Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee

★★★★½

I came across this book while volunteering in my kids' elementary school library. In the cover illustration, Bobby looked like maybe he could be Asian, and with the author's name being Lisa Yee, I decided to check it out for myself. I'm always interested in multicultural books for kids!

It took a while for Bobby's character to be fleshed out. His age (9) was not revealed until page 16, and even though we learn right away that his last name is Ellis-Chan, we don't find out for sure until page 49 that he is half Chinese. Even from the illustrations, it wasn't clear to me which parent was Chinese (I suppose it doesn't really matter!), but I finally decided it was the mom, based on the illustration on page 164.

It's worth noting that there is zero reference to Chinese language or culture in this book, and I think that's fine. While books like those by Grace Lin, Lenore Look, and Andrea Cheng really embrace Chinese-American-ness, I think there's also a valid and important place for books in which characters just happen to be Chinese-American, and their Chinese-American-ness doesn't need to be front and center.

Besides Bobby's ethnicity, this book also embraces diversity in other ways. Mr. Ellis-Chan is a stay-at-home dad (whose former career as an NFL player is a bit over the top), and one of Bobby's friends is Indian. Also, Bobby has environmental allergies and asthma.

I really liked Bobby. He has heart and compassion. He's thoughtful and well-intentioned. He's just a real good kid.

Mostly, I like this book because it is a growing-up book about a boy suitable for lower to middle elementary grades. Children's literature is awash with growing-up stories featuring girls (e.g., Ramona Quimby, Betsy-Tacy, Little House, etc.), but there are fewer similarly themed chapter books with pictures that feature boys. So far, I've really only found Henry Huggins and Alvin Ho to be comparable. There is a sequel to this book, and I'm hoping I will like it just as much as this one.

Still, I'm giving this book 4 1/2 stars, just shy of 5, for a couple reasons. First, the book is clearly set in modern times, yet, even while trying to buck old-fashioned narrow-mindedness, it seems to reinforce it. For example, it's great that Bobby's classroom features photos of famous Americans, both male and female, but why does Sally Ride - the only female listed - require a descriptor? Even if she really is lesser known than Barack Obama and Albert Einstein, by explaining who she is and not the others, it gives the impression that she, the only female, should be less familiar to readers. Also, it's great that Bobby's dad is an active member of the PTA, but would modern-day PTA members really even use the term "PTA Lady"?

Also, I love the way Bobby and Holly worked out their friendship, but I wish the book had further addressed Holly's friendship with Jillian Zarr. It's understandable that Holly would want some female friends with shared interests, but Jillian Zarr was downright mean and snooty. I sort of hoped she would get some sort of comeuppance.

Incidentally, I read this book aloud to Isabelle and Sebastien, and they both liked it, too!

Bewildered by Carla Panciera

★★★★

I picked up this book because it was written by my high school English teacher! Even though it's been 25 years since I sat in her classroom (I can't believe it's been 25 years!?!) there's still a little bit of that funny sense of intrigue when thinking about a teacher outside the context of school.

Anyway, I enjoyed this collection. Sometimes, the passage of time seemed palpable. There's a sense of loneliness as characters take stock of their lives and realize they are not at all where they thought they would end up. There's a woman whose husband has early-onset Alzheimer's, a man single again after feeling compelled to leave his wife after an affair. Some characters are at a crossroads, while others have already passed one and wonder if they really took the best path after all. In many ways, these stories are more about the characters themselves than what happens to them.

Most of the stories feature relationships and families, and a reflective reader might find themselves wondering, "Why, or how, do people get into the relationships that they get into?" and thinking about how relationships evolve.

The material was not particularly heavy, but I oftentimes felt like the writing had a weight to it, a kind of deliberateness.

For me, "Singing Donkeys, Happy Families" and "It Can't Be This Way Everywhere" felt the most familiar, as I saw some of my own personal experiences reflected in those stories. Yet, the stories I liked best - that I would rate 5 stars individually - were "Fine Creatures of the Deep" and "On Being Lonely and Other Theories." They both had that "so this is how everything comes together" type quality that I like in storytelling.

Anna Wang Roundup

I can see this series being a meaningful read for Chinese-American elementary school students. As a child, I never once got to read a book that had any Chinese characters in it, let alone a Chinese-American girl as a main character.

The first book of the series has wider appeal, I think, as it's more about a girl who happens to be Chinese-American. The second and third books put Chinese-American self-identity front and center.

• The Year of the Book (#1) ★★★★
• The Year of the Baby (#2) ★★★
• The Year of the Fortune Cookie (#3) ★★★

The Year of the Fortune Cookie (Anna Wang #3) by Andrea Cheng

★★★

Even more than the last book, this installment of the Anna Wang series has Anna struggling with her identity. As a Chinese-American kid, I would have LOVED to read a book like this that specifically and explicitly explores what it means to be Chinese-American. Plus, this book would be a great way to expose elementary school readers to the idea of diversity, and it may help some non-Asian readers to better understand their Asian-American classmates.

On the other hand, as with The Year of the Baby, I can't help but feel that the diversity lesson is a bit heavy-handed. This is not a book that happens to have a Chinese-American main character who along the way makes self-discoveries; this book IS about a Chinese-American's search for identity, through friendships, activities, language, and travel. I am not opposed to that in theory, but I feel the first book dealt with much broader experiences than just Anna's Chinese-ness, and because the first book of a series usually sets the tone, it's been surprising to find the second and third books of this series focusing on a much narrower experience. They just have a totally different feel than the first book. Maybe I should just disregard the first book and re-align my expectations before picking up the fourth book.

Anyway, I'm also getting tired of the poor editing in this series that results in inaccuracies. Once again, on page 21, Anna's maternal grandmother is referred to as "Nai Nai", even though the Pronunciation Guide at the beginning of the book correctly defines "Nai Nai" as paternal grandmother, and "Wai Po" as maternal grandmother. Then, on page 30, Anna says she will miss 11 days of school from December 12 to 22. Yes, there are 11 days from the 12th to the 22nd, but no matter when the days fall, there is going to be at least one weekend in there, so at most she would miss 9 days of school. I know these are minor details, but it seems like every book in this series so far has at least a couple small errors, and all together, they become distracting.

I also found it hard to believe that Ms. Sylvester would allow Anna to go to Fan's home without any adult supervision at all. Seems like it would have been more believable if Mr. and Mrs. Sylvester went, too, and then it could have been a great experience for them, too, to see what the average family's life is like in China.

Finally, I wasn't entirely able to suspend disbelief in order to accept the premise in the first place - that a teacher would pay for a student's ticket to China when that student's ability to help would be minimal at best. Given Anna's limited knowledge of Chinese, combined with the English-speaking guide hosting a whole group of Americans adopting Chinese babies, it didn't seem to me that she offered any real advantage to the Sylvesters. I think it would have made a fine and more believable story if Anna's mom had gone, too, as originally planned. Like maybe her mom could have spoken to the guide in Chinese in order to convince her to allow the visit to the orphanage, or her mom could have gone with her to Fan's house and the two of them could have shared a bonding moment.

The Year of the Baby (Anna Wang #2) by Andrea Cheng

★★★

In this sequel to The Year of the Book, Anna's family adopts a baby girl from China, and Chinese culture is much more front and center.

With more mentions of Chinese culture, language, and food, there also came more opportunities for mistakes. On page 10, Anna's maternal grandmother is correctly referred to was "Wai Po", but then on the very next page, she is incorrectly referred to as "Nai Nai", the term used for paternal grandmothers. On page 29, Anna's family eats Chinese food for dinner, but she talks about eating "everything on my plate", which doesn't sound right because her family would most likely be eating Chinese style - each person having their own bowl of rice, and everyone sharing meat and vegetable dishes that are placed in the center of the table. She could have said she "finished all her rice" or she "ate a little bit of everything". Neither of these are major errors, but they do take away from the book's feel of authenticity.

With so much explicit talk about Chinese-ness, I just felt like the book was kind of heavy-handed in its diversity lesson. Instead of being a book in which the main character just happened to be Chinese, it felt more like a book that was written specifically for young Chinese-American readers, people who want to learn more about Chinese culture, and families that have adopted a baby from China. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just the impression that I got.

I liked that Camille is a struggling student, which breaks the model minority stereotype of Asians being good in school. I did not think Laura's character was as well-developed, which was a shame because I thought she had so much potential in the first book. Here, we just see that she now has to divide her time between her mom and dad.

Besides the introduction of Kaylee into the family, the other major plot line in this book is Anna, Camille, and Laura having to do a science project. They end up with a pretty cute project, but it was a bit much to think that Kaylee's pediatrician was so impressed that she would ask for a summary of the project to share with her other patients.

One final random thought. I was thrown off a bit in the first few chapters because clearly Anna attends Chinese school on a weekend morning, but then how is it that she and her mom take baby Kaylee to a well-baby visit that same afternoon? It wasn't a sick visit. Are there really pediatrician's offices that are open for regular check-ups on weekends? Anyway, the doctor's schedule is neither here nor there, but it was confusing.

The Year of the Book (Anna Wang #1) by Andrea Cheng

★★★★

I picked up this book from the library because I noticed the author's Chinese last name and also the Asian-American girl in the cover illustration. I'm always on the lookout for more diverse children's books, especially books by and about Asian-Americans, since I am Asian-American myself. As it turns out, the author is not Chinese! But presumably her husband is.

Despite not being Chinese herself, I think the author did a fine job portraying the realities of growing up Chinese in America. She makes casual mention of Chinese dishes and snacks, and even includes Chinese school - a typical part of the Chinese-American experience - as part of main character Anna Wang's struggles.

Though Anna Wang does need to come to terms with her Chinese-ness, I think the real focus of the story is Anna's struggle to make friends while 1) being an introvert (she would rather read or stay home and make airplanes with her brother and father than put effort into becoming better friends with Laura) and 2) negotiating the mean girl dynamics at school. Young readers who prefer the solitude of books, or who have felt the sting of being left out, will be able to relate to Anna Wang.

I'm not entirely sure, though, that Anna Wang is a likable character. The book kind of starts off with a bit of a melancholy tone, with Anna feeling down about not really fitting in anywhere. Her narrative voice is very matter-of-fact, not especially emotional, and she comes across as stand-offish. Interestingly, Anna seems more comfortable befriending adults like Mr. Shepherd and Ray than kids her own age. (It's lucky she has such kind and thoughtful adults in her life!) She's not even afraid to address a note to the school principal. Her ability to interact so confidently with adults makes her seem more mature, and "above the fray" that Laura gets caught up in - and I do like that about her. I also like that she spends her non-reading time doing arts and crafts and sewing for fun. She is both creative and productive!

I think this book also can reach a certain audience through Laura, Anna's friend who has troubles at home. I've read a lot of children's books, and it seems pretty rare for one to feature a character whose parents don't actually get along. Seems to me that some young readers might appreciate being able to relate to Laura, and it's only too bad that her character, and her family, are not fleshed out more.

Also, Laura's problems were clearly a catalyst in strengthening Anna and Laura's friendship. It almost seemed like it was too easy for Anna. She doesn't put much effort into making friends with Laura, but she doesn't have to, really, because Laura is thrown into her life, and Anna is forced to spend time with her.

Two final thoughts, one good, one bad.

The good: I always like it when a children's book can motivate readers to pick up other books, and this book mentions by name a whole bunch of books that Anna spends her time reading.

The bad: There is an egregious editing error towards the end of the book. On page 136 in my edition, twice 1998 is referred to as the Year of the Dog, but it's not. It's the Year of the Tiger. On the same page, and in an illustration on the next page, the book actually correctly refers to 1998 as the Year of the Tiger, which only adds confusion.