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“A disheartened teen takes a trip to Japan to find her true passion. …What begins as an escape from reality becomes Kimi’s path to developing insights into her mother’s past and her own future. Kuhn has brought together travel, fashion, food, romance, and family to create an incredibly sweet and heartwarming coming-of-age romantic comedy. Weaving in Japanese vocabulary and slang, she also subtly addresses racism and differences between Japanese and Japanese-American cultures. She explores the struggle of discovering one’s familial and cultural history and how it shapes who one becomes.”

– Kirkus Reviews

I Love You So Mochi

Written by Sarah Kuhn
Published by Scholastic Press

She’s obsessed with transforming everyday ephemera into Kimi Originals: bold outfits that make her and her friends feel like the Ultimate versions of themselves. But her mother disapproves, and when they get into an explosive fight, Kimi’s entire future seems on the verge of falling apart. So when a surprise letter comes in the mail from Kimi’s estranged grandparents, inviting her to Kyoto for spring break, she seizes the opportunity to get away from the disaster of her life.

When she arrives in Japan, she’s met with a culture both familiar and completely foreign to her. She loses herself in the city’s outdoor markets, art installations, and cherry blossom festival — and meets Akira, a cute aspiring med student who moonlights as a costumed mochi mascot. And what begins as a trip to escape her problems quickly becomes a way for Kimi to learn more about the mother she left behind, and to figure out where her own heart lies.

Primary ISBN: 9781338302882
Publication Date: May 2019
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult, Age 12 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States (Culver City CA), Japan (Kyoto)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation, 5th Generation

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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