DREAM, ANNIE, DREAM
Grades 4 and Up
Brown, Waka T.
Quill Tree Books, 2022
ISBN: 978-0063017160
347 pp.
Summary
As the daughter of Japanese immigrants, Annie Enoway has been raised to dream big – of starring roles in the theater, for example, or of taking her basketball skills to the NBA. But when Annie is passed over in favor of her best friend Jessica for lead roles in Annie and The King and I, her faith in her dreams begins to falter. Soon she finds herself navigating changing friendships, racial bias, and the opinions of others about what she can and cannot do as an Asian-American girl. Come cheer Annie on as she chases her big dreams in this inspiring coming-of-age story.
Curriculum Connections
Themes: Identity, racism, family, friendship, sexism, privilege.
Social Studies
The 1980s were a time of anti-Japanese sentiment due to trade friction with Japan. Because of this, there were few Japanese-American actors as role models for Annie and those few on television or in movies were often portrayed harshly. Research Asian-American actors during this time period. What do you notice? Would Annie have more role models today in acting? In basketball?
Explore the model minority myth. What could be so bad about being part of a group that’s seen as being successful?
From NPR, see “Model Minority Myth Again Used as a Racial Wedge Between Asians and Blacks” here.
Physical Education
Learn about real-life NBA superstar Muggsy Bogues!
Music
Both Annie and Jessica try out for parts in the musical Annie. Listen to Annie’s audition song "Maybe" and Jessica’s audition song "Tomorrow".
See the film versions of Annie (1982) (PG) and The King and I (1956) (G).
Language Arts/Creative Writing
Annie takes the classic tale Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and writes her own spin on it for the school play. Try your hand at writing a fractured fairy tale! For example, try writing your own versions of The Stinky Cheese Man, Ninja Red Riding Hood or The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.
See Writing Lesson: Fractured Fairy Tales.
Science
Learn about the science behind Annie’s successful free throws here.
Cooking
For the International Food Bazaar, Annie’s mom volunteers to make a family favorite - gyoza. Try making gyoza (see recipes here ) and then research what kinds of dumplings come from different ethnic groups.
Discussion Questions
Annie’s teacher, Mrs. Olds, has been known to make sexist remarks favoring the boys and belittling the girls during their math class. If you were in this class, what are some actions you could take to combat this blatant sexism?
While visiting a new Japanese-American doctor for Annie, Annie’s mom reads an article in Time Magazine about overachieving Asian whiz kids. Soon her heart is set on Annie going to medical school and Annie is afraid that her dreams of the stage or NBA might not be as secure as she thought. How does Annie feel when she finds out that her mom does not support her dreams? How is Annie handling her dreams of acting or playing basketball vs. her parents’ dreams of her becoming a doctor or a mathematician?
Annie remembers her mother’s stories about her pride in graduating from college and becoming a flight attendant - but, as the years went on, her mother became more withdrawn, shy, and reserved. It is only when she meets Mrs. Wright (Kent’s mom) that things begin to change for Mrs. Inoue. What happens and why?
Annie and Jessica have been best friends since they were little girls and as the story opens, it seems that they still are. But soon cracks begin to form in their friendship. When do you first notice a shift in their relationship? If you could give Annie friend advice, how would you help her navigate this tricky time? Have you ever had a friend drama that had to be handled gently?
Why do you think there is so much tension between Jessica and Natalie?
How is Natalie a more supportive friend to Annie than Jessica is?
Annie has a very different relationship with her two parents. How is she with her mom? In what ways are they similar or different? What about her dad? How do you think that dynamic affects the parents’ relationship?
At the beginning of the novel, Annie is blissfully unaware of any micro-aggressions directed at her or her family - but as time goes on, she begins to have a sense of things that just don’t feel or sound right. Mrs. Kelly can’t pronounce her mom’s name so just calls her Jackie, and tells her mom that she “looks like a doll” in her kimono. Community members treat the Enoue family ethnicity as interchangeable. When does Annie start to recognize subtle and blatant racism in her friends and community?
Author Online
Waka T. Brown has a degree from Stanford in International Relations and a Master’s in secondary education. She was the first of her family to be born in America, where she grew up in Topeka, Kansas, speaking both English and Japanese. She teaches online courses with the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) and classes on U.S.-Japan relations to high-school students in Japan. She currently lives in Oregon with her husband, three sons, and dog Niko, where she enjoys running, art, baking, and playing the guitar. Find her on Instagram and on X (Twitter).
Companion Books
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll (many editions)
Check out the book that Annie used as her inspiration for the school play - the story of the girl who fell down a rabbit hole into a very odd new world.
Pippa Park Raises Her Game
Erin Yun (Fabled Films Press, 2021)
Korean-American Pippa wins a basketball scholarship to a private school – but hopes to keep her family’s laundromat a secret from her new classmates.
The Comeback
E.L. Shen (Square Fish, 2022)
Twelve-year-old Maxine is a competitive skater – until a bully at school starts undermining her confidence by teasing her about her Chinese heritage.
While I Was Away
Waka T. Brown (Quill Tree Books, 3021)
Twelve-year-old Waka’s Japanese-American parents worry that she can’t speak Japanese, so she’s sent to live with her grandmother in Tokyo – and finds out that she’s a “dumb foreigner” in Japan.
Front Desk
Kelly Yang (Scholastic, 2018)
Ten-year-old Mia Tang and family live in a motel, where she manages the front desk while her immigrant parents clean rooms – and, in spite of owner Mr. Yao, give other immigrants a place to stay.
Stand Up, Yumi Chung! (Puffin, 2021)
Jessica Kim
Yumi Chung wants to be a stand-up comedian – but her Korean family has enrolled her in summer test-prep tutoring. Then she finds a way to enroll in comedy camp – as Kay Nakamura.
The Great Wall of Lucy Wu
Wendy Wan-Long Shang (Scholastic, 2013)
Sixth-grader Lucy, an aspiring basketball star, ends up dealing with visiting great-aunt Yi Po, who is staying in her room, a basketball bully at school, and a know-it-all at Chinese school.