The Imp That Ate My Homework

by Laurence Yep, Benrei Huang (Illustrator)

Jim knows that he can't handle the strange green imp that suddenly enters his quiet life, thus he turns to his grandfather for assistance in the hopes that he can help rid him of this horrible creature. Reprint.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Childrens

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Born June 14, 1948 in San Francisco, California, Yep was the son of Thomas Gim Yep and Franche Lee Yep. Franche Lee, her family's youngest child, was born in Ohio and raised in West Virginia where her family owned a Chinese laundry. Yep's father, Thomas, was born in China and came to America at the age of ten where he lived, not in Chinatown, but with an Irish friend in a white neighborhood. After troubling times during the Depression, he was able to open a grocery store in an African-American neighborhood. Growing up in San Francisco, Yep felt alienated. He was in his own words his neighborhood's "all-purpose Asian" and did not feel he had a culture of his own. Joanne Ryder, a children's book author, and Yep met and became friends during college while she was his editor. They later married and now live in San Francisco.

Although not living in Chinatown, Yep commuted to a parochial bilingual school there. Other students at the school, according to Yep, labeled him a "dumbbell Chinese" because he spoke only English. During high school he faced the white American culture for the first time. However, it was while attending high school that he started writing for a science fiction magazine, being paid one cent a word for his efforts. After two years at Marquette University, Yep transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated in 1970 with a B.A. He continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Today as well as writing, he has taught writing and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara.

Reviews

[Cole Meurer]

The Imp That Ate My Homework Summary
The Imp That Ate My Homework by Laurence Yep is a story about a young boy named Jim. Jim is determined to finish his big homework assignment on time, but then a large imp suddenly appears in his room. The imp loves making trouble and eating homework. The imp eats his completed assignment before he can turn it in. Jim tries to deal with the imp on his own, but the creature continues to cause havoc. The imp keeps returning, and Jim finds himself facing the possibility of getting into serious trouble at school because of the imp’s mischievous acts. No one believes his story about the imp. However, Jim tells his grandpa, who is known as the meanest man in town. Grandpa's reputation for being mean makes him seem like the last person who would help in such a situation. But despite his attitude, Grandpa Is wise. When Jim tells him about the imp, Grandpa doesn’t laugh at the story. Instead, he listens and agrees to help. Grandpa uses his wisdom to help Jim come up with a plan to outsmart the imp. With Grandpa's help Jim learns how to handle the imp and locks him away in an ancient vase.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

And that is just the beginning of young Jim's troubles as a newly released imp arrives at his home to harass him and his family. Chinese-American Jim is forced to team up with his Grandpop, the meanest man in China Town, in order to defeat the creature. This is a quick read, geared towards 3rd-5th grade students. Yep is a well-known author of many books featuring Chinese themes and mythology.

[Georgiagirl11 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I cannot rate this book yet because i just started reading it last week.From my point of view it may look like a good book.When I am finish reading my book then maybe i can rate on how good i think it is,but for now we're just going to have to wait!

[Kirstin Baxter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it because a student in my class dared me to, and it was a free book given to me from Scholastic. It is super fast, and it is a creative way to talk about a scenario where your homework actually is in danger of being eaten.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, heartfelt piece about a boy connecting with his grumpy, old-fashioned grandfather. Written for a younger audience, but the grandfather's comment about waiting struck a cord for me.

[Betsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

7 year old liked it!