"The Language Inside" is a beautiful and thought-provoking YA novel in verse that would appeal to those interested in exploring identity, multiculturalism, and finding one's place in the world. The book sensitively and elegantly weaves together political tragedy, natural disaster, PTSD, connections among families, and a cautious, quiet romance into an artistic picture of devastation, fragility, bonds, and choices. The vivid imagery in the lyrical free verse lends immediacy to the protagonist's turbulent feelings and inspires readers with the message that having the strength to fall down a hundred times and get up a hundred and one times is essential.

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A nuanced novel in verse that explores identity in a multicultural world.Emma Karas was raised in Japan; it's the country she calls home. But when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer, Emma's family moves to a town outside Lowell, Massachusetts, to stay with Emma's grandmother while her mom undergoes treatment.Emma feels out of place in the United States.She begins to have migraines, and longs to be back in Japan. At her grandmother's urging, she volunteers in a long-term care center to help Zena, a patient with locked-in syndrome, write down her poems. There, Emma meets Samnang, another volunteer, who assists elderly Cambodian refugees. Weekly visits to the care center, Zena's poems, dance, and noodle soup bring Emma and Samnang closer, until Emma must make a painful choice: stay in Massachusetts, or return home early to Japan.

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