Summer Reading
- 2023 Summer Read book: Harmony Becker’s Himawari House. Winner of the 2023 Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Fiction Literature
- Winner of the 2022 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature
- A 2021 Publishers Weekly Best Books of the YearA 2021 School Library Best Books of the Year
Himawari House is a graphic novel about three foreign exchange students—one from the U.S., one from Singapore, and one from South Korea—living in Japan. We witness the highs and lows they face as they transition to life in a new country.
From the publisher, First Second: Living in a new country is no walk in the park—Nao, Hyejung, and Tina can all attest to that. The three of them became fast friends through living together in the Himawari House in Tokyo and attending the same Japanese cram school. Nao came to Japan to reconnect with her Japanese heritage, while Hyejung and Tina came to find freedom and their own paths. Though each of them has her own motivations and challenges, they all deal with language barriers, being a fish out of water, self discovery, love, and family.
ISBN 9781250235565
First Year Experience Summer essay prompts
Choose ONE of the following prompts about Harmony Becker’s graphic novel, Himawari House, and write a 500 word essay (two typed pages). Follow MLA formatting rules: type the essay in 12 point font, double space, and use one-inch margins for both top and side margins. Please include specific details and examples from the text to support your argument. Since this text is a graphic novel, your support may include direct quotations and detailed descriptions of the illustrations in the panel(s) you are quoting/describing. Use MLA format for in-text citations: Introduction, “quotation” (Author Name page #) – so a quotation from page 72 would be cited (Becker 72). Include an MLA-style Works Cited at the end of the essay (model Works Cited provided below). Turn the essay in to your FYS 1100 instructor on the first day of class. Choose only ONE prompt:
What kind of trials and transitions must Nao Daniels go through when she moves to Japan for a year? How might the experiences she goes through be similar to the challenges you may face when you come to the university? Use supporting quotations in your essay and cite quotations and descriptions of particular panels from the text in MLA format.
How does Harmony Becker portray the language barrier that many of her characters contend with? Did any particular scene remind you of a similar experience from your own life? (Even if you haven’t been to a foreign country, was there a time you had trouble communicating with someone else?) Cite quotations and descriptions of particular panels from the text in MLA format.
What is the role of pop culture in this graphic novel? How are the characters in Himawari House affected by the soap operas they watch or music they listen to? Have you had a similar experience? Cite quotations and descriptions of particular panels from the text, and if you do outside research, include that source in your Works Cited and cite any quotations, summaries, and paraphrases in MLA format.
Take a look at the chapter titles. Many are in English, but some are not, such as Chapter 6 “Chuseok”–Korean for “autumn evening” (and the name of the Korean autumn festival), or Chapter 7 “Kaitenzushi”–Japanese for conveyor belt sushi, or fast food sushi. Are the chapter titles appropriate for the content of the chapters? How does the title contribute to the main theme of the chapter? Pick two to three chapters and discuss their titles’ meaning and why you think Becker chose them. You may need to look up the meaning of titles that aren’t in English. Cite any quotations and descriptions of particular panels from the text, and if you do outside research, include that source in your Works Cited and cite any quotations, summaries, and paraphrases in MLA format.
Works Cited
Becker, Harmony. Himawari House. First Second, 2021.
In-text citation = (Becker #).
