Bookverdict.com

Gr 5 Up—In this follow-up to the autobiographical Drawing from Memory (Scholastic, 2011), 15-year-old Japanese immigrant Allen is sent by his father to a California military academy soon after World War II to improve his English and to make something of himself. A variety of adults and a few peers help him move toward his goal of establishing himself as an artist but are characterized mostly by the inconstant way they slip in and out of his life. His most regular companion is his imaginary a...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

This "patchwork of memories" ("and memories are unreliable, so I am calling this a work of fiction made of real people and places I knew") sequel to Drawing from Memory (rev. 9/11) takes the fifteen-year-old Allen to Glendora, California, where he is enrolled in what seems to have been a distinctly mediocre military academy run by one of his (miserable) father's old friends. That does...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

This sequel to <i>Drawing from Memory</i> takes fifteen-year-old Allen to Glendora, California. He's first enrolled in a military academy, then, happ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

An engaging and inspiring portrait of a young artist's determination to follow his dream. Those who are familiar with Drawing from Memory will be happy to pick up with Allen Say as a fifteen-year-old and learn about the first few years after he moved from Japan to the United States. Also an immigrant and coming-of-age narrative, the book stands well on its own and will resonate with a wide range of readers. Say's teenage years were unique and specific to the time period and place, but his trials, such as learning a ne...Log In or Sign Up to Read More