1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: An everyday yet new lesson taught, December 3, 2006 A Kid's Review From
this book My brother, My sister and I, I learnt quite a lot, though a
lot of the dialogue seems to be cold and unnatural, the theme is the
most important part of it. In this book the orphans Hideyo, Ko and Yoko
squeeze through all the hard times and find new ways of over coming
these things. In the end, the three of them find a special someone who
may not look the same but is the same person, they live happily ever
after (at least for now)
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: An everyday yet new lesson taught, December 3, 2006 A Kid's Review From
this book My brother, My sister and I, I learnt quite a lot, though a
lot of the dialogue seems to be cold and unnatural, the theme is the
most important part of it. In this book the orphans Hideyo, Ko and Yoko
squeeze through all the hard times and find new ways of over coming
these things. In the end, the three of them find a special someone who
may not look the same but is the same person, they live happily ever
after (at least for now)
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful: Possibly not fiction, October 10, 2005Reviewer: Reader "wyj3" (Arizona) - See all my reviews
I read this book several years ago and could hardly put it down
until I finished it. I wrote to the publisher to ask if this book was
fiction, but I got no reply. I had the impression in reading it that is
was not fiction, and yet the words 'fictionalized' and 'novel' are used
for it on Amazon. I was curious to know what is fiction in it and what
is not.
I differ with some reviewers criticizing the book's language or
style. There is nothing wrong either, as I recall. Nor is the book only
for children or "young readers" by any means.
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful: WOW!!!, June 23, 2003Reviewer: Dan (Naples, FL USA) - See all my reviews
This book is a wonderful book. I have read it over 3 times now
and I still want to read it again. Before I read the book I had some
sibling problems, and after reading it I am now closer to my sisters.
It teaches you how much you need your family and what they can do for
you. I think it is more than a 5 star book. It should be a 100 star
book. I think if most people in the world read it our world would be
changed. It would be peaceful and people would not get into big
arguments. That is how much this book can change us. If you don't
beleive me you should read this wonderful, fantastic, brilliant book by
Yoko Kawashima Watkins. It is one novel you'll never forget!
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2 of 6 people found the following review helpful: Oustanding!!!, June 8, 2003 A Kid's Review This book has influenced me very much. It teaches you many things and I recommend it to everyone, including adults.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful: A Great Read, May 17, 2003 A Kid's Review This
book was assigned to read over the summer before 7th grade. I was SO
glad, because I had read the first book of the two, So Far From The
Bamboo Grove, which I finished in a day, and it was such a captivating
novel. My Brother, My Sister, and I is the sequel to the first book,
where Yoko Kawashima, her sister, and her mother all flee from Korea
due to World War I events. In this book, Yoko, her sister Ko, and her
brother move to a hospital when Ko is injured. Then the siblings are
accused of arson, theft, and murder, and have to put the pieces of the
puzzle back together to figure out who actually committed these crimes.
I finished this 226 page book in two days, because I just could not put
it down! This is a great and intruiging true story for readers of all
ages.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful: My Brother, My Sister, and I, April 12, 2002Reviewer: Angela (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews
In the sequel to So far from the Bamboo Grove, My Brother, My
Sister, and I by Yoko Kawashima Watkins, the author takes on a
difficult task by informing the reader about her depressing childhood
life. My Brother, My Sister, and I is an emotional novel based on the
deprived and unfortunate life of the main character, Yoko, her brother,
and sister during the holocaust of World War II. Yoko is a thirteen
year-old, parentless child attending a school where she is endlessly
being teased by the girls for her being destitute and poor. Yoko is an
intelligent student who tries to ignore all the mockery being turned
towards her. After the warehouse her family lived in burns down, Yoko,
her brother, and sister are homeless and living temporarily in the
hospital where Ko is nursed after she fell from the burning warehouse
to save the family treasure. In addition to having no parents, being
teased by the accompanying students, and owning only a small amount of
money, Ko's knee will be disabled forever. Hideyo, Yoko's brother, has
to work two jobs and Yoko must sell Ko's garments in order to support
the family and pay off the substantial medical bill for Ko's surgery.
My Brother, My Sister, and I is a poignant and touching novel about how
the power and effect of the love of one's family can and will overcome
any great obstacle in life.
I enjoyed this book very much, for, the author told her real
life story with such detail and vividness that I sometimes found it had
to believe that a specific event actually took place. I enjoyed how the
characters in the previous novel grew emotionally, from fretful young
children, to matured, young adults. The change in living in a wonderful
house in the bamboo grove to living out in the streets will teach
readers to respect and be content with what is already out in front of
you.
I recommend this book to anyone who wishes an emotional novel
and a bit of history. This book is for anyone of any gender of
ethnicity. There is not a significant amount of vocabulary and is great
for sixth to seventh graders who would like to stay on a simple,
comfortable reading level. Though personally, I would like this novel
to present itself with more of a challenge in vocabulary.
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2 of 7 people found the following review helpful: beautiful story, March 9, 2002Reviewer: "brasilusa" (Reston, VA United States) - See all my reviews
This book is beautifully written. The stories are
thought-provoking. I liked the characters: Hideyo, Ko and Litte One.
They all strong, courageous people with many special qualities. Their
kindness to each other stands out against their many trials.
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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful: A Sequel to Remember, January 10, 2002 A Kid's Review My
Brother, Sister, And I, by Yoko Kawashima, is a poignant sequel to the
exciting book So Far From The Bamboo Grove. This book is about a young
girl, Yoko (the author), during WW2. Originally Japanese, Yoko and her
family lived in Korea until WW2 began and were forced to flee to Japan,
destroyed by the war. Unfortunately, Yoko, her mother, and her sister
had to leave her brother and father behind, for they were not home at
the time. During the journey, they meet with her brother, although
sadly, her mother dies. Now Yoko is left with no parents, no money, and
only a brother and sister for income. Will they live? I recommend
this book because the reader can learn about how the poor were treated
in Japan. Yoko, who only had a few haggard clothes, continued school in
Japan. At school, the rich girls repeatedly teased and nagged Yoko for
how poor she was, although she was rather studious. The girls also try
to pull pranks on her throughout the year. As Yoko walked the streets,
the girls as well as other people would laugh and tease her. Yoko was
only able to make a few friends other than her brother and sister, and
those friends were mostly old people who she had helped. Also in this
book, the reader can see what the war was like for the people in Japan.
Many families were also made poor by the war, just like the Kawashimas,
and tried to build houses out of sticks under bridges. The poor killed
each other over a few blankets or pairs of old clothes. Many families
were infected by radiation and were losing each other. Yoko and her
family were considered lucky to live in a run-down factory. This
excellent book will touch your heart as you read about the tragic
events in Yoko's family and all over Japan during WW2. Some people
may agree that this book is good, but lacks action. Sure, this book is
more about Yoko making a living, starting from nothing, but it does not
need an aspect of action and gore. This book is still poignant and
surprising, and does have a twist of action here and there. Besides, if
action is a desire in a book, read So Far From The Bamboo Grove. Again,
My Brother, Sister, and I is a great book, and readers can learn how
the poor were treated in Japan and how WW2 affected families in Japan.
It is surprising that an author writing about her own life can make a
masterpiece so good that it seems like a fiction story. Read My
Brother, Sister, and I!
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful: A great sequel to a good book!, October 21, 2001 Reviewer: A reader I
have already made a five-star review of So Far from the Bamboo Grove,
and this book just takes the cake. I've read good, sad, books, but I've
never liked them. BUt this book makes me feel so with the characters
and you really get into the book. It is about a girl, her sister and
her brother trying to survive on the streets. Yoko gets teased at
school, their house burned down, and they are accused of arson and
murder. It is a great book, and I urge you to read it.
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From
this book My brother, My sister and I, I learnt quite a lot, though a
lot of the dialogue seems to be cold and unnatural, the theme is the
most important part of it. In this book the orphans Hideyo, Ko and Yoko
squeeze through all the hard times and find new ways of over coming
these things. In the end, the three of them find a special someone who
may not look the same but is the same person, they live happily ever
after (at least for now)
この本を通じて私の兄さん,お姉さん, そして私はたくさん学んだ. 彼らの言う方式は冷たくて不便だったがこの本の中心が一番重要だった.
この本でヒデです, 鼻, そして洋子はすべての難しいことを仮晩夏だった. 終わりに, 3ミョングモもガッウンインムル
(のように顔付きではなかったがガッウンサラム) ウルマンナで一生の間幸せに暮した(今のところは)
