about the book
Fourth grader Anna Wang always has her nose stuck in a book. The stories take her to places that are so much more fun than school. Since classes began, her best friend Laura has been spending more time with fashionistas Allison and Lucy. She has even said things that have made Anna feel terrible.
In truth, it doesn’t take much to hurt Anna. Quiet and self-conscious, she is embarrassed that her Chinese mother still cannot speak English well and works as a house-cleaner. Torn, she is also proud of her mom, who is learning to drive and going to nursing school.
Her mother insists that Anna attend Chinese classes every Saturday, but Anna doesn’t want to learn to speak the very difficult language. It is already so hard to balance her Chinese heritage with the American culture.
Sadly, she examines her life. Forced to be more outward, she opens herself to new friendships with a girl at the Chinese school who struggles with learning disabilities; a cheerful crossing guard; and the kind widower who employs her mother to tidy his home. She hand sews lunch bags to give as gifts to these special people.
But when Laura’s home is torn apart as her angry parents separate, can Anna sets aside her resentment and help her ex-friend cope with her very difficult family situation?
about the author
Andrea Cheng’s parents were born in Hungry and immigrated to the U.S. in 1954. She and her brother and sister grew up in Cincinnati. Their Hungarian grandmother lived with them, and Andrea remembers after family meals, crawling under the table where the family would forget she was there and reminisce over stories about the war, the Holocaust, and the hard times they had while they lived in Australia.
By sixth grade she knew she was going to be a writer. Her teacher that year was very encouraging, and Andrea remembers rushing home to read her papers to her father. He loved her writing so much that reading what she wrote became an after-dinner routine.
In high school, skinny Andrea felt self- conscious and different, but at Cornell these traits spurred her to write. She earned a degree in English and a master’s in teaching English as a second language. She also met her husband, Jim, at Cornell. They shared a lot in common. His parents emigrated from China.
They made their home in Cincinnati, where their three children grew up. Nicholas, who started taking things apart and putting them back together at age five, is now a graduate of Stanford University and is studying Mandarin in Beijing. Jane was reading by the time she was four and is now Andrea’s best editor. She is currently interning in London.
Ann is the one with the most imagination. She is a sophomore at Harvard. The last member of the family is Irvy, the cat. Andrea’s family, including her mother and grandmother, often somehow end up in her books!
Working in a tiny office in her home, Andrea has authored twenty children’s books. She writes for all age levels—picture and chapter books, middle grade and young adult novels.
Source:
Author website
Also by Andrea Cheng:
The Year of the Baby. Houghton Mifflin. 2013.
Where Do You Stay? Boyds Mills Press. 2011.
Brushing Mom’s Hair. Front Street. 2009.
Where the Steps Were. Front Street. 2008.
The Bear Makers. Front Street. 2008.
Eclipse. Front Street. 2006.
The Lace Dowry. Front Street. 2005.
Shanghai Messenger. Lee & Low Books. 2005.
Honeysuckle House. Front Street. 2004.
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