Tokyo Ever After (Tokyo Ever After, 1)
Emiko Jean's New York Times bestseller and Reese Book Club Pick Tokyo Ever After is the "refreshing, spot-on" (Booklist, starred review) story of an ordinary Japanese American girl who discovers that her father is the Crown Prince of Japan!
Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in--it isn't easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it's always been Izumi--or Izzy, because "It's easier this way"--and her mom against the world. But then Izumi discovers a clue to her previously unknown father's identity...and he's none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess. In a whirlwind, Izumi travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn't all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight. Izumi soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself--back home, she was never "American" enough, and in Japan, she must prove she's "Japanese" enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairy tale, happily ever after? Look for the bestselling sequel, Tokyo Dreaming, out now.BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
I loved this sweet rom-com book of how a Japanese girl can feel at home and lost at the same time. Izumi âIzzyâ or âZoom Zoomâ as her mom lovingly calls her, is a 17 year old, Japanese American girl who grew up in a small but mostly white northern California. She was raised by her single mother, Hanako Tanaka. One day, Noora (BFF) and Izzy were trying on her mother's extensive pricy makeup when Noora knocked over a book about rare orchids of North America. They discovered a letter written to her mother reading âMy dearest Hanako-â blah blah blah⦠Signed âYours, Makoto âMakâ â Year 2003 which is exactly 17 years ago... When Izzy was conceived. âMin said she got pregnant with me in her final year of college.â Could this foreign exchange student be her biological father?
Being raised in her neighborhood, in elementary school, she bonded with her crew: Hansani, (Sri Lankan), Glory (half-Filipino), And later Noora, a Muslim. âThey connected when they learned the biggest âflawâ was their appearance. For Izzy, it was Emily Billings. She cornered Izzy on the school bus with her eyes taped up in an exaggerated slant. Kids even asked Izzy if her family celebrated the bombing of Pearl Harbor like Christmas. Or when students requested her help on their math homework. Each time, something inside shriveled up, ashamed and silent.â p13 They're also able to completely read each other's thoughts just by looking at each other, that's how right they are. Although Noora and Glory have a love/hate relationship.
Noora uses the internet and tracked down Izzy's father. Not only do they look alike, he's also The Crown Prince of Japan. His full name is Makotonomiya Toshihito. The crew looks at Mak Toshihito and both Noora and Glory exclaim âhe's a hot dad,â and that heâs an "Asian George Clooney."
There's only one way for Izzy to feel more whole and complete: go to Japan and get to know her father. If you think that's a smooth transition and journey, you're in for a fun and bumpy ride. Being thrown into a new and completely foreign role as HIH Princess, Izzy has a hard time knowing all the rules and what to do and what not to do. But the one thing she will always do is lead with her heart.
As I was entering my review, I noticed it's book 1. I eagerly look forward to book 2.
Being raised in her neighborhood, in elementary school, she bonded with her crew: Hansani, (Sri Lankan), Glory (half-Filipino), And later Noora, a Muslim. âThey connected when they learned the biggest âflawâ was their appearance. For Izzy, it was Emily Billings. She cornered Izzy on the school bus with her eyes taped up in an exaggerated slant. Kids even asked Izzy if her family celebrated the bombing of Pearl Harbor like Christmas. Or when students requested her help on their math homework. Each time, something inside shriveled up, ashamed and silent.â p13 They're also able to completely read each other's thoughts just by looking at each other, that's how right they are. Although Noora and Glory have a love/hate relationship.
Noora uses the internet and tracked down Izzy's father. Not only do they look alike, he's also The Crown Prince of Japan. His full name is Makotonomiya Toshihito. The crew looks at Mak Toshihito and both Noora and Glory exclaim âhe's a hot dad,â and that heâs an "Asian George Clooney."
There's only one way for Izzy to feel more whole and complete: go to Japan and get to know her father. If you think that's a smooth transition and journey, you're in for a fun and bumpy ride. Being thrown into a new and completely foreign role as HIH Princess, Izzy has a hard time knowing all the rules and what to do and what not to do. But the one thing she will always do is lead with her heart.
As I was entering my review, I noticed it's book 1. I eagerly look forward to book 2.
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