“Fish for Jimmy”

By Kyle, age 9
As told to Jae-Ha Kim
January 23, 2018

Rating: A billion out of 4 stars!

“Fish for Jimmy” is about a Japanese family who lived in the United States a long time ago. The mother and father were born in Japan and moved to America for a better life. They have two sons: Taro and his younger brother, Jimmy.

I am inferring that Taro was born in Japan and Jimmy was born in the U.S., because of their names.

In the beginning, everything is great. They live in California, where Taro and Jimmy swim in the Pacific Ocean.

Then in December of 1941, not long after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor (in Hawaii), the FBI showed up at their house and took their dad to prison for being Japanese. The FBI was just being really dumb.

Soon the U.S. and Japan were at war and everyone who was Japanese — even if they were American citizens — was put into prison camps just for looking different, which was so unfair.

Jimmy was so sad that he wouldn’t eat the food they served in prison camp. He wanted to eat his mother’s yummy Japanese cooking.

Taro had promised his father that he would take care of the family. So one night, he snuck out of the campsite and ran as far as he could until he found a stream. There, he caught seven fish to take back to prison camp.

His mother cooked the fish and the three of them enjoyed a delicious meal. It was the first time his mother laughed in a long time.

Jimmy laughed, too, and asked Taro, “Are these Pacific fish? Did they come from far away like us?”

Months later, their father was released from prison and joined them. But it was still prison. The FBI just called it a camp to make it sound better.

CHECK THIS OUT: “Fish for Jimmy” is published by Holiday House ($16.95). Katie Yamasaki’s book is based on her family’s real-life experiences and has been selected to be included in the newest version of McGraw-Hill Education’s anthology textbook for fourth grade students. Read more about the author on her website.

© 2018 JAE-HA KIM | All Rights Reserved

16 thoughts on ““Fish for Jimmy””

  1. “The FBI was just being really dumb.”

    The best line ever in any book review I have ever read. I’m not even kidding. Give that kid a raise!

  2. How horrible that this could’ve happened on our own soil. I look forward to reading this book with my grandchildren. Your son did a great job reviewing this book.

  3. I think about things like this whenever Trump says he will handle North Korea. I can see Trump’s administration wanting to put citizens of Korean ethnicity away in concentration camps as well. North, South, doesn’t matter to his followers.

  4. As a teacher myself, it’s so hard to make a 9 yo student to make a simple summary of a short story book in my own language. In the end, they will only write everal lines from each paragraph or chapter yo make it shorter but not even know what the syory about.
    To put his opinion about the characters there, “just being dumb”, just a proof that he is not only have a good ability in reading, but also in comprehending it.
    Indeed, like mother like son…💜💜💜

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