Gr 4–8—When Lina's family immigrated to the United States from China, Lina stayed behind with her grandmother.
Now it's Lina's turn to join her family, but she's shocked to discover how hard her new life is. This novel deftly deals
with big, timely topics.

5/5 ( )

24
Novel 4

This story is about a Chinese girl whose family lives in America, but she was left in China with her lao lao. Lina goes to America at the start of the book and sees her family for the first time in 5 years which creates a whirlwind of emotions. Along the way, Lina learns how to speak more English with the help of books, Mrs. Ortiz, and her friend Finn.

After five years of living with her beloved, arthritic grandmother (lao lao) in China, Lina is finally joining the rest of her family - mom, dad, and little sister Millie - in America. But when she arrives, she realizes that their letters didn't include the whole truth about their lives, which are harder than she knew. Dad works all hours for Pete, a farmer who says his lawyer is working on the family's green cards. Mrs. Muñoz and her daughter Carla, who's the same age as Lina, live in a trailer on Pete's farm, working as Wwoofers. Lina and Carla quickly become friends, but in school, Lina quickly becomes self-conscious about her English after classmates make fun of her, and refuses to speak in class. However, her teacher is kind, as is her classmate Finn, and the school librarian and the ELL teacher. Ultimately, Lina must speak up when a parent at her school attempts to ban a book she loves, a graphic novel called Flea Shop by Catherine Wang.

See also: Front Desk by Kelly Yang, Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte, Attack of the Black Rectangles by A.S. King, Ban This Book by Alan Gratz

Quotes

"Let me explain something to you," Mom says. "We're immigrants, which means if there's ever a choice between something easy and something hard, we pick the something hard."
I swallowed hard.
"Forever?" I ask. (104)

"Let me tell you something about mistakes. A professor of mine once told me a mistake is progress you can't see. Every time you make a mistake, you're learning. You're growing." (Dad, 109)

"You're always cuffed to your gratitude." (Mom, 133)

I feel my whole body relax at being understood. A great book says all the words for you that you've been holding in, all sewn up inside. (156)

...we can't afford to rock the boat with anyone....On the other hand, I know if I don't at least show up, that boat's never going to include someone like me again. (257)

"Now I realize it takes courage to admit I don't have all the answers - none of us do. But if I'm afraid to have the conversations, if I'm afraid to read a children's book...what possible hope do I have of giving her the courage to deal with life?" (Carla's mom Mrs. Muñoz, 262) ( )