The Year I Followed My Father to the Other Side of the World

Told in diary format, 14-year-old Franny journals about the year when she moves to Japan to be with her father and all the adventures she has learning a new culture, fitting in at a new school, and navigating feelings for more than one boy.

In this follow-up to The Year My Life Turned Upside Down, we follow 15-year-old Franny as she now has to have her life uprooted for the second time in a year, and this time she is moving to Japan to follow her father as he continues his research there. Far away from anything she knows, Franny deals with cultural differences as best as she can, with varying levels of success. She is able to find some respite when she befriends the supercute son of her dad’s boss, who also attends her new school. Told in diary format with illustrations on every page, readers will connect with Franny’s honest and humorous travails which include everything from the everyday worries of making friends at a new school to the heightened feelings of missing her best friend ex-boyfriend back home, while also realizing she may have feelings for another boy. Never mind the secret her father has been keeping from her for who knows how long! A diverse cast of characters and a true emotional rollercoaser of a story will make this a hit with readers.