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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Fourth-grader Anna Wang finds solace and pleasure in stories, especially now that her former best friend, Laura, has abandoned her. Anna is happy talking to the crossing guard in the morning, and she’s usually content turning to a book for companionship throughout the school day. At home, her mother thinks Anna can be selfish when she chooses a book over helping others. Still, Anna usually enjoys spending time with her Chinese American family and other adults. But when Laura wants to start doing things together again Anna is reluctant—she’d much rather read. Then Laura’s mom asks if Laura can spend the weekend. It turns out Laura’s parents are separated and there are complications—her mom has had to get a restraining order against her dad. Author Andrea Cheng deftly handles that dimension of this appealing novel in a way that is age-appropriate for both characters and readers. Wonderful relationships—even when they are sometimes a little prickly—unfold and develop as Anna realizes that, sometimes, the right choice is saying no to a book, and yes to a friend. References to the many specific books that Anna reads over the course of the year will be an added pleasure for readers like Anna who can’t get enough of stories. (Ages 7–9)

CCBC Choices 2013 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2013. Used with permission.

From Horn Book

July 1, 2012
Nine-year-old Anna, who always has her head stuck in a book, sometimes uses reading as a shield against social exclusion (of the specialized fourth-grade-girl kind) and her own lack of confidence. Cheng's telling is as straightforward yet sympathetic as her self-contained main character; Halpin's often lighthearted pencil-and-wash sketches both decorate and enrich this perceptive novel.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Booklist

May 15, 2012
Grades 2-4 A slim but solid novel about friends and family issues, Cheng's latest follows an Asian American girl through most of fourth grade. At the start, Anna Wang finds companionship in books, partly because last year's best friend, Laura, has become less friendly. Despite the title, and the author's numerous references to other books (ranging from picture books to A Wrinkle in Time), Anna's bookishness is only one of the themes of this story. More important are the active adjustments she makes in her own life to reach out to others, including a widower, the kindly crossing guard, a girl with learning difficulties, and Laura, whose parents are undergoing a grim separation. Cheng also describes Anna's challenges in learning Chineseshe is resistant at first, since her American-born dad has done fine without knowing the language. Halpin's illustrations offer sweet scenes and images of Anna's life, including her growing interest in Chinese characters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

From School Library Journal

May 1, 2012

Gr 4-6-There is nothing quiet and self-conscious Anna Wong would rather do than lose herself in a book. Cheng weaves a simple story of how the child's inner world, built around the pages of books, shifts outward to include her family, a kind crossing guard, a widower, and a beloved teacher. Most of all, Anna gradually learns to open her heart to the joys and challenges of friendship. The writing is gentle and engaging. Cheng gives readers glimpses into the heart of a girl without the allure of action or adventure. The story doesn't need them. Readers are led to discover the extraordinary within the ordinary, and to witness how kindness can draw trust and create confidence in a hesitant child. Dialogue is natural and uncontrived. Details of Chinese culture are interwoven throughout the story. Anna's mother works hard to acquire English-language skills, learn to drive, hold down a job, and give her children the opportunity to learn Chinese. Her struggles contrast with those of her American-born Chinese husband. Anna's friend's sad tale of family breakdown is also a part of the story, and children experiencing similar difficulties will relate to Laura's grief and fear. Anna creates hand-sewn lunch bags, and she and Laura make bags for all the people who are special to them. (Instructions are on the book jacket.) Readers will not find chills and thrills in this book, but they will discover the value of empathy and compassion, and the rewards of tolerance and friendship.-Corrina Austin, Locke's Public School, St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Horn Book

May 1, 2012
Before the first chapter begins, we already know something about narrator Anna Wang: she always has her head stuck in a book. Nine-year-old Anna reads for all the right reasons ("Soon I am with Sam [in My Side of the Mountain], hollowing out a stump to make my own little house"), but she also uses reading as a shield against social exclusion (of the specialized fourth-grade-girl kind) and her own lack of confidence ("her face looks friendly, but I don't know her so I'm afraid to go over to the group. Instead I open my book and read standing up"). At school, Anna's friend from last year, Laura, now hangs out with the popular girls; at home, Anna is ashamed of her mother's English and fights with her about attending Chinese language school. But she keeps reading -- specific children's books, from Leo Lionni's picture book Little Blue and Little Yellow to Jacqueline Woodson's Hush, which are integrated into the narrative. Sometimes a book helps illuminate Anna's own life (as when thinking about My Louisiana Sky helps her feel less critical of her mother's imperfections); sometimes a book is part of the external plot (as when Laura and Anna, beginning to be friends again, dress up as Little Blue and Little Yellow for Halloween). As the year progresses, once in a while Anna even puts a book down. Cheng's telling is as straightforward yet sympathetic as her self-contained main character; and Halpin's often lighthearted pencil-and-wash sketches both decorate and enrich this perceptive novel. martha v. parravano

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Publisher's Weekly

April 2, 2012
Anna Wang, the narrator of this tender novel, isn't having an easy time navigating fourth grade. Feeling left out when her friend Laura begins hanging out with another girl, Anna takes refuge in her beloved library books. She is proud of her Chinese-born mother, who is going to school to become a nurse, yet embarrassed by her mother's imperfect English and her part-time housecleaning job. Trying to balance her cultural identities, Anna is also conflicted about attending Chinese school and learning that language. Cheng (Only One Year) credibly portrays Anna's budding maturity, as she sets aside her resentment toward Laura and reaches out to her when her family hits a rough patch. Anna's warm rapport with her supportive teacher, a cheerful crossing guard, and a kind widower add emotional depth. Though Anna's musings can grow repetitious, the novel offers a well-rounded portrait of a sympathetic girl and her burgeoning sense of self. Halpin's (The Grand Plan to Fix Everything) tidy halftone pictures help flesh out Anna's world. Ages 6—9. Agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown. Illustrator's agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management.

From Kirkus

March 1, 2012
In what promises to be a reading year, 10-year-old Anna Wang finds real-life friends as well. Fourth grade is not turning out well for Anna. Her friend Laura is now part of a threesome that excludes her; she's become uncomfortable about her mother's cleaning job and her family's different traditions; and she struggles in Chinese school. Luckily her teachers encourage their students' independent reading, and, even better, Anna is the kind of reader who can lose herself in a story. Anna's own story, conveyed in a first-person, present-tense voice, is one of developing empathy. Early on, her mother says, "It's time you must think about other people." Over the year she has significant interactions with her crossing-guard friend Ray; her mother's elderly employer, Mr. Shepherd; and her new friend Camille, and she also achieves a growing understanding of Laura's family problems. As a result, Anna learns to think about the people around her just as she cares about fictional characters. Good readers will enjoy the frequent references to well-known children's literature titles and may even be prompted to seek new ones out. Halpin's grayscale illustrations and occasional Chinese characters (introduced in a glossary at the beginning) add interest, and instructions for sewing a lunch bag are included at the end. A gentle, affectionate take on familiar middle-grade issues and the joys of reading. (Fiction. 7-10)

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