Macy's second summer reading Post

                        Some themes that are beginning to appear in my book, A step from Heaven are that you can not let people control your life and let what ever they say just go. You have to put a little of your voice into your life not just everyone else. Apa young's father has decided to change the family's life for the better in America. Young Ju really struggles with this decision that her father made because it is hard and very complex to learn a new language when our not that old. The whole idea and thought of moving puts a lot of stress and choices on her parents because, they are trying to make a better life for their children and try to make them the best that they can be. Young ju's father, Apa results to drinking... a lot. He has a ton of stress from moving to somewhere that they don't even speak the language of. But he wants his kids to have a better life. Young's brother soon after results to drinking for an outlet as well. He follows his fathers bad choices and follows down the wrong path. All young really wants is freedom.  She wants happiness and the freedom to stand up to her father and say what she wants. All her mother really wants is happiness for her children and for them to have a good life with the right choices. Uhmma thinks it's impossible to give them happiness since she took them away from their old life and moved them to the other side of the world. Halmonia wants happiness, freedom and good lives for her grandchildren. Although they are far away from her and she is alone she knows its best for Young Ju and Park Joon Ho.

Macy's Summer Reading

          The Michael L. Prinz award winning book i chose to read, was A Step From Heaven by An Na. The book is about a young Chinese girl named Young Ju, she lives in Korea but soon has to move to a new place. The new place Mi Gook means America, Young Ju faces many struggles and decisions when moving to Mi Gook. She knows little English and has to leave all her friends behind. The most important and hardest decision she was faced with was leaving her Halmoni behind, her grandmother. Her Halmoni lives by herself  because Young Ju's Grandfather or Harabugi passed away. Young Ju is worried she will be lonely all by herself and she does not want to leave her.

     The main characters in this book are Young Ju, the young girl that moved and is faced with many challenges, struggles and hard life changing choices. Young Ju's mother Uhmma, the baby she was pregnant with in the beginning Park Joon Ho,and lastly Young Ju's father Apa.
     The setting takes place mostly in Mi Gook or America. That's where Young's life really starts and her better life is created. Towards the beginning it talks and is more in the mind set of them living in china but throughout the book it goes more into the main setting America.
      Some inferences I have is that Young Ju isnt really happy living in America and she liked her old life in china better.I think that once Young Ju gets old enough she will abandon her life in America, her better life to go and be with her grandmother in China.  A self to Self connection is that we had neighbors rent the house across from us for 2 or 3 years that originally lived in china and had to move back with in the two to three year time frame because of the dads job. The littlest girl who I believe was about 6 or 7 when they moved here struggled quite a bit with out having any friends and barley knowing how to speak the language. I understand how tough it any be for Young Ju to adapt to the life in America, and how she could enjoy being back home with her friends in china.