It's a deftly worked resolution, inspirational message and all.
A young Chinese arrival, self-named Shirley Temple Wong, finds a secure, bicultural niche in 1945-46 Brooklyn—as, it's suggested, did Chinese American novelist Lord (Spring Moon).
The opening passages, meant to evoke a traditional Chinese household, have a slightly artificial, storybook quality; but once Lord gets Shirley to the Brooklyn neighborhood of look-alike houses, and into P.S. 8 where not two children look alike, this becomes an endearing, warming account of immigrant woes and joys. Her first afternoon, after Father has shown her around, Shirley insists on going to fetch cigarettes—"Rukee Sike"; she proudly procures them, from a substitute store ("Nothing to it at all"), then loses her way back ("What a fool she was!")—but Father and his guests, finding her, still march her home triumphant. She is put into the fifth grade, not only knowing no English, but actually a year ahead of herself (asked her age, she held up ten fingers—because a Chinese child is one year old at birth); in response to a wink, she takes to blinking (a tic, wonders the teacher); introduced, she bows. And, from her general differentness, she's soon ignored, friendless; a failure, too, as "China's little ambassador" of her mother's imagining. (In a poignant bit, P.S. 8's second "Chinese" student proves to be from Chattanooga, and not to speak Chinese.) The turnaround starts with two black eyes from Mabel, "the tallest and the strongest and the scariest girl in all the fifth grade." Shirley doesn't tattle; Mabel befriends her—picking her for stickball, coaching her; and, from an inadvertent resemblance to Jackie Robinson (" 'Cause she's pigeontoed and stole home"), she develops a passion for the Dodgers and an identification with Robinson ("making a better America," proclaims her teacher) that climaxes when she presents him with the keys to P.S. 8. But in a nice parallel with a Chinese tale, this identification also allows Shirley to wear "two gowns," and to imagine her Chinese relatives clapping along with the P.S. 8 audience.
It's a deftly worked resolution, inspirational message and all.Pub Date: Sept. 5, 1984
ISBN: 978-0-06-440175-3
Page Count: 180
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1984
A quick-paced coming-of-age story exploring music and family expectations.
A sixth grader tries to make money to attend music camp.
When Enly Wu Lewis’ best friend, Pinky, shows him a flyer for a music-themed summer camp, Enly is determined to attend. It’s his chance to learn more than just the church songs and show tunes in his piano teacher’s repertoire and to become a musician like his late father. It’s an uphill battle, though—$2,800 for a two-week camp is out of the question. There’s no way his mother would divert any potential savings from his brother’s college fund, especially for music. But maybe Enly can earn the cash by busking with his keyboard. After a rough start with a new instrument (a melodica) and a possible lottery ticket payout, he might just make a dent in the camp costs. In this fast-moving tale, Liu explores the push and pull of dreams and circumstance. Readers will connect with idealistic Enly and his drive to pursue music despite the obstacles. A single parent in an increasingly gentrifying city, Enly’s mom is focused on day-to-day life and an economic path for her children. Ultimately, the family meets in the middle. Secondary characters like elderly piano teacher Ms. Maisie and Saxophone Joe, a grumpy, disabled war veteran, show the support found in community, though they, particularly Enly’s mother, could do with more nuanced portrayal. Enly is biracial (his mother is Chinese; his father was White), while Pinky is cued Black.
A quick-paced coming-of-age story exploring music and family expectations. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-72842-456-9
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
Simplistic, but a straight shot on goal.
Despite poor first impressions, an aggressive new student earns a spot as goalkeeper on the local soccer team.
Loud, pushy new arrival Shane definitely seems to come with an attitude problem in this simple tale, told from the perspective of one of Shane’s teammates and originally published in 2021 in the U.K. A few days later, however, the source of the chip on his shoulder becomes clear when the North Park Juniors take the pitch. When Shane shows up to play, his bossy, verbally abusive stepfather, Mick, is in tow, screaming orders and insults from the sidelines. The story, which is printed with what the publisher calls “dyslexia-friendly fonts and paper tones,” is laid out with extra spacing between the short sentences and paragraphs. The author also takes multiple breaks to examine historical feats and foibles of renowned goalies of the past. The plot goes on to follow a fairly direct course. After the police haul Mick away in the wake of a chair-throwing tantrum, a more emotionally stable Shane shows up the following weekend to perform heroic exploits in a hard-fought climactic match. Physical descriptions in the text are minimal; young players and adults in Chalik’s frequent illustrations are woodenly drawn but feature a mix of light- and dark-skinned faces.
Simplistic, but a straight shot on goal. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781454954842
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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