I Wanna be your Shoebox
Christina García
Characters
Yuki-13, 8th grade, in orchestra, "poster child"
Saul-96, Yumi's grandpa, from Brooklyn, dying
Quincy-In the orchestra, likes Yumi, green eyes
Véronique-Yumi's best friend
Mom-Yumi's mom, Cuban
Dad- Yumi's dad, makes music
Setting
Modern Times
Los Angeles(U.S)- Yumi's mom's homeVenice(U.S)- Yumi's dad's home
Guatemala(Guatemala)-Where Yumi and her mom went on a boat trip
Napo(U.S)-their future home
Past Times
Yokohama(Japan)-Where Saul used to live
Brooklyn(U.S)-Also where Saul used to live
Conflict
The conflict is that Saul is dying, and Yumi doesn't want him to go.
It is an external conflict
Quotes
"Cubans don't keep their dead lying around the house"-Mom
"And he danced"-Saul's gravestone
"I ain't no granola eating California hippie"-Saul
Plot Summary
The plot is that Saul is dying. Saul is Yumi's grandpa, and she loves him very much. Yuri wants to know about Saul's life, and he tells her. It's over a long period of time, though. Yuri learns a few lessons out of Saul's life. Soon enough, Saul dies. Another plot that takes place at the same time is that the orchestra will be shut down due to lack of money to support the group. Yumi and her friend Quincy are the runners of the concert that they will preform to raise money for the group. Instead of playing the normal classical music, they decide to take a risk and play rock/punk music. They manage to pull it off and raise over $1,000.