Karmel Schreyer

Karmel Schreyer's, 'Naomi: The Strawberry Blonde of Pippu Town,' is a delightfully rendered tale of a young girl's transformation from a frightened, reluctant Canadian expatriate into a fully-fledged third culture kid, acclimated to and completely in love with her new life in Japan.

Naomi is the twelve-year-old daughter of a teacher (a single mom), with a one-year teaching assignment in a small town called Pippu, in northern Japan. The story follows Naomi's trials and tribulations, as she adjusts to the language, social customs, and school life of her new home. At the start of the book, Naomi suffers extreme culture shock and homesickness, and does nothing but whine and complain about being in Japan. Then gradually, as Japanese culture becomes more familiar to her, she begins actively exploring her new home, and seeking opportunities to learn and grow. By the end of the story, she has adapted so fully to Japanese life, that she experiences real distress at the thought of returning home to Canada, and leaving her home in Japan. As a TCK, she now realizes that both places are equally home places.

Anyone who has lived abroad as a child, and acclimated to life in a 'foreign' culture, will empathize with the trauma of leaving a beloved post. I strongly recommend having a tissue-box on hand, when reading the final chapters.… (altro)