My sister and I sure are different. It's hard to believe we're related. I never get awards. Okay, I've gotten a few awards, but they were for my artwork. I'm proud of the awards, and my parents are, too, I think, but Janine just stands out when it comes to schoolwork. Maybe I should tell you a little about my family so you can understand things better.

To begin with, there are four people in my family - Mom, Dad, Janine, and me. Janine is sixteen and a junior at Stoneybrook High School, otherwise known as SHS. (We live in Stoneybrook, Connecticut.) I am thirteen and in eighth grade at Stoneybrook Middle School, or SMS. There used to be a fifth person in our family - my grandmother Mimi. Mimi and I were very close. I could tell her anything. She always listened to me, and she didn't care that I'm not such a hot student. She really liked my art, too. But now Mimi is gone. She died a little while ago. I miss her a lot.

Our family is Japanese-American. Janine and I were born right here in Stoneybrook, though. We've never even been to Japan. My dad is a partner in an investment firm in Stamford, which is a city nearby. My mom is the head librarian at our local public library. I'm stupid and Janine is a genius. Oh, okay. I know that isn't true. I mean, about my being stupid. According to my teachers I'm very smart. I just don't apply myself. I have a little trouble concentrating, and frankly, school doesn't interest me. But art does. I love everything about art. And I'm good at it. I can sculpt, paint, sketch, make collages and jewelry, you name it. I'm not bragging. This is just the way things are.

Then there's Janine. She doesn't care about anything except school. She especially likes computers and science. She's a true and honest genius. She has a genius IQ - over 150. She's so smart that even though she's only in high school, she. gets to take some classes at the community college. She's been doing that for two years now.