Pacific Crossing Paperback – March 1, 2003

I read this in fifth grade and couldn’t remember the title. Finally found it and am so happy. Really cool to learn about Japanese cultures as a kid vicariously through the main character.

Hands-down one of my favorite books and one that I routinely recommend and/or gift to any young person I know going abroad, especially exchange students. I wish I had had this book when I went abroad as a teenager! It would've helped so much to understand the gradual, often messy and ultimately rewarding process of living with strangers in a strange new place. Highly recommended.

Fourteen-year-old Lincoln (Linc) Mendoza, a Franklin Junior High student of Mexican-American heritage who just finished seventh grade, lives with his mother in a Mission District barrio of San Francisco, CA. During the summer, Linc and his best friend, Tony Contreras, go to Japan as exchange students, and Linc will study shorinji kempo, a Japanese martial art. The boys are staying in Atami, a small farming village about three hours outside Tokyo, Linc with Mr. and Mrs. Ono and their son Mitsuo who is Linc’s age, and Tony with the Inaba family. Linc and Mitsuo become like brothers. How will Lincoln’s kempo studies go? Will he learn anything about Japanese culture? And will he be able to explain to his new friends what it means to be both Mexican and American? Though it moves along at a slow, leisurely pace with little excitement or adventure, except when Mr. Ono gets bitten by a spider on a camping trip and Lincoln must drive him down the mountain to a hospital, the book has an interesting plot which provides a lot of information about Japanese and Mexican-American culture. There are glossaries in the back which explain both Spanish and Japanese words and phrases. As usual in much modern youth literature, there has to be the requisite broken home. It is said that the marriage between Linc’s dad, a policeman, and mom ended in divorce when the boy was seven and that he hadn’t seen his dad in six years. Linc’s mom was thinking of marrying her boyfriend Roy. However, this is contrasted to the stability and affection between Mr. and Mrs. Ono in their marriage which Linc longingly notices. The boys do show some rebelliousness towards the police during their trip to Tokyo. A number of references to smoking cigarettes and cigars, as Mr. Ono is a smoker, and to drinking beer and sake occur. Of course, the Onos are Buddhists, so mention is made of some Buddhist religious beliefs and practices. While they are not overemphasized, they are presented in a way that would make multiculturalists happy—they’re Buddhist, Linc is a Catholic, and everyone’s okay. At the same time, it is good to learn true respect and tolerance towards others with different beliefs. As to language, we do find out that “mis nalgas” means “my butt.” One other annoying event is found. When Linc and Mitsuo finally escape from the policemen chasing them in Tokyo, they turn around and yell, “Like h---.” It still amazes me that so many modern authors can write a basically nice story with no cursing or profanity for the most part, that while reading one begins to think that here is a book which can be recommended with hardly any reservations, but then right at the end they seem to feel that they just have to throw in some bad language, usually with the excuse that is it needed to make it sound “realistic.” Otherwise, I would have given this book a good rating instead of just fair.

My 95% Hispanic charter high school students (both male and female) enjoyed this book. They liked Lincoln and Mitsuo and said they'd like to go to Japan if given the opportunity. They thought the summer was best time,because they said they'd be scared that school would be too hard there. Two English as a Second Language students are anxiously awaiting the copy in Spanish read to be sure that they didn't miss anything crucial in the novel. I ordered it in December and it hasn't arrived yet.

It is a really good concept for a book - two boys spending the summer in Japan and if some of the ideas had been expanded, Crossing Pacific could have been a very interesting book. But instead it just skims over the surface, with no details to really interest the reader. There are no conflicts between Lincoln and his host family - they manage to speak impecable English. He teaches them American slang and practices kempo. There is no development of Mitsuo's interest in baseball or how they can all speak English so well. It might be interesting for younger students looking for a quick read, but if you want more details about a summer spent in Japan, look elsewhere!