| People & Places |
| United States - Asian American & Pacific Islander |
| Adolescence & Coming of Age |
| Family |
| Social Themes |
| Adoption |
| Juvenile Fiction |
Summary
Summary
Kimchi and calamari. It sounds like a quirky food fusion of Korean and Italian cuisine, and it's exactly how Joseph Calderaro feels about himself. Why wouldn't an adopted Korean drummer--comic book junkie feel like a combo platter given:
(1) his face in the mirror
(2) his proud Italian family.
And now Joseph has to write an essay about his ancestors for social studies. All he knows is that his birth family shipped his diapered butt on a plane to the USA. End of story. But what he writes leads to a catastrophe messier than a table of shattered dishes--and self-discovery that Joseph never could have imagined.
Reviews (2)
Horn Book Review
An eighth-grade genealogy assignment pushes Korean-born Joseph to question his identity as an adopted son of Italian Americans. Joseph's quick wit, honesty, and curiosity make him a winning character. Kent's food and music imagery and description are at first funny then become tedious, but the balance she achieves among Joseph's family life, school experiences, and friendships is effective. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
When his eighth-grade class is assigned to write about their ancestors' journey to America, Joseph Calderaro has a problem: Who are his ancestors? Joseph was adopted from Korea. His parents are raising him in their Italian-American tradition. But though his favorite foods are calamari and eggplant parmesan, Joseph wonders about the sturdy Korean kid he sees in the mirror. His parents have no information to share. When Joseph befriends Yongsu, whose Korean-American family has just moved into the neighborhood, Yongsu's mother treats Joseph with wary suspicion. His attempts to uncover his Korean roots frustrated, Joseph makes some up, passing off a famous Korean athlete as his grandfather. After his essay is chosen for submission to a national contest, Joseph must come clean. Despite its lighthearted tone, this first novel does justice to complex issues, from anxious adoptive parents to birth-parent searches. Joseph makes a funny, engaging tour guide to the world of transcultural adoption. Seasoned with familiar angst-provoking adolescent preoccupations--dating and embarrassing parents--Joseph's story makes for an entertaining fictional stew. (Fiction. 9-13) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
