7/10 ( )

Reviewed for the VPRC. Semi-autobiographical story of the author's transition from Singapore to Western Australia as a child in the 1980s as told through the eyes of the character Peijing and her little sister Biju (who is actually I think the author because she is the one telling the stories throughout the novel.) The two must adapt to being thrust into a world where they are so different. They speak little English. Their mother comes to school at lunchtime and feeds them lunch. People in shops don't serve them because they are Asian. Their mother refuses to leave the house. They miss their aunties back in Singapore. They never see their father because he always working. And so they retreat into creating their own "Little World" - a box filled with landscapes and animals and Biju retells the stories their grandmother used to tell using the animals.
But what of their grandmother - she seems not to recognise them? And then one day, she goes missing and Peijing has to call on all the English she knows to try and find her. (Also there is a lovely story about Peijing being friends with a poor girl at school who no-one talks to.) ( )

Sisterly love rings loud and true with as a girl struggles to figure out her place in the world.

Peijing hopes the family's move to Australia will work out, and she tries her best to deal with the changes, but steering through a new culture, daily life, language, and people is quite the challenge. If that wasn't hard enough, Ah-Ma and Mama are mentally breaking down, which means Peijing needs to step in and help more on that end, too. Weighted down and not sure how to handle everything along with the problems at school, Peijing tries her best to figure everything out.

Note: This one does address themes such as domestic violence, dementia, and touches upon racism.

This is a read with tons of heart. Peijing, is a kind and family orientated girl, who tries her best to keep a positive outlook but often feels like she's sinking, instead. She struggles not only with the new environment and language but can't seem to find her place in school. Still, she does her best and keeps an inspiring and heart-warming attitude...even when it proves difficult, at times. Especially her relationship with her younger sister touches the heart (even when things aren't always smooth) and makes this a wonderful read about the sisterly bond.

While there are difficult issues in these pages, the author does approach them with a gentler touch and keeps it age appropriate. The troubles foreigners face are well-laid and brought across in a way, kids can relate to with scenes where embarrassment and/or frustration are palpable. Even the deterioration of Ah-Ma and Mama's problems are brought across with care.

I especially enjoyed the weave with Chinese myth and paper art as it added the right dusting of magic to keep everything from weighing down too much. There's always a sense of hope as well as a few characters, who really let the light shine in. The pacing remains steady for the most part with only a few sections, which slow a bit, and the writing style hits a younger age group well, although the sentence flow sometimes felt geared for a younger audience. Still, it's a well-done tale, easy to get lost in Peijing's world, and leaves the reader with more than a couple of tidbits for thought. I received a DRC and enjoyed experiencing Peijing's tale. ( )