January 1, 2022
A family flees Hong Kong for the U.S. to escape Covid-19 only to face many complex obstacles. Ten-year-old Knox, the middle child of three, is constantly in motion and creating messes. When he's not annoying his older brother, Bowen, or playing with his younger sister, Lea, he's kicking around his soccer ball. When reports of a novel coronavirus in China surface in January 2020, his family makes a drastic decision: Knox, his siblings, and their Chinese mom will relocate to their house in the Bay Area for a month while their White American dad stays behind for work. Initially their mother paints a vision of an ideal America filled with opportunities and the best health care in the world, but the kids find the reality at times unsavory. Gradually, Knox and his siblings encounter complications in their new lives, among them, their mother's job loss, racism, and an ADHD diagnosis for Knox. Undeterred, they decide to collaborate on Operation Dad Come Over, hoping to earn enough money to bring their father to the U.S. The siblings embark on several haphazard moneymaking schemes that result in chaos--and definite growth. The coincidental timing of some plot points feels like a bit of a stretch, but Yang deftly touches on complex issues including China-Hong Kong relations, racism, the grief of separation and dislocation, and the pandemic, all while maintaining a hopeful tone. A timely and compelling family journey. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)
COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 24, 2022
Drawing deeply from her own family’s experiences, Yang (the Front Desk series) pens a tender, resonant narrative following the Wei-Evans, an American family living in Hong Kong when news of Covid-19 arises in January 2020. Middle child Knox, 10, who has a “blurting-things-out problem,” doesn’t want to leave his best friend—his white father—in Hong Kong as his work-focused Chinese mother, overachieving 12-year-old brother Bowen, and cheery six-year-old sister Lea plan to head to an inherited home in El Tercera, Calif. But soon, the oft-squabbling siblings must adjust to a single-parent household, East Bay schools, financial tension, an ADHD diagnosis for Knox, and mounting anti-Asian racism, including hateful confrontations as well as avoidance of Chinese people and food. Banding together, the siblings launch Operation Dad Come Over: raising money to afford their father’s plane ticket, and applying to jobs on his behalf. Narrating from Knox’s approachable, first-person-present perspective, Yang adeptly maintains a sense of hope and belief in love, balancing haunting dramatic irony (“That won’t happen in America.... They have the most advanced medical system in the world”) with moments of levity as the family works to be reunited. Back matter features an author’s note. Ages 8–12. Agent: Tina Dubois, ICM Partners.
Starred review from March 11, 2022
Gr 4-7-Chinese American fifth grader Knox Wei-Evans's world is turned upside down when his parents decide that Mom will take Knox, older brother Bowen, and younger sister Lea from their home in Hong Kong to the United States to get away from the novel coronavirus that just shut down the city of Wuhan. The kids have to pack quickly and leave their dog and their dad-Knox's best friend-behind. In Northern California, they quarantine for 14 days and attempt online school before starting public school, where, for the first time ever, Knox has a teacher who understands and encourages him, and he has a friend. Christopher is also Asian American and has ADHD. But the virus "knows no borders" and soon arrives in the States, triggering a wave of fear and anti-Asian racism. Knox's mom says that love is the only vaccine for hate, and Knox stands up to racist classmates-his own and Bowen's. As California enters a state of emergency, Knox, Bowen, and Lea bond in a creative desperate effort to raise money to bring their dad to join them. The Wei-Evans family faces the pandemic, racism, and worries about jobs, income, and healthcare with "consistent courage," and finds that being more open and honest with each other helps. Knox's struggles will resonate with all children who lived through the scary and uncertain first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. VERDICT A pandemic book that is also a story of the importance of family, friendship, and standing up for what is right; another knockout from Yang, highly recommended for all collections.-Jenny Arch
Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 1, 2022
Yang's (Front Desk, rev. 7/18; Three Keys, rev. 11/20) pandemic-set tale, based partly on her own experiences, focuses on a biracial Chinese American expat family in January 2020. Impulsive middle-child Knox Wei-Evans, ten, is filled with dread when he, his siblings, and their high-powered banker mother relocate to the Bay Area while his best friend -- his father -- stays in Hong Kong. Drama ensues as the kids struggle to fit in at school, Knox is diagnosed with ADHD, and the family's finances become precarious when Mom loses her job. The Wei-Evanses also experience several instances of racism, such as bullying in the form of "coronavirus tag" and accusations of being "virus carriers." Yang presents these incidents in a realistic way and defuses them by emphasizing the importance of educating others and speaking up. Despite the serious subject matter, Yang includes plenty of humor, with wry observations about Zoom schooling and the kids' efforts to "help out" with a garage sale and LinkedIn job hunt. Knox's experience with ADHD is portrayed with nuance and empathy. Some quibbles aside (the plot can feel a bit forced, and Yang largely skirts the mainland China-Hong Kong political conflict), this is a strong and timely novel about a family weathering adversity. An author's note is appended. Michelle Lee
(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from February 15, 2022
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Yang, best-selling author of the Front Desk series, returns with a timely, heartwarming story that draws inspiration from her own family's experiences at the beginning of the pandemic. In January 2020, the Wei-Evans family is split apart when the three biracial kids and their Chinese American mom move from Hong Kong to California, where they hope for safety. Their dog stays behind with their white American dad, who cannot leave China due to his job. Readers intimately connect with the 10-year-old middle child, Knox, through whom the story is told, feeling his worries, challenges, and longing to be with his father and dog. He struggles with being the new kid at school and with trying to embrace his own unique mind. Knox and his siblings also face challenges as their mom loses her job and the family health insurance, and they are confronted with anti-Asian hate over COVID-19. While the sheer weight of so many different topics causes some pacing issues, and some of the kids' schemes to reunite with their father are a bit far-fetched, the story truly shines in its depictions of family relationships. Yang again demonstrates her talent for honest, age-relevant storytelling from a child's perspective that both entertains and educates. A compelling story that conveys the importance of showing love and kindness, especially during hard times. Highly recommended for all middle-grade collections. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: If Yang's best-selling and acclaimed Front Desk novels are any indication, this book will be highly coveted.
COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 1, 2022
Yang's (Front Desk, rev. 7/18; Three Keys, rev. 11/20) pandemic-set tale, based partly on her own experiences, focuses on a biracial Chinese American expat family in January 2020. Impulsive middle-child Knox Wei-Evans, ten, is filled with dread when he, his siblings, and their high-powered banker mother relocate to the Bay Area while his best friend -- his father -- stays in Hong Kong. Drama ensues as the kids struggle to fit in at school, Knox is diagnosed with ADHD, and the family's finances become precarious when Mom loses her job. The Wei-Evanses also experience several instances of racism, such as bullying in the form of "coronavirus tag" and accusations of being "virus carriers." Yang presents these incidents in a realistic way and defuses them by emphasizing the importance of educating others and speaking up. Despite the serious subject matter, Yang includes plenty of humor, with wry observations about Zoom schooling and the kids' efforts to "help out" with a garage sale and LinkedIn job hunt. Knox's experience with ADHD is portrayed with nuance and empathy. Some quibbles aside (the plot can feel a bit forced, and Yang largely skirts the mainland China-Hong Kong political conflict), this is a strong and timely novel about a family weathering adversity. An author's note is appended.
(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)