Full Cicada Moon

In “New House,” Mimi explores their new house. The house has hardwood floors, and the kitchen has a dishwasher and garbage disposal—which are new for Mama. After she sees her parent’s room and their rented furniture, Papa takes Mimi to her room, which is at the top of a steep staircase. Mimi is overjoyed when she sees its size, sloped ceilings, and window seats. Her mother tucks her in because they are in a new house in a new town on the other side of the country. The sky outside is soft pink, which feels like the soft pink resting inside her. She wonders if it is the house, snow, knowing the long trip is over, having a big bedroom, or hearing her Mama and Papa downstairs. Mimi realizes “all the good things have come together / in soft pink / happiness” (18).

In “First Night,” Mimi can’t sleep and gets out of bed. She sits at the window and looks at the moon. The stars seem to be winking, but she explains that it is because Earth’s heat is rising, and the atmosphere is shifting. Mimi elaborates that a future astronaut needs to know these things, wondering if Earth winked at the Apollo 8 astronauts on the moon. She sees a dog leaping in the snow next door before a sharp whistle calls it inside.

The sun wakes Mimi up in “Like Saturday,” after she fell asleep in the window seat. She smells breakfast and heads downstairs. Though it is a Thursday, it feels like a Saturday because she is still on vacation. Her mother has set out her maneki-neko, her waving cat statue, for good luck. Papa asks Mimi her plan for the day. She wants to see the dog again and replies that she will explore. In “Next Door Boy,” Mimi tries to warm up by building a snowman. The backyard and an empty coop that will be filled with turkeys in the spring are covered in snow. The snow is too deep to roll balls, so she sculpts the snowman with her hands. A boy steps out of the house next door and calls out to the dog, named Pattress. Mimi raises her hand to say hi. The boy, whose pale cheeks are red from the cold, raises his hand and nods before going inside. 

In “Ready for School,” Mimi heads for her first day of school. She describes the layers she has to wear and who gifted her each piece of clothing. Though her clothes shield her from the cold, her eyelashes and nose are frozen. In “First Day,” Papa doesn’t want Mimi to take the school bus and drops her off on the way to the college where he teaches. She sees a rainbow as the wind blows the snow, which represents hope. Mimi hopes for a good day, good teachers, and a good friend as she touches the traditional Japanese lunch her mom packed for her. She wishes they didn’t live “out in the sticks” (28), but her mother wants to raise turkeys and grow vegetables. She wonders if there is another reason they live two miles from town and Papa drops her off to school.

In “Rules,” Papa parks instead of dropping Mimi off. She wonders if Papa will tell her about his drive from Berkeley to Hillsborough, or if he has been telling it all along and she hasn’t been listening. He asks Mimi if everything is cool. Though she is nervous, she doesn’t want him to worry and tells him that everything is okay. He reminds her to “be kind, respectful, and persist” (31). Mimi elaborates that she persists “like raindrops on granite” (31), dripping until the granite cracks. The secretary, Miss Holder, is surprised to see them—it seems she expected someone else from California. She tells Mimi her homeroom teacher will be Mr. Pease, that she will need to take a test for math, and that girls must wear skirts. In “Shop,” Miss Holder gives Mimi her schedule. She is to travel with the same students to every class, except for homeroom and home economics. The girls go to home economics while the boys go to shop class. Mimi asks when the girls go to shop class and Miss Holder frowns, explaining that girls don’t because they learn how to cook and sew. She asks Mimi why she would want to make a bookcase when she can make a cake. Mimi wonders why she wouldn’t. 

In “Journal,” Mimi looks for someone to sit next to in homeroom that she can blend in with because she is scared of being different. Mr. Pease shows her an empty seat in the front and smiles. The class is allowed to ask her three questions. When a boy asks her where she came from, he is confused when she answers “Berkeley, California” (34). A girl asks her what she wants to be when she grows up. When Mimi quickly answers that she wants to be an astronaut, everyone laughs at her. A boy asks Mimi about her nationality. When Mimi answers that she is an American, he repeats the question. She finally understands what the boy is asking—the class is quiet, and she doesn’t know how to answer. She knows it is up to her to solve the puzzle of what she is, though the real question “begins with Who” (35). In “Obento,” Mimi’s mouth waters when she thinks of the traditional Japanese lunch her mom packed for her—­hinomaru and cornbread—even though Papa told her a tuna sandwich would be better at this school. After the incident in homeroom, however, Mimi leaves her obento in her locker and eats cafeteria food.

In “Hungry,” Mimi complains about the taste of the cafeteria food. Everyone is conversing with everyone else except her. She eats the tasteless food because she is starving and there is nothing else to do. She wonders why a boy is staring at her and remembers that Mama told her not to be pushy and wait to be invited. When she smiles at the boy, he smiles back but doesn’t invite her over. In “Journal,” Mimi attends Mr. Pease’s English class. He welcomes the students from vacation. Mimi notices his crooked bow tie and imagines it to be a propeller, helping him soar above their heads. Mr. Pease asks Mimi what is so funny and tells her that he doesn’t tolerate clowns. He explains that the students will be keeping a journal until the end of the year, in which they will write, draw, and collage at least three times a week. They have to show the journals to Mr. Pease at the end of the year and can write whatever they want. Mimi asks if she can write poetry. She knows exactly what she will write in her journal so that by June, he will better understand “who” she is (41).

In “Notions,” Mrs. Olson the home economics teacher tells Mimi they will make aprons in the spring for when they cook next fall. One student asks why they can’t just buy an apron. Mimi has the same question—Mama has plenty of aprons and she would rather make a skirt. Mrs. Olson tells them they are learning to sew, before passing out a paper with the picture of an apron. It is much simpler than any apron Mama would have designed. Mrs. Olson explains that notions are their threads, needles, and pins. Mimi has a notion that she and Mama will go downtown, buy some fabric with flowers, some with stripes, and some extra for a ruffle. She also has a notion that if she sews the apron fast enough, she will have time to make a skirt. In “Science Class,” Mimi attends science, her last class of her first day. Her teacher, Mrs. Stanton, has graying curly hair that is like Mimi’s. Mrs. Stanton tells the students about the Science Groove in May. Mrs. Stanton will help them choose a project, for which they will write a report and do a 10-minute presentation. The projects will then be set up in the gym, where they will be judged and win awards. Mimi won third prize at the Science Fair in Berkeley and is determined to win first at the Science Groove.

In “Little Lies,” Papa waits for Mimi near the buses after school. He nods to the kids who stare at him. Some kids ask who he is and glance at Mimi. Papa asks Mimi about her first day. She says it was good, only because she knows he wants her to like Hillsborough. She thinks of the good things, like the Science Groove and journal writing. Papa tells her they will walk to the college so she can see the downtown and asks if she has everything. Mimi doesn’t tell him that she left her obento in her locker. In “Downtown,” Papa and Mimi walk in quick short steps, so she doesn’t crack her head open—Mama’s greatest fear. The ground is slushy and gray, while the sky is blue and bright with rainbows. They walk past offices, a barbershop, a bank, and a drugstore where she sees a soda fountain. They pass a round woman carrying a grocery bag, a boy in a blue parka with the hood’s string pulled tight, and a college girl in a long jean skirt and bouncy hair. Each person stares at Papa and Mimi, looking away as they get closer. Papa nods and says hello to each one. The round woman nods back, the boy twists around a signpost, and the college girl ignores them.