Kimchi & Calamari

Life is great for Joseph Calderaro on the last day of his thirteenth year. Then, on his fourteenth birthday, disaster (call it, really, an obstacle) strikes. His writing teacher assigns an ancestry paper--you know, explore your roots. You see, by nurture, Joseph is thoroughly Italian--until he looks in the mirror. Then he sees who he really is--by nature--Asian of some sort, Korean to be exact. Joseph Calderaro is adopted."Kimchi & Calamari" is a thought-provoking novel written for the middle school crowd. Who am I, really? What I feel inside? What I see in the mirror? Yes, this is a first novel by a talented writer, Rose Kent, a novel which asks that universal question: Just who am I? On his fourteenth birthday Joseph gets fresh, fried calamari (squid if you don't know), prepared by his Italian-American mom, just-so-fresh. How fresh? Fresh off the dock from a day's fishing--the only and best way to eat squid.(I ate my first squid at a little restaurant in Venice, supposedly the catch of the day. After reading this novel and the description of its fried calamari, I have mentally backtracked and now know my squid was not caught the day I ate it. It was rubbery! I'm game (ha ha--the pun in that word) for most things, including squid, but not a rubbery substance that wouldn't chew into pulverized bits.)In his eighth-grade English class his teacher assigns an ancestry paper, a trace-your-roots paper as part of a national celebration and essay contest. Thus begins Joseph's search for his roots, the main problem of this juvenile fiction. Typically, other problems arise--just as in real life. In this case, Joseph wants to ask to the movies the most beautiful, athletic, popular, and rich girl in class, Kelly. Although he is too modest to tell his readers, but Joseph, the first-person narrator, is both funny and popular and cute. Kelly does accept. (But, of course, you are perceptive enough to know that Kelly's "looks" are just skin deep and that he will discover this fact by novel's end. Ah, come on, this is nearly always the outcome of this plot line. Consider this: I'm not telling how.)His Korean heritage? All he knows is that he was left in a basket at the door of the police station in his home town and adopted when he was a baby. So how does he trace his ancestry without his parents finding out and being hurt by his search? His best friend Nash, a computer guru, volunteers to help him search via the web, where he finds Jae, who might have information about his birth mother.Although teetering on senior citizen status, I enjoyed this book (as I do most well-written young adult books with interesting plots, characters, and situations. Although light-hearted, "Kimchi & Calamari" does raise a number of serious issues with personal identity as the central one. How DOES a Korean boy by birth discover that identity when he has sensitive, die-hard Italian parents? That, dear reader, is a wonderfully handled problem, and one well worth reading.Kimchi? Oh yes, the "other" food of the title? Pickled cabbage, a food closely identified with Korean heritage as calamari is with Italians."Kimchi & Calamari" is one of the titles on the list of books in the Louisiana Young Readers Choice Award promotion. There are two prongs, this one for grades 6-8. Every state library system is involved in this reading campaign.

Joseph Calderaro is a pretty typical 8th grader. He also happens to be adopted. He was abandoned in Korea as a baby and adopted by an Italian-American family from New Jersey.When his social studies teacher assigns an ancestry essay, Joseph begins to examine who he is - and to ask questions he has never asked before, questions that his adoptive parents may not be willing or able to answer.At first, Joseph's parents don't understand his confusion about his identity. After a few struggles, they begin to support his search for his roots.A sensitive portrayal of common issues faced by adoptive families.

Havent read it yet. Heard it was a good book though. Needed it for my grandson.

Great book! My 12 year old daughter was completely enthralled and discussed its contents at length!

Great book for young people that are trying to identify their multiethnic background. It was also a fun,easy, and fast read.

My older son loves this book, and I bought for my younger daughter this time.

Good book

VERY GOOD BOOK FOR KIDS,AND FAMILY, AND MY SON LOVES IT,HAVE A LOT VOCABULARY AND HAS A LOT OF DETAILS.

This is a brilliant book, especially for adopted children. The similarities of circumstances will strike a chord with all adopted children and discussion opportunities are woven into the story.