  | Year of the book (Anna Wang novel) Author: Cheng, Andrea | |
| Price: $6.50 | ||
Summary:
Follows a young Chinese American girl, as she navigates relationships with family, friends, and her fourth-grade classroom, and finds a true best friend.
| Illustrator: | Halpin, Abigail |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 3.60 Points: 3.0 Quiz: 151332 | Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: 3-5 Reading Level: 3.30 Points: 6.0 Quiz: 57828 | |
Common Core Standards
Grade 1 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 1.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 1 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 1.RL Integration of Knowledge & Ideas
Grade 1 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 1.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 2 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 2.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 2 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 2.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 2 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 2.RL Integration & Knowledge of Ideas
Grade 2 → Reading → RL Reading Literature → 2.RL Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity
Grade 2 → Reading → CCR College & Career Readiness Anchor Standards fo
Grade 3 → Reading → RL Literature → 3.RL Key Ideas & Details
Grade 3 → Reading → RL Literature → 3.RL Craft & Structure
Grade 3 → Reading → RL Literature → 3.RL Integration & Knowledge of Ideas
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (03/01/12)
School Library Journal (05/01/12)
Booklist (05/15/12)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (07/12)
The Hornbook (00/05/12)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 05/01/2012 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 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 05/15/2012 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 Chinese—she 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. - Copyright 2012 Booklist.
Bulletin for the Center... - 07/01/2012 The other fourth-graders make a big deal out of Anna’s Chinese heritage, but she doesn’t even speak or understand much Chinese; in fact, she’s sometimes embarrassed by her Chinese-born mother’s cultural missteps. Additionally, she’s hurt by what she sees as her former friend Laura’s abandonment, since Laura has started hanging out with the more socially dominant Allison. Her solution to these worries is to lose herself in a book, and, increasingly, her books become her protection whenever she feels vulnerable. However, Laura eventually realizes that friendship with queen bee Allison is a complicated undertaking, and as she and Anna rekindle their friendship, Anna becomes more willing to set aside her books in order to interact with people. This is a remarkably pithy and nuanced portrait of a fourth-grader and her world, and the streamlined simplicity of Cheng’s writing and the brief page count make it accessible. Anna’s embarrassment about her mother, couched in disdain, is spot on, for example, as is her mother’s resultant frustration with her prickly daughter. The friendship drama is also well played, and many girls will recognize their own relationship struggles in these pages. This would make an excellent choice for a mother-daughter book group, and classrooms and libraries may want to stock multiple copies as well. Halpin’s monochromatic illustrations portray the characters with a warm, wide-eyed amiability tempered by crisp lines and a slight angularity that keep the scenes interesting as well as attractive. JH - Copyright 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.
