But my favorite character has got to be Raoul, who is Aiko's mother's latest boyfriend. He completely won me over with how charming and kind he was to Aiko. It was so fun to read about him being a superb cook, particularly since his food always sounded so delicious!
The setting of this book was also a standout - particularly the parts that were set in France. It was fun to read about Aiko's adventures in Paris, particularly in terms of the food she ate and the places she was able to visit. And she also took a side trip with her mother to Lourdes, which was very interesting indeed as I rarely hear of that setting mentioned in fictional books! I've always dreamed of visiting France myself, so to sort of get the chance to do that was definitely a bonus.
Story-wise, Kamata takes a risk by juggling so many various threads in Aiko's experience. There's the longing she has to meet her father, even though she knows nothing but the most basic things about him. There's the complications of the relationship she has with her mother. Then there's her dream of becoming a manga artist -- if she can manage to be brave enough to reveal that she creates Gadget Girl. And, of course, there's her first experiences with love and romance. Even with all of these things happening to Aiko, Kamata does a great job keeping them all equally balanced in the telling of this story. None of the stories really falter, though I do think the way that certain things ended (particularly the bit with her father) was a bit too neat for my tastes.
My only real reservations about Gadget Girl? I wish I'd felt more connected to Aiko. I did like her a lot, but I wasn't personally invested in her character and remained on the fringes as an observer. I also wish that there had been bits of the Gadget Girl manga included, because it would have been really cool to see the product of Aiko's hard work!
Gadget Girl is really a quick, enjoyable read that will keep you occupied for a couple of hours! I was entertained as I followed Aiko on all her adventures, including when she had her "moment of truth". It's always fun to read an easy, contemporary novel every now and then, and Kamata did a good job with this one!
May 15, 2013
Recently I've been really interested in the growing culture of mixed race and the Hapa experience so it was refreshing to read a fiction novel from the perspective of a Hapa protagonist. Aiko is a half-Japanese, half-Caucasian fourteen-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who is being raised in a single parent home. And one of the greatest mysteries of her life is who her father is and the history between him and her mother. Her mother is a well-known sculptor and like her mother, Aiko is also an artist. She is the face behind a small circulating manga called Gadget Girl. She is a character who is caught between wanting to be a famous manga artist and wanting to be shrouded in anonymity, letting her work speak for itself. For years, she has been la muse for her mother's sculptures, however, Aiko is growing tired of being the subject of her mother's art. But when one of those sculptures wins a grand prize, she and her mother get the chance to take a trip to France and Aiko is initially disappointed. She would much rather travel to Japan to visit the manga capital and meet her father. However it is in Paris where she ends up getting a larger dose of perspective than she imagined she would get. Through the help of her friends, the attractive waiter at a cafe in Paris, her family, and her alter ego, Gadget Girl, Aiko learns the importance of having her voice be heard.
Aiko was written to be a very likable character. I admired how self aware and how smart she was for a fourteen year old, and she had a sense of humor about her cerebral palsy which struck me as an uncommon characteristic for kids her age. There were certain moments when I would have liked to really feel the effects of Aiko's cerebral palsy on her, instead of just the occasional reminder of her limp or her crippled hand. It's understood that it makes things difficult for her, and causes her to hold a warped perception of herself, but aside from a couple of awkward interactions there weren't any struggles that translated to me in a way such that I could empathize. Though I liked her character, I wish she would have had a bit more emotional depth.
My only other criticism was how abrupt the ending was. Similar to stopping suddenly in a car, I reached the end and instead of a smooth transition, it just sort of stopped. It was not a bad ending by any means, but I think personally, I was expecting a bit more; something that read more like a conclusion. Instead it was just a compilation of all of the plot conflicts finding their resolution, one after the other and then it just ended.
But the story was very cute. I love seeing growth in characters, especially when it's brought on by self-induced epiphanies. It was easy to read, it wasn't boring and there were cute romantic moments to it. This book is for those readers who appreciate a plot that is more straightforward and doesn't have any convoluted plot twists. It is well-written and clean. I think that Gadget Girl could be popular with and relatable for a lot of young readers.
**
a copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
view the original post on http://inner-aspen.blogspot.com
Aiko was written to be a very likable character. I admired how self aware and how smart she was for a fourteen year old, and she had a sense of humor about her cerebral palsy which struck me as an uncommon characteristic for kids her age. There were certain moments when I would have liked to really feel the effects of Aiko's cerebral palsy on her, instead of just the occasional reminder of her limp or her crippled hand. It's understood that it makes things difficult for her, and causes her to hold a warped perception of herself, but aside from a couple of awkward interactions there weren't any struggles that translated to me in a way such that I could empathize. Though I liked her character, I wish she would have had a bit more emotional depth.
My only other criticism was how abrupt the ending was. Similar to stopping suddenly in a car, I reached the end and instead of a smooth transition, it just sort of stopped. It was not a bad ending by any means, but I think personally, I was expecting a bit more; something that read more like a conclusion. Instead it was just a compilation of all of the plot conflicts finding their resolution, one after the other and then it just ended.
But the story was very cute. I love seeing growth in characters, especially when it's brought on by self-induced epiphanies. It was easy to read, it wasn't boring and there were cute romantic moments to it. This book is for those readers who appreciate a plot that is more straightforward and doesn't have any convoluted plot twists. It is well-written and clean. I think that Gadget Girl could be popular with and relatable for a lot of young readers.
**
a copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
view the original post on http://inner-aspen.blogspot.com
September 28, 2016
As a disabled person, like Suzanne Kamata’s heroine of ‘Gadget Girl’ I also have cerebral palsy and I found this book to be both deeply moving and funny. In Aiko, - the secret manga creator of the novel, Kamata has created one of the few ‘disability heroines’ of the modern age that does not condescend towards disabled people, a character with a disability that is neither an object of pity or hate. I only now wish there was actually a manga called ‘Gadget Girl’ like one envisioned by Aiko. I recommend it to anyone really, but specifically to those that have a physical disability, or are the parent of a disabled person.
May 21, 2013
Read more reviews at my blog, Words and Tea Bottles.
A free e-book version was provided to me as part of the Gadget Girl in You tour.
I was actually pretty excited to read this book. I’m in the target demographic, based on the summary: a fan of anime and manga; when I was younger I even tried to create my own manga, though I haven’t drawn seriously in years. There is very little in books for Americans that involves a main character who’s into this kind of stuff, mostly because I’ve seen firsthand that it’s still considered immature to like anime and manga, even though there is plenty of it that is certainly not appropriate for children. So while it does get points for being original, it wasn’t quite as good as I was hoping it’d be.
I will give Gadget Girl credit: it’s a fast and easy read. Unfortunately, I suspect that’s because it doesn’t have a whole lot of substance. So much happens in the book, and yet none of it is gone into in any significant detail. Most events take up a page or two at most even if they’re supposed to be significant, such as the art gallery opening or Aiko going to Moulin Rouge. I also would’ve liked her reaction to things to be less rushed; when finding things out about her father, the information is dropped in her lap, and she spends all of a few pages feeling bad about it before she suddenly has a revelation. However, Aiko will act the exact same way the next time something goes bad; the boy in Paris, for instance. She’s constantly agonizing over Hervé, thinking he’s not interested or thinking that he already has a girlfriend. She’s so quick to flip out about things right to the very end that it is a bit annoying. It’s understandable because she has self-esteem issues related to her cerebral palsy defects, but the fact that it happens over and over before she finally realizes that Hervé likes her for real and not out of pity seems more like an artificial way to add drama to the plot.
There’s also the fact that while Aiko is always stated to be a huge fan of anime and manga, there are very few examples of her being anything more than a casual fan who knows what are considered the “starter” titles. Sailor Moon and Hayao Miyazaki are mentioned, but even people who aren’t into manga know those, as they’re probably some of the most popular titles in America. There didn’t need to be namedropping everywhere, but I would’ve liked to see some that proves she knows what she’s talking about, or even some titles or manga-ka who’ve influenced Gadget Girl, in story or style.
In the end, I found it to be about average. It wasn’t bad, as I was more than happy to finish it and see how things end up for Aiko. But because of the rushed pace, the unique character attributes of being an otaku and having cerebral palsy don’t raise it to a higher ranking in my mind. If the book had just spent more time on the important events and delved more into how Aiko felt rather than the obvious guilt about holding her mother back, anger that she can’t meet her father, and shame over her defects from her cerebral palsy, it could have been above average.
A free e-book version was provided to me as part of the Gadget Girl in You tour.
I was actually pretty excited to read this book. I’m in the target demographic, based on the summary: a fan of anime and manga; when I was younger I even tried to create my own manga, though I haven’t drawn seriously in years. There is very little in books for Americans that involves a main character who’s into this kind of stuff, mostly because I’ve seen firsthand that it’s still considered immature to like anime and manga, even though there is plenty of it that is certainly not appropriate for children. So while it does get points for being original, it wasn’t quite as good as I was hoping it’d be.
I will give Gadget Girl credit: it’s a fast and easy read. Unfortunately, I suspect that’s because it doesn’t have a whole lot of substance. So much happens in the book, and yet none of it is gone into in any significant detail. Most events take up a page or two at most even if they’re supposed to be significant, such as the art gallery opening or Aiko going to Moulin Rouge. I also would’ve liked her reaction to things to be less rushed; when finding things out about her father, the information is dropped in her lap, and she spends all of a few pages feeling bad about it before she suddenly has a revelation. However, Aiko will act the exact same way the next time something goes bad; the boy in Paris, for instance. She’s constantly agonizing over Hervé, thinking he’s not interested or thinking that he already has a girlfriend. She’s so quick to flip out about things right to the very end that it is a bit annoying. It’s understandable because she has self-esteem issues related to her cerebral palsy defects, but the fact that it happens over and over before she finally realizes that Hervé likes her for real and not out of pity seems more like an artificial way to add drama to the plot.
There’s also the fact that while Aiko is always stated to be a huge fan of anime and manga, there are very few examples of her being anything more than a casual fan who knows what are considered the “starter” titles. Sailor Moon and Hayao Miyazaki are mentioned, but even people who aren’t into manga know those, as they’re probably some of the most popular titles in America. There didn’t need to be namedropping everywhere, but I would’ve liked to see some that proves she knows what she’s talking about, or even some titles or manga-ka who’ve influenced Gadget Girl, in story or style.
In the end, I found it to be about average. It wasn’t bad, as I was more than happy to finish it and see how things end up for Aiko. But because of the rushed pace, the unique character attributes of being an otaku and having cerebral palsy don’t raise it to a higher ranking in my mind. If the book had just spent more time on the important events and delved more into how Aiko felt rather than the obvious guilt about holding her mother back, anger that she can’t meet her father, and shame over her defects from her cerebral palsy, it could have been above average.
July 6, 2013
The subject of artists using their children as their models and muses is a controversial one--just ask Sally Mann, and at first it seems as though this is the topic that will drive Gadget Girl. Suzanne Kamata takes this novel into a whole other arena, and provides a coming-of-age story that will be familiar to her readers, regardless of age or gender.
Aiko is a young manga artist who anonymously writes and distributes her zine series, Gadget Girl, the adventures of a girl who opened her mouth, swallowed a shooting star, and received super-powers. Aiko herself struggles with more than her share of challenges. She is hapa, with a Japanese father whom she never knew, she has an eccentric artist-mother who uses her daughter as the source of her art, and she has cerebral palsy, which renders her left arm useless.
Aiko and her mother are so physically dissimilar that people assume at first sight that they aren't related by blood. Yearning for her lost father, Aiko takes the one scrap of information she has--that he is an indigo farmer--and uses that to foster a dream. She finds an indigo seed which she tends carefully, hoping it will sprout and grow into a mature plant, with leaves that will produce a dye that will turn a white handkerchief "the color of a storm-bruised sky." This she will send to her father, whom her mother has told her, never knew of her existence.
Dreaming of Japan, Aiko is less than thrilled when her mother wins a prestigious French prize and the two of them go off to Paris for the award ceremony. The only bright spot for Aiko is the possibility of going to Lourdes for a miraculous cure of her disease. Paris, however, has other ideas for her.
I rarely read YA fiction but this novel caught me and held me and made me remember how it felt to be young, unaware of who I was and what I had to offer. Although many of us don't have the talent or the challenges that Aiko has, few of us will come away from her story unmoved. This is a book that mothers and daughters can read with equal pleasure, a novel that takes young adult readers skillfully beyond dystopia, zombies, or vampires.
The best books are the ones that draw in readers of all ages, and take an "issue" into the realm of pure, undiluted atory. This is what Suzanne Kamata has done with Gadget Girl. As a writer, I salute her; as a reader I say "More!"
Aiko is a young manga artist who anonymously writes and distributes her zine series, Gadget Girl, the adventures of a girl who opened her mouth, swallowed a shooting star, and received super-powers. Aiko herself struggles with more than her share of challenges. She is hapa, with a Japanese father whom she never knew, she has an eccentric artist-mother who uses her daughter as the source of her art, and she has cerebral palsy, which renders her left arm useless.
Aiko and her mother are so physically dissimilar that people assume at first sight that they aren't related by blood. Yearning for her lost father, Aiko takes the one scrap of information she has--that he is an indigo farmer--and uses that to foster a dream. She finds an indigo seed which she tends carefully, hoping it will sprout and grow into a mature plant, with leaves that will produce a dye that will turn a white handkerchief "the color of a storm-bruised sky." This she will send to her father, whom her mother has told her, never knew of her existence.
Dreaming of Japan, Aiko is less than thrilled when her mother wins a prestigious French prize and the two of them go off to Paris for the award ceremony. The only bright spot for Aiko is the possibility of going to Lourdes for a miraculous cure of her disease. Paris, however, has other ideas for her.
I rarely read YA fiction but this novel caught me and held me and made me remember how it felt to be young, unaware of who I was and what I had to offer. Although many of us don't have the talent or the challenges that Aiko has, few of us will come away from her story unmoved. This is a book that mothers and daughters can read with equal pleasure, a novel that takes young adult readers skillfully beyond dystopia, zombies, or vampires.
The best books are the ones that draw in readers of all ages, and take an "issue" into the realm of pure, undiluted atory. This is what Suzanne Kamata has done with Gadget Girl. As a writer, I salute her; as a reader I say "More!"
September 18, 2013
Fifteen-year-old Aiko lives with her Mum, a sculptor, in the Midwest USA. Aiko is different from the other kids at school; she has never met her Japanese Dad, she suffers from cerebral palsy and her limp has led to harassment by some of her peers. Aiko just wants to be invisible. Her arty Mum is also a bit different, and although she wants the best for Aiko she is rather absorbed in her work and doesn't really cook like other Mums. As well as normal teen issues, like boys and friends, Aiko also has to deal with her Mum's relationships and the possible changes these may lead to in her life.
But she has dreams, she would love to visit Japan and meet her father, so she is learning Japanese, and her passion is to be a Manga (Japanese style cartoon) artist. She has secretly produced her own Manga series about a super hero called Gadget Girl that is proving very popular, but no one suspects she is behind it.
Thinking they are off to Japan for her Mum's work, Aiko is a little disappointed when the trip turns out to be Paris and as she is her Mum's model the spotlight is on her more than she would like. But will Paris and a rather attentive café waiter win her over?
I may not be a teen any more, but I can recall some of what went on in my puberty addled brain and as this book deals with issues I can remember from those years it transported me back to my youth. I found the storyline to be engaging and the book moved at a perfect pace. It was a delight to read, it kept me wanting more and I'm sure it will appeal to young adult readers, especially art loving ones.
But she has dreams, she would love to visit Japan and meet her father, so she is learning Japanese, and her passion is to be a Manga (Japanese style cartoon) artist. She has secretly produced her own Manga series about a super hero called Gadget Girl that is proving very popular, but no one suspects she is behind it.
Thinking they are off to Japan for her Mum's work, Aiko is a little disappointed when the trip turns out to be Paris and as she is her Mum's model the spotlight is on her more than she would like. But will Paris and a rather attentive café waiter win her over?
I may not be a teen any more, but I can recall some of what went on in my puberty addled brain and as this book deals with issues I can remember from those years it transported me back to my youth. I found the storyline to be engaging and the book moved at a perfect pace. It was a delight to read, it kept me wanting more and I'm sure it will appeal to young adult readers, especially art loving ones.
May 10, 2013
Aiko has dreams. She wants to meet her father - an indigo farmer in Japan. She wants to be a mangaka (Manga author) and she wants to be invisible. Or if not invisible, then at least not made fun of for her disabilities.
Gadget Girl, written by a wonderful woman I met in Paris, is a sweet coming-of-age story of a girl growing up in Michigan. Aiko doesn't have it easy. Not only is she one of only a handful of biracial kids in her entire school, AND has cerebral palsy and the use of only one arm, BUT her mother has also used her as a muse for her sculptures which, much to Aiko's chagrin, are becoming world famous. None of these things help Aiko in her quest of remaining invisible and the book deals with her acceptance of who she is and the role she has to play in the world.
I really liked this book. Read it in one day in fact. At times I wished the author would have dug a bit deeper into her world and Aiko's feelings. Quite a few things remained only on surface level and I would have liked to have gone deeper. Especially when it came to the relationship with her father. Because of that, I think this book is more a Middle Grade book than a YA book. But it is one I will be passing on to my own kids. Especially my son whose only dream in life is to go to Japan and become a mangaka. Just like Aiko.
Gadget Girl, written by a wonderful woman I met in Paris, is a sweet coming-of-age story of a girl growing up in Michigan. Aiko doesn't have it easy. Not only is she one of only a handful of biracial kids in her entire school, AND has cerebral palsy and the use of only one arm, BUT her mother has also used her as a muse for her sculptures which, much to Aiko's chagrin, are becoming world famous. None of these things help Aiko in her quest of remaining invisible and the book deals with her acceptance of who she is and the role she has to play in the world.
I really liked this book. Read it in one day in fact. At times I wished the author would have dug a bit deeper into her world and Aiko's feelings. Quite a few things remained only on surface level and I would have liked to have gone deeper. Especially when it came to the relationship with her father. Because of that, I think this book is more a Middle Grade book than a YA book. But it is one I will be passing on to my own kids. Especially my son whose only dream in life is to go to Japan and become a mangaka. Just like Aiko.
May 28, 2013
Read full review at my blog: ReadingToTheStarsAndBack
I can honestly say that I loved this book and that I would read it again. I signed up for the tour a while ago and since then have read many books, so when I opened this one up I had forgotten what is was about. (Love reading books like this!) Judging by the cover, I thought it would be an action/adventure kind of book.
Nope! Not to say that there is no adventure to this book, but that wasn’t the focus. Aiko has cerebral palsy but loves to draw and write her own comic books. I’m not really a manga fan, so this part kinda flew over my head, but I got the idea! Gadget Girl, the heroine of her comic books, is basically everything Aiko isn’t. She has super-human strength and extreme precision, and is perfect in every way.
I loved how Aiko was cheerful all through the book, she didn’t mope around all the time. True enough, she had her moments, but it wasn’t a total mope-fest.
I can honestly say that I loved this book and that I would read it again. I signed up for the tour a while ago and since then have read many books, so when I opened this one up I had forgotten what is was about. (Love reading books like this!) Judging by the cover, I thought it would be an action/adventure kind of book.
Nope! Not to say that there is no adventure to this book, but that wasn’t the focus. Aiko has cerebral palsy but loves to draw and write her own comic books. I’m not really a manga fan, so this part kinda flew over my head, but I got the idea! Gadget Girl, the heroine of her comic books, is basically everything Aiko isn’t. She has super-human strength and extreme precision, and is perfect in every way.
I loved how Aiko was cheerful all through the book, she didn’t mope around all the time. True enough, she had her moments, but it wasn’t a total mope-fest.
December 18, 2013
A great read for cross-cultural teens! This novel tells the story of Aiko Cassidy, fifteen-year-old daughter of an American mother and a Japanese father she has never met. Growing up in Michigan with cerebral palsy, Aiko tucks her wishes for acceptance and control into a manga series that she creates and distributes anonymously. Then her mother wins a prize for sculpture that takes them both to Paris and brings encounters with their past. Aiko meets a handsome French waiter and, in a visit to Lourdes, questions whether she would change who she is given the chance.
Gadget Girl pulls together a whirlwind of places and themes: Michigan, France, Japan, cerebral palsy, manga, sculpture, film, out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Cross-cultural kids know this crazy influx of influences. They live it. Suzanne Kamata captures it masterfully. I regularly recommend this title to globally mobile parents and teens.
Gadget Girl pulls together a whirlwind of places and themes: Michigan, France, Japan, cerebral palsy, manga, sculpture, film, out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Cross-cultural kids know this crazy influx of influences. They live it. Suzanne Kamata captures it masterfully. I regularly recommend this title to globally mobile parents and teens.
June 17, 2015
There are two kinds of books that I rate five stars: books I will read over and over again even if I'm unsure of their merit, and books that I think are just that good.
This book is just that good. Ms. Kamata handles a lot of issues (missing dad, physical limitations, inter-racial identity) in the course of her book, but they manage not to be the focus. Even the art/manga part of the setup, while a really enjoyable direction, doesn't overpower the plot. Basically, this is a book about a young girl navigating her world and her relationships with parents, peers and of course boys, as well as coming to terms with her value as well as her limitations.
Compare to the Princess Diaries, but with less intrusive pop references and more focus. I may not re-read this with the popcorn comfort that I return to the Princess Diaries but it moved me and made me cry and never once did I want to shake some sense into the protagonist.
This book is just that good. Ms. Kamata handles a lot of issues (missing dad, physical limitations, inter-racial identity) in the course of her book, but they manage not to be the focus. Even the art/manga part of the setup, while a really enjoyable direction, doesn't overpower the plot. Basically, this is a book about a young girl navigating her world and her relationships with parents, peers and of course boys, as well as coming to terms with her value as well as her limitations.
Compare to the Princess Diaries, but with less intrusive pop references and more focus. I may not re-read this with the popcorn comfort that I return to the Princess Diaries but it moved me and made me cry and never once did I want to shake some sense into the protagonist.
February 4, 2014
Once I really got going with this book, I could not put it down. It bumped aside my other reading at the time until I finished. This is a YA book, but it's a very good one. The author is a close friend of mine, but I can say, objectively, that this is an excellent piece of work. Suzanne Kamata has strong literary sensibilities and instincts. She weaves smart writing with a very well-told and well-crafted story. The book is also open ended and could enjoy a second volume. Bravo!!
April 2, 2013
Aiko Cassidy is half Japanese, but she's never known her father, who is an indigo farmer in Japan. But she wants to meet him someday, and so she eagerly consumes every bit of Japanese culture that she can, especially if it's got to do with manga... Full review on Finding Wonderland: http://writingya.blogspot.com/2013/03...
October 9, 2013
This is a powerful book. I had no interest in reading it, as such, just reading the blurb on the page, but I bought it for my niece and thought I'd read it before sending it off. I'm glad I did now. I felt my way emotionally through the book; I couldn't put it down.
October 20, 2014
My review of Kamata's wonderful YA novel, an important contribution to children's literature:
http://www.themomegg.com/themomegg/Bo...
http://www.themomegg.com/themomegg/Bo...
June 5, 2013
I loved this book! Aiko is a great character, and the story is wonderful.
July 3, 2017
My thoughts about Gadget Girl: The art of Being Invisible
I picked this book out while I was in the library along East 177th Street. I really thought that this story was going to be about a girl that loves manga a lot that she makes her own comic about an extraordinary girl that goes off to save the lives of other people along the way. The fact that Aiko has her childhood friend Whitney shows the fact that she has a person that would never think of betraying her. But as I read through the first few pages, I noticed something different in the sense that it was really about a Japanese girl that has cerebral palsy.
This really connects to me personally because my first pediatrician believed I had that. It was only later before I began to speak that my second pediatrician diagnosed me as being autistic. At that time, I was mute. I tended to point to the things I wanted and my mom would get it for me. I later developed a stammering problem that has remained with me. There were a lot of things that my parents, teachers, even the custodians from my time in Helen Keller knew I was scared of, including my dad's friends and a matron that I had. Before I began to speak, I had a difficult time trying to converse with other people. Two of my childhood friends from Tremont Park only knew these things about me during my fourth grade.
I only found out from my mom not too long after I first took the PATH train with her that I was actually on a bus with her to a Cerebral Palsy institute. This was something that I never really knew before then. It also contained dialogue about a sweet fifteen that Aiko had which did not go really well because she found out how her grandmother did not want her father to have anything to do with a foreigner and her granddaughter. I felt that was really mean because my grandmother in Nigeria embraced me and even went as far as to encourage me to eat more food.
The fact that I noticed Aiko finally embrace her mother's boyfriend shows that she is willing to accept him for the Spanish guy he is. Everything about it was just unexpected. Her relationship with her mom is very special in the sense that she has to take the heat of everything just to be with her, unlike my parents that decided they were going to do this together for me for my sake. As a result, I saw her grandmother as evil and her real dad as not being able to bring himself to change his mother's mind. The fact that Aiko finds out she has a brother in Japan from her stepmom that she never met only begins to show what her grandmother was really like. When Aiko's mother really begins to see the fact that Aiko is really talented in creating manga, she begins to change in the sense that she encourages her to continue what she does.
This book is really well done overall in the sense that it tells the story of growing up and the fact that her mother is beginning to let her go to wherever she wants, even if it was only for a night.
I picked this book out while I was in the library along East 177th Street. I really thought that this story was going to be about a girl that loves manga a lot that she makes her own comic about an extraordinary girl that goes off to save the lives of other people along the way. The fact that Aiko has her childhood friend Whitney shows the fact that she has a person that would never think of betraying her. But as I read through the first few pages, I noticed something different in the sense that it was really about a Japanese girl that has cerebral palsy.
This really connects to me personally because my first pediatrician believed I had that. It was only later before I began to speak that my second pediatrician diagnosed me as being autistic. At that time, I was mute. I tended to point to the things I wanted and my mom would get it for me. I later developed a stammering problem that has remained with me. There were a lot of things that my parents, teachers, even the custodians from my time in Helen Keller knew I was scared of, including my dad's friends and a matron that I had. Before I began to speak, I had a difficult time trying to converse with other people. Two of my childhood friends from Tremont Park only knew these things about me during my fourth grade.
I only found out from my mom not too long after I first took the PATH train with her that I was actually on a bus with her to a Cerebral Palsy institute. This was something that I never really knew before then. It also contained dialogue about a sweet fifteen that Aiko had which did not go really well because she found out how her grandmother did not want her father to have anything to do with a foreigner and her granddaughter. I felt that was really mean because my grandmother in Nigeria embraced me and even went as far as to encourage me to eat more food.
The fact that I noticed Aiko finally embrace her mother's boyfriend shows that she is willing to accept him for the Spanish guy he is. Everything about it was just unexpected. Her relationship with her mom is very special in the sense that she has to take the heat of everything just to be with her, unlike my parents that decided they were going to do this together for me for my sake. As a result, I saw her grandmother as evil and her real dad as not being able to bring himself to change his mother's mind. The fact that Aiko finds out she has a brother in Japan from her stepmom that she never met only begins to show what her grandmother was really like. When Aiko's mother really begins to see the fact that Aiko is really talented in creating manga, she begins to change in the sense that she encourages her to continue what she does.
This book is really well done overall in the sense that it tells the story of growing up and the fact that her mother is beginning to let her go to wherever she wants, even if it was only for a night.
December 28, 2019
Suzanne Kamata has a biracial daughter and lives in Tokushima, Japan. As I am also the mother of a biracial Japanese/Midwest white daughter growing up in the USA, I opened this book wanting to find a story that explores the sometimes tricky emotional experience of biculturalism.
I was not disappointed. Aiko Cassidy lives in a small Michigan town with her artist mom. She never knew her father, and only knows him as an indigo farmer from shikoku through stories from her mom. She doesn't sit with the jocks and cheerleaders at school-- not only is she one of only a few visible Asians at her school she also has a lame leg-- and her best friend is a girl obsessed with movies and old Hollywood.
But now her mom has a new boyfriend, one who is a decent cook and doesn't seem freaked out by Aiko's disability, and her manga, Gadget Girl, about a girl who saves a cute looking boy over and over is getting more fans, and her mom has just won an art prize off of sculptures featuring Aiko as the model and is taking them to Paris for a month.
Aiko is not overjoyed to go. Not only because of leaving her friend, but also because she doesn't actually enjoy the role of cute daughter with a disability that she must play whenever she goes to her mom's art events.
Despite her reluctance, she does like Paris, not least of all becasue of a cute waiter at a local cafe who also seems to like her Gadget Girl manga.
Aiko reads a little on the naive side as a 15 year old for me. The problem with writing about 15 year olds is of course realistically depicting their social media use without being boring. This story gets around some of that by putting her best friend in a media black out, but sometimes references to her website visitor count come off as a bit oldfashioned (what about Instagram, etc?) There's also all her daydreams about meeting her father and farming indigo with him, as well as her desire to visit the famously healing waters of Lourdes.
But despite this naivete and innocence, the story's depiction of how Aiko handles her mother's boyfriends, and her wondering about her own background and chagrin at the way her body betrays her etc ring true. There's alot of emphasis placed on how she looks (her lame leg, her differences from her mom). There's also alot of Aiko thinking about being invisible...something I'm wondering if the author's experience with teens in Japan colored too much her approach to depicting an American High School experience.
Still, a worthy addition to bicultural/biracial teen literature.
I was not disappointed. Aiko Cassidy lives in a small Michigan town with her artist mom. She never knew her father, and only knows him as an indigo farmer from shikoku through stories from her mom. She doesn't sit with the jocks and cheerleaders at school-- not only is she one of only a few visible Asians at her school she also has a lame leg-- and her best friend is a girl obsessed with movies and old Hollywood.
But now her mom has a new boyfriend, one who is a decent cook and doesn't seem freaked out by Aiko's disability, and her manga, Gadget Girl, about a girl who saves a cute looking boy over and over is getting more fans, and her mom has just won an art prize off of sculptures featuring Aiko as the model and is taking them to Paris for a month.
Aiko is not overjoyed to go. Not only because of leaving her friend, but also because she doesn't actually enjoy the role of cute daughter with a disability that she must play whenever she goes to her mom's art events.
Despite her reluctance, she does like Paris, not least of all becasue of a cute waiter at a local cafe who also seems to like her Gadget Girl manga.
Aiko reads a little on the naive side as a 15 year old for me. The problem with writing about 15 year olds is of course realistically depicting their social media use without being boring. This story gets around some of that by putting her best friend in a media black out, but sometimes references to her website visitor count come off as a bit oldfashioned (what about Instagram, etc?) There's also all her daydreams about meeting her father and farming indigo with him, as well as her desire to visit the famously healing waters of Lourdes.
But despite this naivete and innocence, the story's depiction of how Aiko handles her mother's boyfriends, and her wondering about her own background and chagrin at the way her body betrays her etc ring true. There's alot of emphasis placed on how she looks (her lame leg, her differences from her mom). There's also alot of Aiko thinking about being invisible...something I'm wondering if the author's experience with teens in Japan colored too much her approach to depicting an American High School experience.
Still, a worthy addition to bicultural/biracial teen literature.
February 19, 2018
Rather disappointing. I DNF'ed this at chapter six--the end of the free Kindle sample.
The writing isn't bad. The character at least has personality. But the beginning is just way too slow. There's no conflict, nothing really to make you want to keep reading. For the premise of the book--going to Paris when she'd rather be in Japan--it doesn't even get mentioned at all during the first six chapters. It's just too slow. And a novel can have a slow beginning and still be good, but there should be some sort of problem for the character to be dealing with. Aiko doesn't really have any problems. She has a good relationship with her mom, her manga is pretty popular (she doesn't want to be outed as the author of said manga, but that wasn't enough of a problem or dire enough to create a situation to make me want to read further. Whereas if someone had actually discovered she was the author of the manga and Aiko was trying to actively prevent her identity from being exposed, that would be more interesting of a situation), she doesn't have any problems at school, and she's not even trying to catch the eye of a guy. She's just too passive, and spends too much time reminiscing about past events rather than letting us experience her life in the here and now, giving us a problem she's trying to solve, letting us become invested in her situation, and I just did not care about her enough to actually want to read further.
The writing isn't bad. The character at least has personality. But the beginning is just way too slow. There's no conflict, nothing really to make you want to keep reading. For the premise of the book--going to Paris when she'd rather be in Japan--it doesn't even get mentioned at all during the first six chapters. It's just too slow. And a novel can have a slow beginning and still be good, but there should be some sort of problem for the character to be dealing with. Aiko doesn't really have any problems. She has a good relationship with her mom, her manga is pretty popular (she doesn't want to be outed as the author of said manga, but that wasn't enough of a problem or dire enough to create a situation to make me want to read further. Whereas if someone had actually discovered she was the author of the manga and Aiko was trying to actively prevent her identity from being exposed, that would be more interesting of a situation), she doesn't have any problems at school, and she's not even trying to catch the eye of a guy. She's just too passive, and spends too much time reminiscing about past events rather than letting us experience her life in the here and now, giving us a problem she's trying to solve, letting us become invested in her situation, and I just did not care about her enough to actually want to read further.
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