The Bracelet book review by Alex

Title of the Book: The Bracelet 

Author Name: Yoshiko Uchida 

Reviewer's Name: Alex 

Publisher: Philomel Books 

 Date of Publication: 1996 

 Rating: 1-5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

An innocent, young girl named Emi tries her hardest to stay strong and holds back tears, knowing her family has to leave their home due to war. Their home looks bare and empty, unlike how it used to be. Her friend in the same grade, Laurie, gives her a bracelet as a gift to take with her. Out of all the scenes in the book, my favorite had to be the part where she learned that losing the bracelet did not mean she wouldn’t be able to remember Laurie. Emi is part of a Japanese-American family and lives with her mother and older sister. Although they have not done anything wrong, they are sent to a prison camp due to their ethnicity and the war going on. She imagines how her home used to be filled with decorations, furniture, and other goods, unlike the way it looks now. An IB Learner Profile attribute that is connected to this scenario is Reflective. This is because Emi reflects on the changes that have been made to the environment and how it has affected her family. She has a good understanding of the reasons for this change. The sadness and frustration taking place are due to leaving the home they have made several memories in. 

After reflecting, Emi says her final goodbye to her best friend, Laurie, and is given a bracelet to take to camp. The facial expressions of the characters in the illustrations convey a sad, miserable, and downhearted mood. This causes the readers to feel sympathetic for the characters as well as show empathy. After arriving at the new apartment, the family is not as happy with the overall appearance and has a hard time adjusting to it. Not too long after, Emi then realizes she lost the bracelet Laurie gave her. She starts to panic and begins searching the area. Although Emi loses the bracelet, she pulls out her red sweater that matched Laurie’s on the first day of school and soon learns that there are other ways to remember her. A valuable lesson in this story is “a missing valuable item that signifies someone does not necessarily mean they will be forgotten completely and there’s no hope left.” In conclusion, this book conveys sad emotions but contains several values. Important lessons can be learned and we can get a better understanding of the perspectives of people like Emi. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn about the experiences of Emi’s family and step into their shoes.