From Emma - A Granddaughter’s Pick
by Michelle Reid
A Radio Reader’s Conversation between a Grandmother and Her Granddaughter Emma
Hello, this is Michelle Reid for the HPPR Radio Readers Summer Book Club. Today I’m here with my granddaughter Emma to talk about one of her favorite books. Good morning!
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: Good morning, Emma. Tell us a little bit about you.
EMMA: I’m nine years old and I live in Kansas City.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: And you’re here in Dodge City to visit Grandma for the week, right?
EMMA: Uh-hum
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: What’s one fun thing we’ve done this week?
EMMA: We went to the water park and we made cookies.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: That’s been a lot of fun. Can you tell us the book you want to talk about today?
EMMA: The Tryout.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: Who’s the author?
EMMA: Christina Soontornvat
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: And is there an illustrator?
EMMA: Joanna Cacao
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: Why is there an illustrator?
EMMA: Because it’s a graphic novel.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: Who is the main character in the book?
EMMA: Christina
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: So, the author and main character have the same first name?
EMMA: Yes, the author is writing about her own experience.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: Oh, so what kind of book is it?
EMMA: An autobiography.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: What is the setting? Where does the book take place?
EMMA: It takes place in Texas. I think it is in the past . . . . when the author was young. It’s about Christina and she is trying out for the cheerleading squad and everyone makes fun of her.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: Why?
EMMA: Because she is Thai American and her dad comes from Thailand.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: So, who causes problems for her in the book?
T EMMA: There is this boy named Tobin. He calls her “Rice Girl” all the time and he always says that she’s from China. And one time he said to go back to where she came from even though she was born in the United States.
EMMA: She has a best friend named Megan. People treat Megan unfairly, too and they are trying out for the cheerleading squad together.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: Why do people treat Megan unfairly?
EMMA: Because her dad is from Iran.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: How does it go when they try out for the cheerleading squad together?
EMMA: Well, Megan doesn’t really want to try out together because she is afraid that they won’t get on the squad because the seventh graders all vote for who is on the squad and because nobody likes them, she doesn’t want to make it worse for them.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: Sounds kind of sad. Is it a sad book?
EMMA: At the beginning it is kind of sad but at the end, they both find what they actually wanted.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: What are some of the things the main character goes through? What are some of the themes of the book?
EMMA: Well, there is this group of kids and that includes Tobin and they all make fun of her. Whenever she makes friends and she tells them funny stuff, they all say something else about it. They make fun of her.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: What’s another theme?
EMMA: Friendship. She has a best friend but then she gets really confused when her best friend doesn’t want to try out with her. She doesn’t know why Megan doesn’t want to tryout with her. We don’t really know until she asks her.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: Oh, she asks her?
EMMA: Yeah.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: That’s good. That’s the way to be a good friend.
EMMA: She kind of shouted it out.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: Oh, did they get in a fight?
EMMA: Well, she just kept it a secret, but then she just couldn’t take it anymore.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: Oh, sometimes that happens to people, doesn’t it? Any other themes?
EMMA: There’s racism because they are the only kids of color at their school. They are trying out for the squad at the school so they can get more popular so that kids don’t make fun of them so much. But then other people are still going to make fun of them, but just not as much.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: Well, I don’t want to give away the ending, so I won’t ask you about that, but what is the main character’s goal?
EMMA: It’s to be on the cheerleading squad. At first she wanted to do it so that people would stop making fun of her, but then she discovered that she really liked doing it because it felt like she was part of something.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: Who might like the book? Do you think kids your age would like the book? Do you think your sister would like the book?
EMMA: Yeah.
GRANDMOTHER MICHELLE: Do you think older people like my age would like the book? Sounds like this might be a good book for anybody to read.
EMMA: Yeah.
Well, thank you everyone for listening. This is Michelle Reid and Emma for the HPPR Radio Reader Book Club’s Summer Read. Happy Reading.
The Tryout: A Graphic Novel (2022), by Christina Soontornvat and Joanna Cacao (illus)
Michelle Reid has been the school librarian at Dodge City High School in Dodge City, KS., for the last 10 years. Before that, she taught English classes at DCHS. She has lived in Dodge City for 25 years. She explores the world (and other worlds too!) through books and travel. She loves young adult books and hopes to encourage HPPR listeners to read the best of them. Her nine-year-old granddaughters from Kansas City and Olathe joined her this summer for the Radio Readers Book Club’s Summer Read.
