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Anna Wang #3
The Year of the Fortune Cookie
Eleven-year-old Anna heads off to sixth grade, leaving the comfort and familiarity of elementary school behind and entering the larger, more complex world of middle school. Surrounded by classmates who have their roots all in America, Anna begins to feel out of place and wonders where she really belongs. When Anna takes a trip to China, she not only explores a new country and culture, but finds answers to her questions about whether she is more Chinese or more American.
This young illustrated chapter book is the third in the series that includes The Year of the Book and The Year of the Baby . For grades 1-4.
This young illustrated chapter book is the third in the series that includes The Year of the Book and The Year of the Baby . For grades 1-4.
155 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
43 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
About the author
Andrea Cheng
31 books36 followersAndrea Cheng is a Hungarian-American children's author and illustrator. The child of Hungarian immigrants, she was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio in an extended family with three generations under one roof. Her family spoke Hungarian and English at home. After graduating with a BA in English from Cornell University, she went to Switzerland, where she apprenticed to a bookbinder, attended a school of bookbinding called The Centro del Bel Libro, and learned French. Upon her return, she returned to Cornell to study Chinese and earned an MS in linguistics. Now she teaches English as a Second Language at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. Her children’s books include Grandfather Counts, Marika, The Key Collection, Honeysuckle House, Where the Steps Were, The Bear Makers, and Brushing Mom’s Hair. With her husband, Jim Cheng, she has three children: Nicholas, Jane, and Ann.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
May 16, 2016
Anna is starting in the terrifying world that is middle school. Luckily, she gets the opportunity to do something amazing - go to China! Her former teacher, Mrs. Sylvester, and her husband are adopting a baby just like her baby sister Kaylee was. She's agreed to help them out since she knows the language and only one person can afford to leave with them at the time. Her real goal is to visit the guarded orphanage Kaylee was taken care of at. Anna and her friends sell fortune cookies to raise money for the orphanage. They also knit hats for all the babies. Anna's adventure brings her closer to her sister and her culture. She begins to accept how much her culture means to her and how it's such a big part of who she is.
I read the first book of Anna's, The Year of the Book, a while back so I knew I missed some new info (a whole baby!) reading the third book, but I was fine navigating on my own.
I've grown to really like this series. It captures a whole new point of view from a perspective I've never read before. I thought that Anna really exploring China, where her parents and her sister came from, and who she is were the best parts of the book. The way Anna is caring towards her sister and wanting to know where she came from is pretty touching. Anna and her friends have generous hearts donating their time and efforts into raising money and creating something for the orphanage. That's what really got me into the story - the sense of love very apparent across the pages. I'd be happy to read more of Anna's story in the future.
I read the first book of Anna's, The Year of the Book, a while back so I knew I missed some new info (a whole baby!) reading the third book, but I was fine navigating on my own.
I've grown to really like this series. It captures a whole new point of view from a perspective I've never read before. I thought that Anna really exploring China, where her parents and her sister came from, and who she is were the best parts of the book. The way Anna is caring towards her sister and wanting to know where she came from is pretty touching. Anna and her friends have generous hearts donating their time and efforts into raising money and creating something for the orphanage. That's what really got me into the story - the sense of love very apparent across the pages. I'd be happy to read more of Anna's story in the future.
September 24, 2019
When Anna Wang's old teacher also wants to adopt a baby, Anna is coming along! In this exciting threequel, Anna goes to China with Mr. and Ms. Sylvester. While she is there, she meets a new friend, a girl her age named Fan. Also, her guide is very nice too, and is helping her practice her Chinese. And, while she is at middle school, before her trip, she meets Andee, a member of a group called CAT. They make fortune cookies to have at a bake sale to raise money for the Lucky Family orphanage. They also knit hats for the babies there!
I love this book, it is so exiting! I think if you want to read this book, you should probably read the first two to help understand it better. I think the age range for this book is 7+, because there are no scary parts, but just some words younger kids might not understand and also younger kids might not understand the feeling of the intense jet lag that the characters are feeling when they go to China.
I love this book, it is so exiting! I think if you want to read this book, you should probably read the first two to help understand it better. I think the age range for this book is 7+, because there are no scary parts, but just some words younger kids might not understand and also younger kids might not understand the feeling of the intense jet lag that the characters are feeling when they go to China.
April 1, 2018
This is our first time reading an Anna Wang book and we could only get this one from the library. I'm glad it could be read out of order.
The book sits with one foot in the chapter book category and the other in middle grade because of the subject matter. As a parent I appreciated how the author handled the issue of identity for adopted kids and biracial kids. My daughter didn't care for that (yet) but she enjoyed all the other parts about fortune cookies, helping others and seeing China from a tourist point of view.
We will most likely have to re-visit this book.
The book sits with one foot in the chapter book category and the other in middle grade because of the subject matter. As a parent I appreciated how the author handled the issue of identity for adopted kids and biracial kids. My daughter didn't care for that (yet) but she enjoyed all the other parts about fortune cookies, helping others and seeing China from a tourist point of view.
We will most likely have to re-visit this book.
March 4, 2020
Anna is happy to go to China. For example, if she didn’t go to China, she wouldn’t have met the people who new her baby sister in the orphanage. Another reason is that she wouldn’t know Fan. [Fan taught her more Chinese.] Mostly, it helped her learn more about her. This is why she made the right choice.
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September 24, 2024omg this was my favorite book as a child
September 2, 2014
This third novel in a series by Cheng stands right alongside the first two as an interesting and accessible read for the upper elementary crowd. The vocabulary is not difficult, and the text flows easily, making this a quick read and a very enjoyable one. Anna is a wonderfully likeable and realistic character. I have no idea what how it feels to look foreign in your own country, but Cheng has given me some idea if what it must be like.
Recommend this to any upper elementary reader, especially one who is of Asian descent or whose family has connections to adoption from another country. A simple and fun follow-up activity for this book in a book club setting or at home would be to write your own fortunes and make fortune cookies to share with each other or give as gifts to friends. A recipe for fortune cookies appears in the back of the book.
Recommend this to any upper elementary reader, especially one who is of Asian descent or whose family has connections to adoption from another country. A simple and fun follow-up activity for this book in a book club setting or at home would be to write your own fortunes and make fortune cookies to share with each other or give as gifts to friends. A recipe for fortune cookies appears in the back of the book.
September 5, 2015
The Year of the Fortune Cookie by Andrea Cheng, illustrated by Patrice Barton – Realistic Fiction, 3rd grade and up – I think these stories are just getting better and better. I loved reading about how Anna gets special permission to go to China with her former teacher to help with a baby adoption. I also appreciated how this had a reflection on self identity and writing skills. This is just a beautiful series of books. Who would think of making and selling fortune cookies for a school fundraiser? Anna and her new friends. Just a special novel. Know readers will enjoy, especially those who have been impacted by adoption in some way.
November 22, 2015
The third book in the series and I feel I have known Anna and her family for a long time. I love being part of their family and following Anna on her trip to China. Identity and culture play a big role in this book as well as adoption. Once again the author does a wonderful job in telling a story that will warm the reader's heart while providing much to ponder about.
(Loved how I discovered other kid lit titles through these three books. In this particular one I learned about Jean Fritz' Homesick which is the author's memoir of her childhood in China.)
(Loved how I discovered other kid lit titles through these three books. In this particular one I learned about Jean Fritz' Homesick which is the author's memoir of her childhood in China.)
May 19, 2019
As book #3 of the Anna Wang series, this book picks up right where book #2 left off, following Anna into her first year of middle school (6th grade) and a meaningful trip to China. Like the others, I really enjoyed this book, and the way it ended has me wanting to know more about the lives of its characters. I'll definitely be reading the fourth and final book, as well as book #0.5 in the near future!
January 24, 2020
These books are just so cute. I love that she keeps her innocence as she grows through these books. It feels very true to my own Anna's experience through 4-6 grade.
November 1, 2016
After the amazingness of The Year of the Book and the not-quite-so-amazingness of its sequel, The Year of the Baby, Andrea Chang brings to us the third installment in the Anna Wang series, picking up right where Year of the Baby left off story-wise. With Laura, who has pretty much exhausted her potential after two books, off at a Catholic school, Anna pretty much only has her friend Camille as she's entering middle school. She ends up joining the school's Community Action Team (or CAT) and becoming friends with Andee, a half-Chinese girl in charge of the organization. Most of the book, however, is devoted to the two weeks Anna spends in China with her former teacher and said former teacher's husband, who are adopting a baby, as she explores the culture and tries to help the orphanage her sister initially came from.
What I liked: Getting Laura largely out of the picture helped with the character count, especially with the introduction of new characters. Anna's working with the diverse CAT and her two-week journey to China are both well-told and thought-provoking, examining race, culture, and heritage in a beautiful way, especially for a middle-grade novel. Andee and Fan (a waitress Anna meets at the hotel she stays at) are both nice additions to the series, and the author does a good job of making all her younger characters real and relatable. Jing is all right as far as babies go, and Andee's daily fortune cookie messages were a nice touch. Like the two books before it, this book tends to incorporate all sorts of educational content, particularly the details of Beijing in this story, without being too overbearing or preachy about any of it.
What I didn't like: Far and away what I disliked the most about this novel were the circumstances under which Anna was able to travel to China - her family doesn't know the Sylvesters all that well, and she's barely met Mr. Sylvester before she flies halfway around the world with him and his wife for two weeks. And after all the times the Sylvesters let Anna wander around the city on her own during their stay, I begin to wonder how good of a job they will actually do as parents when they bring their adopted daughter, Jing, home. It seemed as if the author was simply trying to come up with an excuse to get Anna to China rather than taking the time to come up with something solid and logical (like going to visit her mother's family, for example).
My other issues are fairly minor. The Sylvesters get Jing near the end of their stay, which seems unusual when compared with stories I've read of actual adoptions. The Year of the Fortune Cookie is basically "The Year of the Baby, Part 2," and because of this, it relies heavily on the book before it for background information and exposition. This would be okay, except for that fact that this book is notably better than its predecessor. Finally, the "Year" titles of these books are starting to make less sense, as the last book only took about six months and this one only four or five.
If you ignore that rather large logical issues, The Year of the Fortune Cookie is a very interesting window into what it means to American Born Chinese both in America and China.
What I liked: Getting Laura largely out of the picture helped with the character count, especially with the introduction of new characters. Anna's working with the diverse CAT and her two-week journey to China are both well-told and thought-provoking, examining race, culture, and heritage in a beautiful way, especially for a middle-grade novel. Andee and Fan (a waitress Anna meets at the hotel she stays at) are both nice additions to the series, and the author does a good job of making all her younger characters real and relatable. Jing is all right as far as babies go, and Andee's daily fortune cookie messages were a nice touch. Like the two books before it, this book tends to incorporate all sorts of educational content, particularly the details of Beijing in this story, without being too overbearing or preachy about any of it.
What I didn't like: Far and away what I disliked the most about this novel were the circumstances under which Anna was able to travel to China - her family doesn't know the Sylvesters all that well, and she's barely met Mr. Sylvester before she flies halfway around the world with him and his wife for two weeks. And after all the times the Sylvesters let Anna wander around the city on her own during their stay, I begin to wonder how good of a job they will actually do as parents when they bring their adopted daughter, Jing, home. It seemed as if the author was simply trying to come up with an excuse to get Anna to China rather than taking the time to come up with something solid and logical (like going to visit her mother's family, for example).
My other issues are fairly minor. The Sylvesters get Jing near the end of their stay, which seems unusual when compared with stories I've read of actual adoptions. The Year of the Fortune Cookie is basically "The Year of the Baby, Part 2," and because of this, it relies heavily on the book before it for background information and exposition. This would be okay, except for that fact that this book is notably better than its predecessor. Finally, the "Year" titles of these books are starting to make less sense, as the last book only took about six months and this one only four or five.
If you ignore that rather large logical issues, The Year of the Fortune Cookie is a very interesting window into what it means to American Born Chinese both in America and China.
June 22, 2017
So glad to have found my way back to this series. What a quiet, yet powerful, gentle, yet stirring exploration of family, friendship and personal identity. Friends are friend because they take time to let you know you matter, just the way you are. Anna is a mirror for so many readers who are also trying to discover their place in their world. Her school community is also something that could guide readers to organize and make a difference in the world. Can't wait to read The Year of Three Sisters.
June 21, 2017
Anna goes to China with her 5th grade teacher and her husband to find the orphanage where her sister Kaylee was placed in. She meets Fan, a girl who works in a hotel, who's too nice to Anna to be true. I thought this book was not realistic. A huge departure from The Year of the Book. I think the older Anna gets, the more strange developments happen. And who is this "Andee" character, and why is Laura getting replaced?
April 21, 2018
Grade 2 and up; sweet third installment in this series about middle school protagonist Anna Wang; this time she travels to China to accompany her teacher who’s adopting a baby girl. The narrative is simple and the book isn’t too long, and Anna explores important questions about her identity (is she more American? More Chinese? Where is home to her?) in a gentle and sensitive way that’s just right for an elementary or early middle school school reader.
September 17, 2018
Such a sweet book and perfect for fourth graders and up with its innocence. Yet, at the same time, there is depth to the novel as well. Anna is Chinese-American and is invited to help friends of the family when they go to China to adopt their daughter. So much about identity in this book and how it feels to be in one place where you stand out as different and another when you look like everyone else. I adored the accessibility of this book and can’t wait to read the others in the series.
September 5, 2018
Enjoyed how it was different than other children’s chapter books I have read when I was in grade school. The sharing of the experience, culture, and growth Anna does during her 6th grade year is amazing.
July 6, 2022
Reading this book with my daughter was like reading a part of our lives. I appreciate how Andrea Cheng wrote so candidly about how Anna feels about being Chinese. It's written so well, so realistically and so down to earth. We are looking forward to reading more.
February 16, 2023
I love how they knitted hats for the Chinese babies in the orphanage!! So sweet!! 😍
Also, I really love how the girls come to the conclusion that one of the teachers they spend time with is actually just a really shy person.. she doesn't mean to come across as mean, she's just shy!!
Also, I really love how the girls come to the conclusion that one of the teachers they spend time with is actually just a really shy person.. she doesn't mean to come across as mean, she's just shy!!
May 21, 2018
wonderful 3rd book in the series!
February 9, 2021
Cute enough story, but I feel it is getting a little preachy at times. My students enjoyed it.
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September 16, 2021it is a rally nice book
July 24, 2022
Interesting middle grade story touching on diversity, identity and relationships as well as family and friendship.
October 27, 2022
my childhood.
i wish i could go to china with anna.
i wish i could go to china with anna.
June 21, 2023
[7.75 stars ⭐️.] So far, I've really enjoyed reading this series. This one has to be my favorite so far. I enjoyed going to China with Anna and I'm actually sad to be finishing this series.
September 7, 2023
This is the second book I have read by this author. I adore it!! Hands down one of the best books to put into the hands of elementary school girls!
November 17, 2023
Another enjoyable installment in this warm and cozy series.
March 13, 2017
When a former teacher of Anna's decides to adopt a baby from China, Anna is so excited! Her family adopted her little sister Kaylee from the same orphanage that Ms. Stevenson is going to adopt from, and she is learning Chinese on the weekends. Anna is invited to accompany Ms. Stevenson and her husband on their trip to China to adopt Jing, and although she's uncertain about what she'll find there, she is excited to see the orphanage where Kaylee used to live. The trip proves to teach Anna about friendship, love, and - most of all - herself.
I don't think I have ever shed a tear at a book written for children at this transitional reading level before. But the scene where Anna sits on a bench at a park in Beijing and marvels at how everyone around her looks just like her - and then the scene later, where she is musing about how she feels most like herself with her friends at home or at that park - is so beautiful.
There's so much nuance in this book, and it addresses some very complicated topics (international adoption, cultural identity, changing friendships) in deep and profound ways. I'd recommend the Anna Wang series to anybody, but The Year of the Fortune Cookie was far and away my favorite, and provides a wonderful introduction to intercultural connections for young readers.
I don't think I have ever shed a tear at a book written for children at this transitional reading level before. But the scene where Anna sits on a bench at a park in Beijing and marvels at how everyone around her looks just like her - and then the scene later, where she is musing about how she feels most like herself with her friends at home or at that park - is so beautiful.
There's so much nuance in this book, and it addresses some very complicated topics (international adoption, cultural identity, changing friendships) in deep and profound ways. I'd recommend the Anna Wang series to anybody, but The Year of the Fortune Cookie was far and away my favorite, and provides a wonderful introduction to intercultural connections for young readers.
June 24, 2014
This is the third book in the Anna Wang series by Andrea Cheng. In the first book, The Year of the Book, Anna was in 4th grade and her best friend Laura now has different BFFs. Feeling like an outsider, Anna loses herself in books, but it is also the year that she begins to develop empathy for other people, including Laura. And Anna finds a new best friend in Camille, another Chinese girl.
In The Year of the Baby, Anna's parents have adopted a new baby sister from China, but Kaylee, an otherwise happy baby, isn't eating. So 5th grade friends Anna, Camille and Laura develop a science project that they hope will entice baby Kaylee to eat more.
Now, in The Year of the Fortune Cookie, Anna has moved on to 6th grade and middle school. It looks like Anna and Camille are the only Chinese students there, until Anna meets Andee when she signs up for an after school club.
In English, the teacher Mrs. Smith is teaching the kids how to write a proper paragraph and coordinates her lesson with the social studies topic of Who Am I? This gets Anna to thinking a lot about who she is and about who baby sister Kaylee is.
Anna and her mother are invited by her 5th grade teacher Ms. Sylvester to accompany her and her husband to Beijing, China as they adopt they own baby girl. When it turns out that Mrs. Wang isn't able to make the trip, it's decided that Anna would go with the Sylvesters anyway. In order to miss two weeks of school in December, however, Anna needs the signature of all her teachers.
Her English teacher is reluctant to sign and instead hands her back a paper Anna had written about what makes her who she is with suggestions for a rewrite. Eventually Anna hands in a satisfactory paper and gets permission to go to China. It is Anna's hope that going there will give her a better understanding of who she is.
At the same time, the students in Anna's after school group decide to bake and sell fortune cookies to raise money to give to the Lucky Family Orphanage that Kaylee and the Sylvester's new baby were adopted from. They also knit hats for the babies still there. It's Anna wish to talk to the women who cared for her sister, but the prospects of that don't look very good. Then, just when Anna thinks she will never to see the orphanage, she is pleasantly surprised.
This is a gentle story with lots happening, but with none of the dramatics usually associated with middle school novels. The action may happen in middle school, but this is a better book for kids who are not there quite yet, making it a nice introduction to this time for readers. Anna frets about all the usual things that going to a new school brings up - friends, work, being different, being accepted, but the main theme of identity and what makes us who we are is really the stuff of this book and of middle school.
Adult readers may wonder why the Sylvesters take Anna with them to Beijing, but younger readers won't be bothered by it. I didn't dwell on the time Anna spent in Beijing, even though it takes up a fair amount of space, mainly because there is so much to it. I admired Anna tenacity there when it looks like the woman from the orphanage is trying to get out of taking her to visit, but Anna was determined to do this for her sister.
The whimsical black and white illustrations by Patrice Barton add much to this heartwarming story and will provide continuity to readers who will recognize them from The Year of the Baby, which Barton also did.
The character of Anna grows a lot in this book and I wonder if Cheng is going to bring her from chapter book to middle grade novel for her fans who are growing up as well. I think it is a nice book for kids around 9 or 10 who are soon facing middle school.
Anna is still learning Chinese and there is a pronunciation guide and character list at the beginning of the book of all the words and phrases used in The Year of the Fortune Cookie. And even though we learn that fortune cookies don't exist in China, there is a recipe at the back of the book for making them.
This book is recommended for readers age 7+
This book was borrowed from a friend
This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading
In The Year of the Baby, Anna's parents have adopted a new baby sister from China, but Kaylee, an otherwise happy baby, isn't eating. So 5th grade friends Anna, Camille and Laura develop a science project that they hope will entice baby Kaylee to eat more.
Now, in The Year of the Fortune Cookie, Anna has moved on to 6th grade and middle school. It looks like Anna and Camille are the only Chinese students there, until Anna meets Andee when she signs up for an after school club.
In English, the teacher Mrs. Smith is teaching the kids how to write a proper paragraph and coordinates her lesson with the social studies topic of Who Am I? This gets Anna to thinking a lot about who she is and about who baby sister Kaylee is.
Anna and her mother are invited by her 5th grade teacher Ms. Sylvester to accompany her and her husband to Beijing, China as they adopt they own baby girl. When it turns out that Mrs. Wang isn't able to make the trip, it's decided that Anna would go with the Sylvesters anyway. In order to miss two weeks of school in December, however, Anna needs the signature of all her teachers.
Her English teacher is reluctant to sign and instead hands her back a paper Anna had written about what makes her who she is with suggestions for a rewrite. Eventually Anna hands in a satisfactory paper and gets permission to go to China. It is Anna's hope that going there will give her a better understanding of who she is.
At the same time, the students in Anna's after school group decide to bake and sell fortune cookies to raise money to give to the Lucky Family Orphanage that Kaylee and the Sylvester's new baby were adopted from. They also knit hats for the babies still there. It's Anna wish to talk to the women who cared for her sister, but the prospects of that don't look very good. Then, just when Anna thinks she will never to see the orphanage, she is pleasantly surprised.
This is a gentle story with lots happening, but with none of the dramatics usually associated with middle school novels. The action may happen in middle school, but this is a better book for kids who are not there quite yet, making it a nice introduction to this time for readers. Anna frets about all the usual things that going to a new school brings up - friends, work, being different, being accepted, but the main theme of identity and what makes us who we are is really the stuff of this book and of middle school.
Adult readers may wonder why the Sylvesters take Anna with them to Beijing, but younger readers won't be bothered by it. I didn't dwell on the time Anna spent in Beijing, even though it takes up a fair amount of space, mainly because there is so much to it. I admired Anna tenacity there when it looks like the woman from the orphanage is trying to get out of taking her to visit, but Anna was determined to do this for her sister.
The whimsical black and white illustrations by Patrice Barton add much to this heartwarming story and will provide continuity to readers who will recognize them from The Year of the Baby, which Barton also did.
The character of Anna grows a lot in this book and I wonder if Cheng is going to bring her from chapter book to middle grade novel for her fans who are growing up as well. I think it is a nice book for kids around 9 or 10 who are soon facing middle school.
Anna is still learning Chinese and there is a pronunciation guide and character list at the beginning of the book of all the words and phrases used in The Year of the Fortune Cookie. And even though we learn that fortune cookies don't exist in China, there is a recipe at the back of the book for making them.
This book is recommended for readers age 7+
This book was borrowed from a friend
This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading
February 13, 2016
This book picks up a few months after the previous book. Anna is now in middle school, she is making new friends, finding new places to belong and best of all, helps out a whole lot of people and goes to China. I really love this series, but this one is really the best one so far. I rated them all 5 stars, but this one feels closer to a 5+ stars.
This is mainly because of Anna. Anna who does everything for everyone, but still feels realistic. She still has worries, she still is unsure of a lot of things, but she doesn't let them stop her. Oh no, she still continues full steam ahead. Nothing is stopping this little girl. I loved how she collected money for the orphanage, loved that she started knitting little hats for the babies in the orphanage, and how she pulled people into her plans, her ideas.
I loved how she was in China, it was a really great idea that she could tag along. She could provide Chinese help, she could help out with the babies (she got experience with a little brother and a little sister) and various other things. I really liked that in China she noticed things. In America she stands out because she is Asian, but in China she became one of the mass, one of the people. And on the one side she loved it, but on the other side she didn't. While I am not an expert on these things, I know the feeling of wanting to belong somewhere, and yet also being happy to stand out and being special.
Anna made a new friend in China, and from what I can see our next book will be about this friend. A friend I really liked. They really became good friends instantly. Both helping the other out. Anna with English and Fan with Chinese. It was a great combination and I can't wait to see Fan in the next book(s).
The whole trip to China was fun, and while I can imagine that they (the adoption agency/the ones taking care of adoptions) want the couples who want to adopt kids to understand their country, I think this isn't the right way. To force them through all the attractions, all the things they need to see. In the end the couples only got grumpy and annoyed, and I don't think they actually paid much attention any more. Which is a shame. I think it would be better to show them some sights, some things, but to also help them out with any questions they might have (make sure to have a translator (like Anna) ready).
Still it was nice to read about all the sights and see some of the sights illustrated. I would still want to go to China one day, so I love reading about it.
I am so happy for Anna's teacher and her husband, I am sure they will be great parents. Jing is a very lucky baby to have found a wonderful place to call home. Sure, the people in the orphanage do their best to care for the little ones, but in the end a stable home might be even better.
And once again this book tackles several realistic situations and make them so that kids can understand it and kids can love it. This time we got adoption, overpopulation, getting money for a good cause, finding yourself (Anna and her Chinese identity) and several other situations. Even with so many topics, you will never get confused or feel like it is too much. It is all done perfect and it is a thing that I really like. I normally don't like it when we get like a dozen of problems thrown on our head, because in general books muddle them up or they don't match with each other, and there are a few other reasons. But this one just handles them all perfectly. Definitely a big plus point!
All in all, I really loved this, and I can't wait for the next book to come out in paperback (so probably next year?). I would highly recommend this series to everyone.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
This is mainly because of Anna. Anna who does everything for everyone, but still feels realistic. She still has worries, she still is unsure of a lot of things, but she doesn't let them stop her. Oh no, she still continues full steam ahead. Nothing is stopping this little girl. I loved how she collected money for the orphanage, loved that she started knitting little hats for the babies in the orphanage, and how she pulled people into her plans, her ideas.
I loved how she was in China, it was a really great idea that she could tag along. She could provide Chinese help, she could help out with the babies (she got experience with a little brother and a little sister) and various other things. I really liked that in China she noticed things. In America she stands out because she is Asian, but in China she became one of the mass, one of the people. And on the one side she loved it, but on the other side she didn't. While I am not an expert on these things, I know the feeling of wanting to belong somewhere, and yet also being happy to stand out and being special.
Anna made a new friend in China, and from what I can see our next book will be about this friend. A friend I really liked. They really became good friends instantly. Both helping the other out. Anna with English and Fan with Chinese. It was a great combination and I can't wait to see Fan in the next book(s).
The whole trip to China was fun, and while I can imagine that they (the adoption agency/the ones taking care of adoptions) want the couples who want to adopt kids to understand their country, I think this isn't the right way. To force them through all the attractions, all the things they need to see. In the end the couples only got grumpy and annoyed, and I don't think they actually paid much attention any more. Which is a shame. I think it would be better to show them some sights, some things, but to also help them out with any questions they might have (make sure to have a translator (like Anna) ready).
Still it was nice to read about all the sights and see some of the sights illustrated. I would still want to go to China one day, so I love reading about it.
I am so happy for Anna's teacher and her husband, I am sure they will be great parents. Jing is a very lucky baby to have found a wonderful place to call home. Sure, the people in the orphanage do their best to care for the little ones, but in the end a stable home might be even better.
And once again this book tackles several realistic situations and make them so that kids can understand it and kids can love it. This time we got adoption, overpopulation, getting money for a good cause, finding yourself (Anna and her Chinese identity) and several other situations. Even with so many topics, you will never get confused or feel like it is too much. It is all done perfect and it is a thing that I really like. I normally don't like it when we get like a dozen of problems thrown on our head, because in general books muddle them up or they don't match with each other, and there are a few other reasons. But this one just handles them all perfectly. Definitely a big plus point!
All in all, I really loved this, and I can't wait for the next book to come out in paperback (so probably next year?). I would highly recommend this series to everyone.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
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