Mismatch

by Lensey Namioka

Sue Hua just moved from racially diverse Seattle to a suburban white-bread town where she feels like the only Asian American for miles. Then she meets Andy, a handsome and passionate violin player who just happens to be Asian like herself. Sue feels an instant attraction to Andy, and her white friends think they're "made for each other." But there's just one problem. Andy's last name is Suzuki. And while that may mean nothing to the other students at Lakeview High, Sue knows that it presents a world of problems to her family.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Teen, Asian American, China

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 14, 2006

About the author

Namioka was born in Beijing, the daughter of linguist Yuenren Chao and physician Buwei Yang Chao. The family moved often in China. In 1937, the Chaos were living in Nanjing, and fled westward in the face of the Japanese Invasion. They eventually made their way to Hawaii, then Cambridge, Massachusetts. Namioka attended grade school in Cambridge and excelled at mathematics.

Namioka attended University of California, Berkeley, where her father was a professor of Asian Studies. Here she met and married Isaac Namioka, a fellow graduate student in mathematics. The Namiokas moved to Ithaca, New York, where Isaac Namioka taught at Cornell University, and Lensey Namioka taught at Wells College.

In 1959, the Namiokas' first daughter Aki was born, followed by a second daughter Michi, who was born in 1961. The family moved to Seattle in 1963, when Isaac Namioka accepted a position at the University of Washington.

In the 1970s, on a visit to Japan, Namioka visited Namioka Castle. The experience inspired her to learn more about the samurai. This study culminated in The Samurai and the Long-nosed Devils, which was published in 1976. Namioka expanded this book into a whole series of books about samurai. Namioka also wrote a series of books about a Chinese American family named Yang, and several books about young women and girls facing difficult choices.

Lensey Namioka is the only person known to have the first name "Lensey." Her name has an especially unusual property for a Chinese person born in China: there are no Chinese characters to represent it. Lensey's father, Yuenren Chao, was cataloguing all of the phonemes used in Chinese. He noted that there were two syllables which were possible in the Chinese language, but which were used in no Chinese words. These syllables could be written in English as "len" and "sey." His third daughter was born soon after, and he named her "Lensey."

Reviews

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: Seattle, Washington and Tokyo, Japan

Wow, I enjoyed this book! It was a perfect example of a book that can whisk readers away to a different place and make them feel as though they are there. There were also good lessons included throughout about Japanese history, Chinese history, and what can result when people let prejudices against others overtake them.
I highly recommend this to older middle-grade readers, Y.A. readers, and teachers.

Memorable Quotes:
(Pg.45)-“You know how I feel about the Japanese, Sue. I hate the very thought that you’d be breathing the same air as those people.”
(Pg.21)-“The problem is that my family’s from China, and yours is from Japan. Some of my relatives think that makes us enemies.”

[Alyssa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thought this book was pretty stupid, superficial, and unfocused. I read it because I had liked the author's An Ocean Apart, A World Away, but it was nothing like that at all. A waste of time. Don't bother to read it...

[Robbin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whew. Where to even start with this book...

Okay, some good things. Let's go with that. It is a pretty accurate portrayal of (what I feel) anyone from America with absolutely no background on Japan would react. The final couple of chapters tie together the differences between being Asian and American, whether you're Japanese or Chinese or Korean or -- well, come on, I use Asian-American in the broadest sense. It's not like if you're Japanese-American you feel the distance between the two cultures more than a Chinese-American. You just feel distance.

That's about all I can say for the good.

The neutral: Why does it sound like it was some sort of alternate reality to the one we live in? Absolutely everything sounded like it was scripted for an episode of The Magic School Bus or some other educational spot you're likely to see on PBS. Somehow, every single character (especially those who were Asian) had a perfect or near-perfect grasp on ALL of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean history. Oh, and American history, too. And miraculously, at least one of each of the protagonist's character's parents were some sort of history professor or teacher. The other parent would have some vehement hatred for Japan or China, depending on whose point of view was being presented. Uh...what?! To me, it felt like the readers would get a taste of the extremes of each society they were introduced to. You'd have the extreme Japanese girl who just wanted to get out of there; the extreme Japanese parents (complete with samurai heritage!); the grandparents who survived horrible instances of violence from opposing parties in the past (this is actually realistic); and the happy coincidence of more and more racism! It really felt like I was reading some parts out of an article of Wikipedia. I'm not sure how I felt about that. Having lived in Japan myself (and had similar bouts of culture shock), it was strange reading these things that were common sense to me. My bias, though, is my cultural background.

The bad: The writing style annoyed me at many points as I read. One of the biggest things I noticed was how the author would use exactly the same paragraph to describe what Sue and Andy were doing. I figured that it was probably to connect and parallel the very different situations they were experiencing, but really? It was ridiculous. The characters were so flat that I just wanted to get the book over and done with as soon as mortally possible.

Overall, though, I have to wonder how a young adult novel can depict a Chinese-Japanese couple like this without delving at least knee-deep into each other's cultures. The book was written well enough to get non-Asian-Americans to have a very shallow understanding of what Asian-Americans can go through. But as someone who is Asian-American, the book came off as nothing more than a nuisance.

I was quite disappointed, because I remember enjoying Namioka's "Ties That Bind, Ties that Break" when I read it as a teen.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I could go either way on this one.

I didn't care about the first half of the book, but I thought it ended well.

The two main characters got on my nerves throughout most of the story. She was whiny, he was a putz. The back and forth - "Can we really go out? I'm Japanese you're Chinese," continued incessantly to the point where of me gnawing off my pinky finger. (I learned from this book that members of the Yakuza - the Japanese mafia - will cut off their pinky finger as penance if they make a mistake. At the time I thought my mistake was reading the book.)

As the book continued though, it actually got pretty decent. It brought up some issues that I think many Asian-Americans (albeit all Americans) have to deal with. Issues of race, identity, ancestry are all things that are becoming less important here in the grand scheme of things, but more important from a nostalgic perspective. At this point in history, it is difficult for many Americans to care about their cultural heritage when it's so diverse. It's not that we want to, it's just that we're now so individually diverse we are our own people. Our blood is so mixed we couldn't find a piece of paper big enough to trace the roots of our family trees.

So because of America's diversity, sometimes we don't understand the differences between races and creeds. We need movies to explain to us why the Hutu and Tutsi aren't getting along - let alone how they're different. And wait, Japan attacked more than just Pearl Harbor in WWII? And double wait, Chinese/Japanese/Korean/all the other people from that section of the world aren't all one big loving family?

Granted, many Americans are ignorant and idiotic. But maybe their cultural insensitivity occasionally comes from the belief that we - in all our diversity - can get along fairly well, shouldn't people who share similar ethnic traits and customs be getting along even better?

D***. This review is getting a lot longer than I wanted it to. Sorry for the soap-box to those of you who have made it this far.

Anyway, getting away from the whiny petulance of the main characters:

1. Cultural insensitivity
2. Japanese and Chinese customs, conflict, and history
3. Racial tensions and overcoming racial tensions on both sides of the Pacific
4. The detriment of war
5. Cutting off pinky fingers
6. Role of ancestry in modern life

I think I could include a lot of that in my class.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a good message, but I believe that it wasn't written that well. Personally, I think that this book moves too quickly. It only take a little time for Sue and Andy to become boyfriend and girlfriend, and Grandma Mei forgives Andy way to quickly. Frankly, I don't think modern romance really fits the message of the book. It probably would have been more meaningful in a different situation. Another thing is that they only visit Tokyo, it probably would have been better to be able to view the two different perspectives.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that Mismatch was a good book I rated it a 4. It really made me want to read more of it when the chapter ended and I was supposed to stop. Mismatch is a book that mainly deals with racism. Because of a war about 80 years ago two freshmen in high school can’t date each other. The war was between the Chinese and the Japanese. Sue is Chinese and Andy is Japanese but because of their families don’t like the other they can’t date. Grandma Mei, Sue’s grandma was a child during the Japanese invasion. Because of that experience Grandma Mei dose not like the Japanese. Then her experience was passed down to Sue through her mom. Andy’s dad traveled to Beijing on a business trip and a Chinese man spat on Andy’s father’s shoe. But a link between Sue and Andy’s family eventually drives the families to common sense and realize that the other family is not the enemy.Meanwhile Sue and Andy are on a trip to Japan, causing a little distress for Sue’s family, to perform in their orchestra. When they get back all is mended and there is no feuding between Sue and Andy’s family. But when Andy gives a meaningful present to Grandma Mei that puts over the top. All in all this book teaches how to deal with racism.

[Judy]

Read a few pages of this and could not bring myself to continue. I felt like I was being told this or that and then being forced to see the world through a very specific lens, and not permitted to draw conclusions on my own.

Didn't interest me enough to read more.

Too bad. The story was interesting to me.

[C.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read is called ‘mismatch’ by Lensey Namioka. It is about a Chinese American girl named Sue Hua and a Japanese American boy named Andy Suzuki. They fall in love, but have troubles getting together because of their feuding families due to their backgrounds. I liked the book, I think it was an eye opener for me personally about the struggles and discrimination that they have to face. It has lots of detail on the way that they struggled to get along with other people and why. My favorite moment was one of the dramatic moments in the beginning, when one of Sue’s friends unintentionally said something offensive about Sue. It was my favorite because it even offended me and it kept me hooked. There were lots of humorous metaphors in the story that made me smile. I think the author tried to make the reader feel what it’s like being from a different country. I think she’s also trying to say that people need to realize certain things should not be said and people must think before they speak; especially when they don’t fully understand someone’s background. My favorite character of the book was Rochelle, Sue’s sister. I like her because she always has her sister’s back throughout the struggles with Andy and her parents. As the story progressed, there was a lot of talk about the history of war between Korea, China, and Japan. I feel there was too much talk of it, and I was kind of losing interest in that part in the book. I didn’t really expect a lot of the history behind it to be apart of the book anyways; it is important though if you certainly want to understand. I also thought that certain things went by a little quickly and maybe could’ve been more specific or slowed down, specifically the beginning. Nonetheless, the ending was very heartwarming. I truly recommended this book. It has a great message that needs to get out. You can find this book in your local library, on iBooks, or amazon. I strongly recommended this if you’re interested in love stories with a bit of history behind it. Give it a read!

[Syd Mawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

“His being Japanese didn’t make a difference―not to her. But it would make a huge difference to her mother and grandmother” (9). In the book, “Mismatch” by Lensey Namioka, this is a very important quote because it introduces the plot, which I actually found very interesting. This book is about two teens who are in a relationship but begin to experience problems with discrimination. The two main characters are from China and Japan, which makes it very difficult for their families to get along. I loved the author’s style of writing, because it was very easy to understand and become interested in the book. The plot was also very intriguing and it made me want to keep reading to see what would happen.


I would recommend this book to any teen who likes romance novels. I feel like this book targets mainly teenagers because the setting is a high school and the characters in the book are teenagers also, so we can relate to it more. Also, this book is not as heavy on the romantics, however the storyline is very entertaining and will keep you turning the page!

[Kayla Platoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I felt like this was a pretty good YA novel, but the pacing was weird for me and the romance between Sue and Andy seemed rushed and pretty weak. I would have enjoyed the book better if the author had given the same amount of attention to detail to the first hundred or so pages and to the ending as she did to the characters' trip to Tokyo.

[Flora · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought that this book was interesting because it was one of the few books narrated by a Chinese American. However, the plot wasn't that interesting, and I wanted to skip a couple passages about music. All in all, it wasn't a very exciting book.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written by Lensey Namioka, author of Ties That Bind, Ties that Break, and An Ocean Apart, A World Away, Mismatch tells the experience of Sue moving into a new neighborhood from an urban environment in Seattle. While Sue adjusts to the new school, Sue and her boyfriend Andy have to overcome the stereotypes that their families have about the Chinese and Japanese. The relationship between Sue and Andy could not let their families know since Andy’s family could not tolerate the Chinese and Sue’s grandmother hated the Japanese because of their past experiences such as the Japanese invasion during the twentieth century.

Mismatch is definitely an easy read. You can finish the book in a few hours and the language is not at all sophisticated unlike other Namioka’s books. Furthermore, Namioka does not give an introduction to the reader at the beginning telling the reader that Sue moved into a new neighborhood. Instead, the author jumps right into Sue’s life as if the reader suddenly peaks into her life without any interruptions and gets to know Sue a little better until the author suddenly zones out of her life (at the end). The method how Namioka starts her novel is really unique and is out of the ordinary – it makes the reader feel as if s/he is an outsider but is still attached to Sue’s life since Sue is not talking to us. The feeling is as if you are Sue’s subconscious mind. Another thing that was unique was that the book was told through two different perspectives. After the first chapter, I thought that the next chapter is going to be told through Sue’s point of view again. However, not every other chapter is from one person’s point of view; sometimes, it is in the middle of the chapter with a section break. By doing so, I thought the order was very confusing.

Although I like the conflict that Namioka presented because it is a common issue in today’s world, I did not like how Namioka kept the story plot simple. It does not seem realistic especially when the protagonist left with her music group to go to Tokyo for a concert and then when she returns home, all conflicts have been resolved between Andy and Sue’s family have been resolved. The story makes everything seem very fast, from trying out, meeting Andy and having their parents know about him in a matter of days. However, the reader can see Namioka has done a lot of research about China and Japan’s past since there are a lot of information on topics such as their lifestyles and wars.


Better books by Lensey Namioka:
An Ocean Apart, A World Away
Ties that Bind, Ties that Break
April and the Dragon Lady

[Devin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mismatch is a book about two Asian-Americans who like each other but their families fight since they one person is Japanese and the other is Chinese. Sue, the Chinese girl, liked Andy, the Japanese boy, when she first saw him. Then she learned he is Japanese. This is bad since Sue’s grandma had vivid memories of Japanese raiding her house and breaking her clay doll. Then Sue and Andy start going to lunch as friends to a sandwich shop after music for weeks. Then Andy asks Sue out thinking it be all right but Sue says she cannot since her family hates Japanese people. After that, Andy asks his father about Chinese and gets a very mean remark about Chinese people. Then Andy and Sue go out but do not tell their parents. The parents find out when Andy and Sue’s parents go to an auction for their trip to Japan. Both parents tell their child that it was bad to keep a secret and they should have met each other for dinner. Then Sue and Andy go on a trip to Japan since the school got enough money to send the band to Japan. When Sue is about to board the plane, Sue’s grandma figures out that her boyfriend is Japanese and runs off angry. Sue and Andy still go to Japan worrying about Sue’s grandma. They arrive in Tokyo and go off to their host families. Then Sue and Andy go to band recital and go off to see Japan. Then they have the concert and perform well. Then they go back to America where Andy gives Sue’s grandma a doll as a present and they all are happy.
Mismatch is an okay book because of the melodramatic teen drama and the adventures. The adventures throughout the book such as the tour seeing and the Japanese bar fiasco were somewhat good but the melodramatic parts were somewhat boring. For example, when Sue is all worried about her grandma being all angry and not being able to forgive her is somewhat melodramatic. I say this because if your family member is not able to forgive you because you are going out with a Japanese person, then they must not really love you. Now this could be true but is most likely not.
Mismatch is an okay book and people that like teen books should read this.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lensey Namioka has structured a chrysanthemum of cultural relations with her bildingsroman. The blooming begins with the attraction between two students of differing cultural heritage. As they introduce their relationship across the generations of their family, complexities of cultural borderlands are presented in an increasing delineation of perceptual, normative and social adjustments. Historical repercussions of race relations are vivified between Sue and Andy. The two want to connect their inherent social legacies despite previous failures and abuses in the instances when their cultures have met. To begin, Andy’s father has been mistreated while on business in China while Sue’s grandmother was a child in one village brutally occupied by the Japanese.
Namioka introduces these complexities like overlapping petals. By the time the two reach Tokyo the development of their identity is being shown with so many complexities the characters begin to build their identities with the complexities themselves.
The writing style is straight forward and well focused. A second well crafted aspect of structure is the alternating narrative point of view. Namioka creates an effective device for showing the multiple possibilities in perception of events and the connection between the aggregated perceptions and cultural influence of each character. Some events can be shown with nearly exact perception and reaction while others are shown to be quite different as a result of the character’s previous exposures and attendant values in her social system.
The manifold heart of the structure is multiplied with the introduction of temporary small social systems, transient family relations created during their stay in Tokyo. Each small system reveals complex cultural relations. Considering this pattern across the novel, from the introductory cultural context of a suburban neighborhood of Seattle to the revolving discussion of Sue, Andy and Haruko in a historic district of Tokyo, the novel shows the imagination a fractal quality existing in culture.

[Conner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mismatch is a book about these to kids named Andy and Sue. Andy is Japanese American and Sue is Chinese American they obviously are different nationalities and they realize that. Once they do Sue is afraid that her parents wont appreciate that she likes a person with the same nationality as the Chinese had a war with that is Japanese. So Sue keeps it away from her parents so they don’t find out but before a while her sister Rochelle finds out that they like each other and she makes a big deal about it. Andy’s parents on the other hand don’t like Chinese American so he has to keep it from them also. Once they got to know each other they would go to a restaurant called Heroes for lunch every morning. Once their parents find out about it Andy’s parents are fine with it and don’t really care. Sue’s parents are ok that they like each other but once Sue’s grandma finds out she is furious with the decision that she has made but Sue explains to her grandmother that not every Japanese American is like the people who invaded into her grandmas house and broke her favorite doll and her grandma now kind of understands what the whole thing is about and is a little cool with it. Andy bought Sue’s grandma a doll for her birthday although the doll didn’t look like the one she had before she still appreciated the gift I am glad Andy respected his elders and got that for her. This book was OK I encourage anybody who likes to read, read this book unlike me I hate to read this book was probably a better book then some of the other books I have read. My favorite part about this book was when Andy got Sues grandma a doll for her birthday although it didn’t look like the other one she had during the war she still enjoyed the gift Andy showed respect to her grandma. (Good Job Andy)

[Karmpal Dhillon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mismatch
I think Mismatch was a good book because now I know a little bit more about the Japanese and Chinese culture. This book was interesting. It was mostly about Japanese and Chinese people how they hated each other. Sue and Andy first liked each other from school and then they started going to hero’s every single day after practice or either after school. Hero’s was a sand which place. They both played the violin. One day when their grandmother Mei came at dinner. They were sitting and grandma Mei saw Japanese soy sauce on the table and got really angry. She didn’t like the Japanese because in the old times when there were wars Japanese soldiers broke into their house and started breaking everything and trying to find money. One soldier also broke grandma Mei’s doll which was her best doll she had, and the doll was made out of clay. That’s why she hated the Japanese so much. Sue’s parents didn’t like the Japanese either. Then Sue’s Orchestra team was going to Japan to present their violin presentation. Sue’s mother didn’t want her to go because they didn’t like the Japanese. The school have enough money for everybody to go to Japan. So at the school meeting with all the parents and kids they decided to raise money to go to Tokyo. So the next day all the students went door to door to collect money for the field trip and they still enough money. There was still going to be a auction for selling stuff. On the day of the auction Andy’s parents met Sue’s parents but they walked away after hearing that they were Japanese. Finally they let Andy and Sue date and they were now friends. After the Tokyo trip Andy brought Grandma Mei a doll similar to the ones that the soldier smashed. Then they all had dinner and were happy.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mismatch is about a Chinese American girl named Sue who has just moved to Seattle and has met a boy that she seemed to like named Andy who she thought was also Chinese American, until she heard his last name and found that he was Japanese. Sue new that this was going to be a problem because her grandma Mei did not like Japanese because when she was a little girl the Japanese invaded China. So when Sue's grandma Mei found out about Andy she was diffidently not happy.
Sue and Andy both played in the school orchestra. For their concert the went to Tokyo, Andy thought that it was going to fell just like home, until he got there and realized that is was more strange that being in America. All of the orchestra members had a host family. Andy's host family was from a samurai family which means that they were very wealthy. His host family had a daughter, Haruko, who didn’t like Andy because he wasn’t a real American, but when he saved her from yakuza, a gang in Japan, she got over it. Sue's host families were Korean and poor. They told sue that they were not allowed to be citizens even thought they were born in Japan, Sue didn’t like this but she was glad that they were her host family.
Because Grandma Mei didn’t like Andy, to try to get on her good side he bought he a doll just like the one she had when she was a little girl that the Japanese invators smashed. Grandma Mei was so happy she stopped stereotyping Japanese and also liked Andy.


I liked this book because it shows that there are a lot of different cultures in America.

[Grace C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mismatch is about a Chinese American girl who moves to Seattle. Sue meets a boy who she thought was Chinese before she heard his last name was Japanese. Sue new this was going to be a problem because her Grandma Mei did not like the Japanese because when she was little the Japanese invaded China. So when Sue’s grandma Mei found out about Andy she was furious.
Sue was in the school orchestra with Andy. They went to Japan for their concert. Andy thought it would be like going home but when he got there he realized he was more a stranger then he was in America. Each of the orchestra members had a host family. Andy’s host family was from a samurai family so they were very wealthy. His host family had a daughter, Haruko who didn’t like Andy at first because he wasn’t a real American, but when Andy saved Haruko from the yakuza, a gang in Japan she got over it. Sue’s host family was not Japanese they were Korean and poor. They told Sue that they weren’t allowed to be citizens even though they were born in Japan. Sue didn’t like this but was glad she had a nice host family.
To get on Grandma Mei’s good side Andy got her a doll like the one the Japanese soldiers broke during the invasion. Grandma Mei was so happy she got over her hatred of Andy’s family and other Japanese people.
This was a good book because it showed the racism of Japanese and Chinese rather then the usual white and black. This book was telling people that America is full of defferint cultures and we shouldn’t stereotype on peoples skin color because there still American.

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mismatch is a young adult book about a Chinese-American girl and Japanese-American boys who “crush” on each other and want to start dating. The only thing holding them back is their family.
Sue Hua, a Chinese-American girl moved from racially diverse Seattle to a small suburban town with mainly Caucasian inhabitants. While trying out for the orchestra, she sees another Asian boy whom she silently adores. After orchestra he introduces himself to her as Andy Suzuki. Sue was very horrified that this cute boy was Japanese and not Chinese because her family feels very strongly against Japanese people. Andy had no problem against Chinese people and was offended slightly by how Sue said her family felt about Japanese people. She then tells him to ask his parents how they felt. Andy discovered that his father felt the same way towards the Chinese as Sue’s family felt towards Japanese people. Andy and Sue’s parents finally discover about Andy and Sue’s relationship and become very angry. Sue’s parents almost do not let her go to the orchestra’s trip to Tokyo. They end up letting her go. Sue and Andy continue their relationship in Tokyo while being tourists of Japan.
I think that this book was just ok. I think that Sue and Andy’s relationship is a little too perfect besides the fact that their family hates each other. They never argue about anything or get annoyed with each other and that bothers me a little bit. Otherwise it is a pretty good book and is worth reading.

[704michellew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about a Chinese girl, Sue, whose parents and grandparents were strict and overprotected about her liking/dating a Japanese boy because of the situation that her grandmother had been in when she was younger. The people pf Japan invaded China and it just so happened that one of the Japanese soldiers had destroyed Sue’s grandmother’s childhood toy, from that point on Grandma Mei never liked the Japanese.
Then there’s Andy, who is a Japanese boy who likes Sue, his parents also didn’t like the Chinese because of Andy’s father trip to Beijing. While Andy’s father was in Beijing for a business trip, he felt that the Chinese were rude and nasty people because of the way he felt that he was “treated”. For example one Chinese had spat on his brand new shoes. His father started to think that the Chinese were rude and nasty people after his trip to Beijing. I guess the Chinese didn’t really exceed his expectations.
I think that all of this non-sense is crazy. It’s not that I don’t understand why Sue and Andy’s family have these “first impressions” but I find it silly that they still have this road block/hurdle to get over because sure Grandma Mei had things that had happened to her during the Japanese invasion but that was in the past, It doesn’t mean that all the Japanese people there are on this planet are still trying to kill the Chinese anymore. I’m glad that both families were able to put down what both the Japanese and the Chinese did to each other.

[Trisa Ibarra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a Chinese-American girl named Sue. She lives in the Seattle suburbs and transfers to a new school. She tries out for the schools orchestra and totally crushes on a violinist named Andy. Later she finds out two things: Andy is Japanese-American and that the Orchestra is traveling to Japan. Sue's grandmother has a deep hatred for Japanese and Japan in general. She lived in China when Japan invaded and witnessed her parents being beaten and a special doll of hers being smashed. Sue's mother hates the Japanese by association because she grew up listening to the stories. While her father plays the middle card and doesn't have those feelings towards that culture. Sue shares her concerns with Andy that her parents won't approve of him because of his culture. So, Andy seeks out to find out if his family dislikes the culture. Andy's father shares with him about a trip to China that he went on where a Chinese man spit on his shoe. He then finds out that his father doesn't approve of Chinese. Andy's mother does not care about those issues. This book is about the separation between the two cultures. It keeps on you on your toes as well as teaching you about Chinese and Japanese culture. Just the plain underlying story of this book gives you a sense of Romeo and Juliet and forbidden love. But, the ending of this book will be worth it.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book a few days ago and can’t seem to stop thinking about it. To Chinese-American Sue Hua, whose grandmother’s home was raided by Japanese soldiers in the 1930s, it means hiding her Japanese-American boyfriend, Andy Suzuski, from her family. Likewise for Andy, whose father thinks the Chinese are “dirty, backwards people.” Although they see themselves as Americans first, the teen’s relationship is strained when they let their families’ beliefs guide them. Their story plays out in the context of fundraising for their orchestra trip to Tokyo. While staying with a Korean host family, Sue observes more discrimination and discovers the difficult conditions for Koreans in Japanese society. Andy, who feels like an outsider in his ancestor’s homeland, searches for the “real” Japan. As the author writes, “In America, your ancestors don’t matter so much. You’re just you.” As in many of Namioka’s books, identity is at the heart of the story; Mismatch by Lensey Namioka primarily deals with racial discrimination through the eyes of American teenagers.
I believe this book highlights racism and stereotypes, and the understanding of ancestry and culture. Read it as you see people share unfounded animosity towards other simply because of their heritage. I recommend this book as it also explains love is universal and has no discrimination.

[Nicole (Reading Books With Coffee) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I feel about Mismatch! There were some things I liked, and some things I didn't like.

I thought Mismatch did a great job at highlighting racism and stereotypes. I did find it to be repetitive at times, which did get frustrating, particularly by the end of the book. But at the same time, I can put the book down and walk away from it, but people who experience it can't do that, so it did get me to think about that.

I totally understand why her grandma hated the Japanese. You don't get a lot of detail, but you do get enough to see why. It's the same with Andy's dad, and even Sue's mom. You do get a glimpse of the history between China and Japan, and some of the things that happened during World War 2 and after, especially once Sue goes on the orchestra trip to Japan.

Some of the conflicts seem to be resolved really fast, and overall, the book skews towards the younger end of YA...maybe (MAYBE) the older end of middle grade. (That's a strong maybe, though, it sort of depends on the kid). I wish there had been a little more to it, but I also think it's a good way to talk about history and stereotypes and racism.

My Rating: 2 stars. I don't have a lot to say about Mismatch, other than what I've already said.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mismatch

I thought that the book was good because of how two cultures come together and the parents don’t like Japanese people and Chinese people either. My other thought about the book was it was a very good book and it made me want to read more because I liked the book. The best part was when they went to Japan and played in the orchestra because they thought that they might not go when they all heard about it because the school doesn’t have enough money to go on this trip. My other favorite part was when Grandma Mei came over and told stories about her childhood and bad it was back then. I also thought that it wasn’t a big deal when they had Japanese soy sauce at the table grandma Mei over reacted a little about that. I thought that it was nice that Sue and Andy would go to Heroes and talk and that Andy cared for Sue and wanted to talk about stuff. It wasn’t nice that Andy walked away when Sue said that she was Chinese and that Andy was Japanese then said that they couldn’t go out because it wouldn’t be right. The other part I liked about this book was that; they came to a design so that they can go out with each other.

[Jessica P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mismatch is about two young teenagers who both have a love for music. Sue, a Chinese American girl, comes from a family that believes the Japanese are monsters. Andy, a Japanese American boy, comes from a family that believes the Chinese are a dirty, backward people. The two teens fight to keep their relationship a secret, but when the school orchestra holds meetings about their upcoming trip to Tokyo, they can hide it no longer. Find out what happens to these teens in love, and see if the families can put their pre-conceived notions of each other's cultures aside.

I enjoyed reading about the two cultures, and their similarites and differences, through the two narrative points of view. The story is well-written, and keeps the reader interested, and cheering the two teens along as they try to convince everyone (including themselves) that they can be together, despite their families' hatred of each other's cultures. The descriptions were vivid, and the entire story was written in a very straight forward manner, using language that a young teen would appreciate reading.

[Jinbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sue and Andy are both musicians in their school orchestra. They start to develop feelings for each other. However, there is one thing that is preventing them to be together. Sue is a Chinese-American while Andy is a Japanese American. Sue's mother dislikes the Japanese due to her grandmother's influence while Andy's father dislikes the Chinese. With their family's influence, Sue and Andy struggles in their decision of meeting each other's family.

While I was reading this book, it reminds me of Romeo and Juliet where the two families hate each other, but Mismatch is more involved in the culture difference than family feud. Again, as I was saying, I love to read books by Lensey Namioka because I could learn more about the Chinese culture. In this book, it talks about (not in detail)how the Japanese invaded China in the early 1900s. By knowing the historical reason, I think I can understand why Sue's grandmother and mom dislike the Japanese. However, things are changing now, so they should not stick to the past.

[Ang · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mismatch is about two teenagers, Sue Hua and Andy Suzuki. According to their classmates and fellow orchestra players they are perfect for each other, and it's true Andy and Sue like each other very much. The problem? Well... Sue is Chinese and Andy is Japanese and both of their families are prejudiced against one another's races (mostly stemming from the Invasion of China by Japanese forces during WWII). This theme is carried throughout the book, however, it seems that with a little patience and time both families begin to learn to accept each other and start to turn away from the long held prejudice and hatred. Overall, the story is well written and definitely brings up issues of race and identity that most people won't think of if they aren't Chinese, Japanese, Korean or any other Asian minority. This book is a good book for talking about race relations in school settings or with younger kids, so they can have a better understanding that not all Asians look the same and that if you're a citizen of the US you're an American and Americans come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

[Faith B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars
My sister Jessica got about 15 pages into this before throwing it away in disgust, calling it ill-written and boring. But I liked it! It might be that I love to learn about different cultures, so all of the information I learned about Japan and relationships between the Chinese and Japanese fascinated me. But I'd like to think that the story-line was good as well. It was certainly cute, but that's not really a compliment. I'll admit that the stories their relatives, etc. tell are more than a little forced-seeming. If they were woven into the story better, the book might have held my sister's attention more. :) I gave this to my 12 yr. old cousin who hates to read when she was here visiting, and she tore right thru it, nearly finishing it in the 3 or 4 days she had it. She didn't finish it, but she told me that the quickest she's ever finished a book is a month. So see? Some people like it. :)

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. I didn't like how it was written in third person and it was telling you how the characters felt and that this is happening in their lives. I think that if it wasn't written that way I could have enjoyed reading it but at times the writing felt awkward and that ruined it for me too. When the author kept switching and would end a chapter but then start the next with the same scene and I thought couldn't she have found another way to do that I just read about this! It was very frustrating when that happened because I knew what was happening and I didn't understand what the point was behind it. I think that if the book had been written differently that I might have enjoyed this book more than I did but that's not going to change. I recommend this book to a lot of people but if you hate reading a book where some of those elements happen than I don't think that you will just fall in love with the book.

[Crystal Corley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was a good book. Not only was it a interesting book but also it teaches you some great lessons. Like don't Jude a book by it's cover, and that not everyone is the same but everyone that's the same is perfect. Sue meets Andy at orchestra tryouts at her new school. Right away she likes him and can tell he likes her as well. The problem hits when she finds out his name, Andy Suzuki. Suzuki is a Japanese name. "After all, what's wrong with flirting with a Japanese American boy?" Sue's friends think that Sue and Andy would be a perfect couple; they're both Asian. Sue isn't so sure. Of course she likes him, but she's not so sure her family will. Her grandmother lived through the Japanese invasion of China and has disliked the Japanese ever since. Wouldn't going out with Andy be disrespectful to her and the other Chinese who suffered? What happens? Does her family like him? Do he get to even meet her family? Read the book to figure out more......