I Wanna Be Your Shoebox

by Cristina García and Cristina García

Book Overview

Because Yumi Ru z-Hirsch has grandparents from Japan, Cuba, and Brooklyn, her mother calls her a poster child for the twenty-first century. Yumi would laugh if only her life wasn't getting as complicated as her heritage. All of a sudden she's starting eighth grade with a girl who collects tinfoil and a boy who dresses like a squid. Her mom's found a new boyfriend, and her punk-rock father still can't sell a song. She's losing her house; she's losing her school orchestra. And worst of all she's losing her grandfather Saul. Yumi wishes everything could stay the same. But as she listens to Saul tell his story, she learns that nobody ever asks you if you're ready for life to happen. It just happens. The choice is either to sit and watch or to join the dance. National Book Award finalist Cristina Garc a's first middle-grade novel celebrates the chaotic, crazy, and completely amazing patchwork that makes up our lives.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416979042
• ISBN13: 9781416979043
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Everybody has one perfect moment in time upon which they will someday look back and think, "that was when everything changed." For Yumi Ruíz-Hirsch, that moment is here. Yumi lives in a perfect cross-blend of cultures and ethnicity that make her so identifiable to teenagers today. What is there in the world that can't be tackled by a part-Jewish, part-Cuban, part-Japanese, American girl? Plenty. First of all, Yumi has just found out that her grandfather, Saul, is dying of cancer. Yumi is closer to Saul than anyone else. Even at ninety-two years old, she can't believe that he only has months to live and she asks him to tell her about his life. While dealing with the threat of losing Saul, Yumi also finds herself facing other changes and challenges in her life. Her school has decided that it can no longer support the orchestra. Yumi and her friends in the orchestra decide to organize a concert to raise the money to fund it. But with no firm leadership or plans, the fundraiser is turning out to be a disorganized mess. Now Yumi's mom has a new boyfriend and is also planning to move them out of the only home Yumi has ever known. She'll be further away from the beach, which means further from surfing. She is also worried about her father, a punk-rock songwriter who has yet to sell a song, and who isn't exactly close to his father, Saul. Over the next months, as she listens to the stories of Saul's life, Yumi learns that change is inevitable and that someday you may look back and realize that it was really the start of something wonderful. I WANNA BE YOUR SHOEBOX is an endearing story that will warm your heart and bring tears to your eyes. Reviewed by: JodiG.

A lovely book with memorable characters

My 10 year old daughter and I both read I Wanna Be Your Shoebox, and we both enjoyed it. It's beautifully written -- Cristina Garcia is a very deft writer, and has a good touch for the dialogue of the adolescent girl who is the main character in the novel. The relationships are very real, and Garcia doesn't shy away from difficult subjects -- divorce, remarriage, adoption, death. At the same time, the book felt like a celebration of life to me. I also love the heroine -- who is an outspoken, smart, and fiercely independent teenage girl -- a great literary role model for pre-teen and teen readers. My daughter and I both loved this so much that we're getting another copy for her school library!

Being shared with friends

My 10-1/2-year-old liked this so much that she has passed it along to her friends to read as well. From her, that is HIGH praise.

Poignant, superbly written story

Cristina Garcia has made the transition to this level of literature with her pitch-perfect set of sensibilities. Funny, heartwarming, and beautifully descriptive, she navigates the world of middle-school-ness that leaves one loving this awkward age more, not less. And, as is so often the case, while this middle schooer may not take the parent too seriously, Yumi's bond with her gandfather allows her to learn about what has past and who she is becoming. A very good read.

Yummy Yumi

I loved Yumi, the story's narrator. She is a sweet girl who is, though a good girl, a young teen with some young teen issues. It is good writing and easy reading. I love the changing voice for her grandfather, Saul, and I also enjoyed the mix of cultures Yumi experiences with her family. My stepdaughter is 8 years old, and I will probably pass this book along to her.