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Anna Wang #2
The Year of the Baby
Last year, Anna learned how to be a good friend. Now that her family has adopted a baby girl from China, she wants to learn how to be a good sister. But the new year proves challenging when the doctor warns that the baby isn’t thriving. Can Anna and her best friends, Laura and Camille, create a science project that saves the day? In this heartwarming sequel to The Year of the Book , readers will be just as moved by Anna's devotion to her new sister as they will be inspired by her loving family and lasting friendships.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
49 people are currently reading
350 people want to read
About the author
Andrea Cheng
30 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 109 reviews
August 1, 2016
This was a sweet story for younger readers. A great look at Chinese American families, adoption, and friendship.
April 4, 2023
Not bad, but boring. Did as a read-aloud with my kids (ages 5 and 4) and it failed my two read-aloud tests: 1) did the kids like it and ask me to read it or keep reading? 2) did I enjoy it enough to want to read or re-read it? We actually quit reading aloud 75% through, and I read the end solo.
Characters are flat. Story moves slowly for such a short book. Chapter breaks are abrupt. Might be helpful to introduce or reinforce the Scientific Method, but that hardly outweighed how dull the plot and characters were. Included some concepts that needed addressing with younger readers as well like divorce, cultural differences and values, adoption, a brief reference to infertility. Would not recommend, even if one's kids were closer to the age of the main characters.
Characters are flat. Story moves slowly for such a short book. Chapter breaks are abrupt. Might be helpful to introduce or reinforce the Scientific Method, but that hardly outweighed how dull the plot and characters were. Included some concepts that needed addressing with younger readers as well like divorce, cultural differences and values, adoption, a brief reference to infertility. Would not recommend, even if one's kids were closer to the age of the main characters.
May 19, 2019
I like this book just as much as I like
The Year of the Book
, for many of the same reasons. In this book, Anna (the first person narrator) is now in fifth grade and is still a very likable/lovable character, as are her now best friends Laura and Camille. I loved seeing the friendship between these girls and their compassion for others, especially for Anna's new baby sister. This is a charming little book series!
August 22, 2022
Honestly, if I was reading this alone I would've DNF'ed it but I read this as a read aloud with my daughter. This book is about a girl named Anna who has a new baby sister named Kaylee that her family adopted from China. I think Kaylee came to them at around a year old and now she has been labeled as failure to thrive by the doctor because in 3 months she hasn't gained any weight. So Kaylee and her friends decide to make Kaylee their science project. They notice that she eats more when they sing to her and distract her so they set up an experiment to see if they can get her to gain weight. My biggest problem with this book is how deeply it reiterates the problems with our American medical system. They were talking about how she has dimples in her thighs and has a lot of other indicators of being healthy, yet the only one that the doctors were focusing on was weight. I'm not saying I think its okay that a one year old goes 3 months without gaining, but most babies aren't monitored that closely at that age and I do know its normal to have bursts of gain in height THEN weight and not necessarily simultaneously. They never mentioned other measurements of growth. I also thought the whole idea of trying to teach a baby distracted eating is harmful. We want to teach our kids to be mindful and listen to and respect their bodies to hopefully end our society's messed up relationship to food. This felt like tricking her into eating and creating unhealthy eating habits just to fit some arbitrary standard set by a misinformed medical policy. Lets instead figure out WHY she isn't growing. Is it the anxiety of adjusment? A parasite? Different foods? Sensory issues? The only reason this is 2 stars instead of 1 is because I liked that the girls saw a problem and formed a decently well thought out experiment around it. However, what they were testing is if they could get her to eat so using the measurement of weight gain as a conclusion is unfounded. She wasn't weighed anywhere else in the science project, and they only did this for one meal/snack a day for like 10 days so there are definitely a lot of counfounders that make this not even great for the science element. Would NOT recommend, especially for young girls.
March 6, 2023
I like it because Anna cares about her sister
February 13, 2016
I was at first a bit hesitant to get this one. I loved the previous book and I was worried that this one might totally be different (after all the first book felt like a standalone to me).
But in the end I just went for it, and I even pre-ordered the next book. I am so glad I bought this book, it was wonderful and cute.
We are back at Anna's place again, only this time we have a new family member. A little Chinese baby named Kaylee. I absolutely loved Anna's relationship with Kaylee. I know that many kids wouldn't be too happy to get a new sibling, but Anna was delighted and did so much for Kaylee. Not only helping out her mother with things like diapers or stories or singing or even putting Kaylee to bath, but she also played with her sister and helped her out with her eating problem.
Yes, while this book comes across as fluffy and fun, it is about real problems, real situations. Kaylee is a baby from China, abandoned by her parents due to the baby policy in China. For some reason she barely eats, barely talks and there are various other things that aren't going all right.
This isn't the only problem/situation we have. We also have a situation that I won't say right now (as it would be a spoiler), but it was a big thing and it explained quite a lot about a certain character in the book.
Anna is a terrific character and I really liked her. She was fun, happy and again, I loved how she was around her siblings, her parents, her family and her friends. She is a great person, full of love that she is willing to share with everyone.
I loved how she decided to say no against the science fair project that was first proposed. I am glad she did that, I was kind of worried she might go along with the girls, but instead she stood up for herself and said no. She decided to go for her own project, one not just copied from a book.
It was really fun to see her do all kinds of things, helping her little sister. Kaylee is one lucky kid for having such a wonderful family. A family that helps her out.
I was at first worried about the whole baby thing. I thought it might turn out to be an annoying baby, or a baby that just kept whining/crying. However, Kaylee wasn't that. She was just adjusting, I can imagine everything is scary for such a little kid. I hope she won't have much of a trauma about her real parents abandoning her, and I hope she will continue her good (and at times adorable/cute) progress (it was so adorable with her talking to the cat, and saying no or mine when the cat came close to the mouse toys Anna made for Kaylee) in the next books.
Anna's best friends were terrific. They are truly best friends, helping out Anna with her problems, learning Chinese (Laura) and various other things. Anna is lucky to have such wonderful friends that will be with her side when she needs them.
I loved her science project. Not only was it a true project, but it also helped out someone. It was fun to read about the observations and to see what happened to the subject.
The ending was interesting, I didn't expect it, though I had suspicions it was about that and how that went. It is also quite a happy ending (despite the sadness that came with it for a little bit).
All in all, this is a book I would really recommend. Are you looking for a great Middle Grade book about real problems but still with a lot of happiness? Then I would recommend this book.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
But in the end I just went for it, and I even pre-ordered the next book. I am so glad I bought this book, it was wonderful and cute.
We are back at Anna's place again, only this time we have a new family member. A little Chinese baby named Kaylee. I absolutely loved Anna's relationship with Kaylee. I know that many kids wouldn't be too happy to get a new sibling, but Anna was delighted and did so much for Kaylee. Not only helping out her mother with things like diapers or stories or singing or even putting Kaylee to bath, but she also played with her sister and helped her out with her eating problem.
Yes, while this book comes across as fluffy and fun, it is about real problems, real situations. Kaylee is a baby from China, abandoned by her parents due to the baby policy in China. For some reason she barely eats, barely talks and there are various other things that aren't going all right.
This isn't the only problem/situation we have. We also have a situation that I won't say right now (as it would be a spoiler), but it was a big thing and it explained quite a lot about a certain character in the book.
Anna is a terrific character and I really liked her. She was fun, happy and again, I loved how she was around her siblings, her parents, her family and her friends. She is a great person, full of love that she is willing to share with everyone.
I loved how she decided to say no against the science fair project that was first proposed. I am glad she did that, I was kind of worried she might go along with the girls, but instead she stood up for herself and said no. She decided to go for her own project, one not just copied from a book.
It was really fun to see her do all kinds of things, helping her little sister. Kaylee is one lucky kid for having such a wonderful family. A family that helps her out.
I was at first worried about the whole baby thing. I thought it might turn out to be an annoying baby, or a baby that just kept whining/crying. However, Kaylee wasn't that. She was just adjusting, I can imagine everything is scary for such a little kid. I hope she won't have much of a trauma about her real parents abandoning her, and I hope she will continue her good (and at times adorable/cute) progress (it was so adorable with her talking to the cat, and saying no or mine when the cat came close to the mouse toys Anna made for Kaylee) in the next books.
Anna's best friends were terrific. They are truly best friends, helping out Anna with her problems, learning Chinese (Laura) and various other things. Anna is lucky to have such wonderful friends that will be with her side when she needs them.
I loved her science project. Not only was it a true project, but it also helped out someone. It was fun to read about the observations and to see what happened to the subject.
The ending was interesting, I didn't expect it, though I had suspicions it was about that and how that went. It is also quite a happy ending (despite the sadness that came with it for a little bit).
All in all, this is a book I would really recommend. Are you looking for a great Middle Grade book about real problems but still with a lot of happiness? Then I would recommend this book.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
February 22, 2014
Anna loves her baby sister, Kaylee, whom her parents adopted from China. They have had Kaylee for three months, but she has not gained much weight because she won’t eat. So, Anna and her friends, Laura and Camille, decide to help out. They take matters into their own hands and start investigating to see if they can get Kaylee to eat more. The girls make it into their school science project. They try different foods, music and languages to see what will make Kaylee more comfortable and happy and want to eat! Will their scientific research work?
What I thought - This is a great book. I like how Anna’s family is of Chinese heritage (Anna was born in the USA, where they live) and they adopted Kaylee from China. That shows a different type of adopted family than you usually read about. The book is great for younger kids. I like how Anna and her friends think of a way to get Kaylee to eat. It shows how much Anna and her friends care for Kaylee. I think this is a cute story that boys and girls would like. I like Ms. Cheng’s writing style. She makes her characters believable and you care about them. I think books like this, ones that show happy “normal” adoptive families, send a great message to all kids, adopted or bio.
*NOTE* This is my own copy of this book
What I thought - This is a great book. I like how Anna’s family is of Chinese heritage (Anna was born in the USA, where they live) and they adopted Kaylee from China. That shows a different type of adopted family than you usually read about. The book is great for younger kids. I like how Anna and her friends think of a way to get Kaylee to eat. It shows how much Anna and her friends care for Kaylee. I think this is a cute story that boys and girls would like. I like Ms. Cheng’s writing style. She makes her characters believable and you care about them. I think books like this, ones that show happy “normal” adoptive families, send a great message to all kids, adopted or bio.
*NOTE* This is my own copy of this book
July 7, 2013
Anna and her family have adopted a baby girl from China. Kaylee is adorable, but stubborn. She refuses to eat, and her pediatrician fears she may be failing to thrive. Anna's family is worried.
Meanwhile, Anna and her friends must come up with a good science fair project. Anna wants to do something different and new, but she can't think of anything.
This sequel to Year of the Book is just as heartfelt as the original. Anna and her friends are realistic girls with honest feelings and worries. There are no heartless bullies, no magic spells, no silly "kid humor" made up of gross jokes, just 5th grade girls being 5th grade friends. In that sense, these books remind me of Ann Martin's Main Street series, another set I love for their simple, gentle stories of real kids.
The Chinese main characters will have great appeal to American-Chinese students in our schools, but the stories do not contain so many references to Chinese culture as to alienate American kids unfamiliar it. These books would make an excellent addition to elementary school libraries, especially in schools with an Asian student presence.
Meanwhile, Anna and her friends must come up with a good science fair project. Anna wants to do something different and new, but she can't think of anything.
This sequel to Year of the Book is just as heartfelt as the original. Anna and her friends are realistic girls with honest feelings and worries. There are no heartless bullies, no magic spells, no silly "kid humor" made up of gross jokes, just 5th grade girls being 5th grade friends. In that sense, these books remind me of Ann Martin's Main Street series, another set I love for their simple, gentle stories of real kids.
The Chinese main characters will have great appeal to American-Chinese students in our schools, but the stories do not contain so many references to Chinese culture as to alienate American kids unfamiliar it. These books would make an excellent addition to elementary school libraries, especially in schools with an Asian student presence.
October 4, 2015
Okay, so I still really like this series, but I did not like this second book quite as much as the first book. It's all about Anna's family adjusting after they adopt a baby from China and I guess I had a hard time suspending my disbelief about their adoption process. I am far from an expert on this, and it is not really a huge factor in the story, the story being about life after baby Kaylee comes to live with the Wang family and not about the process itself. So. Suspending issues about the adoption process, this was another great friendship story and I particularly enjoyed how methodical and invested Anna is in her science project. The book actually gives a great intro to the scientific method without beating you over the head about it.
I am loving this series and eager to pick up the next one (unfortunately checked out and never returned at my library but I have a replacement on the way!).
I am loving this series and eager to pick up the next one (unfortunately checked out and never returned at my library but I have a replacement on the way!).
September 19, 2013
What a sweet read. Like its predecessor, this book addresses some potentially heavy issues (in this case, adoption and infant failure to thrive) in a very approachable way for a young audience. The main character is so relatable, and I think this book has even more general appeal than the first volume in the series, which was perhaps more geared towards bookworms (like myself). Anna still has her love of books in this sequel, but it's not as much of a focus, so avid and reluctant readers alike will relish her story here.
November 15, 2014
An outstanding sequel to The Year of the Book! In this novel, Anna's family has adopted a baby from China who is having trouble gaining weight. This is a compassionate story about Baby Kaylee's adoption and her adjustment to her new life as well as an empowering story about the three friends working for a solution through their science fair project. I especially appreciate the authentic conversations about culture and prejudice.
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October 24, 2016Adorable and open-hearted middle grade book about the challenges of being an oldest child (and a middle child) and being a friend (and working with your friends) and being a good student (and people expecting you to be a good student (and making fun of you for studying)). It's slanting a bit younger than my favourite MGs, but I was continually impressed by the nuance of the issues that were dealt with in very few pages (and at a young reading level).
May 19, 2014
My daughter's favorite book is the first of this series, so we were thrilled to find the next one. I really enjoyed this book: I think the author does a great job of touching on some complex and sophisticated issues (the myth of the model minority, for instance) without losing her audience. I'd highly recommend the series to young readers and (ahem) not so young readers too.
January 1, 2013
Another great little early chapter book from Andrea Cheng. I loved that this installment addressed adoption, families, and a little bit of science! I hope Cheng continues with this series.
February 5, 2018
The year of the Baby review: Cute read-aloud for my first grader. I would have never picked this book due to the girly looking cover (I’m reading to my son) but it was assigned reading. It is not particularly a feminine story though, so he wasn’t turned off by it, and I’d say it’s an age-appropriate read-aloud (as well as regular reading for middle grade readers) for children who may not know much about adoption (the baby sister in the story is adopted from China.) I also like that the characters freely discuss stereotypes toward Asian-Americans and non-native born Asian-Americans, but does so in a way that is emotional and relational in nature (basically, because you’re involved with the characters, you feel hurt when the school yard kids taunt the main character for having almond eyes, for example.) So, it made for some candid conversations about stereotypes and prejudices afterward. Overall a great book, and I think the Year of the Fortune Cookie (book after this one) seems it will explore the concept of adoption further.
July 11, 2018
Anna is excited to have a new baby sister, Kaylee. But having been recently adopted from China, Kaylee is still adjusting to her new home and life. Anna's parents are both worried when the doctor tells them that Kaylee isn't thriving and gaining weight the way she should be. This contributes to a bit of tension at the home. Anna loves taking care of her sister but doesn't feel her Mom trusts her to be responsible with the baby. In addition, Anna's younger brother, Ken is having a hard time adjusting to being the middle child. Also, Anna is struggling to come up with a science fair project. But with the help of her two best friends, Camille and Laura, and her Grandma, just maybe Anna can find a project and help her baby sister at the same time. Once again, Cheng has written a realistic story about a child dealing with the realities of her life with Chinese elements blended in smoothly. A great addition to a fun diverse series.
August 14, 2023
L (8) had checked this book out of the library while visiting my parents. I read the back cover and was intrigued, so much so that I put aside the book I was reading one night and read this instead. I really enjoyed it and will be encouraging L to check out the other books in this series if we have it at our home library.
So many times I don't enjoy the writing in chapter books geared to 2nd-5th graders (which is generally what I'd say the ideal range is for this book, depending on reading level) but this was actually enjoyable to read. It also had a lot of themes I thought were good for my young daughter: complications of cultural differences between friends, friendship and not bowing to peer pressure, adjusting to new siblings, the scientific method, figuring out the things that you are good at and using your gifts, and more.
So many times I don't enjoy the writing in chapter books geared to 2nd-5th graders (which is generally what I'd say the ideal range is for this book, depending on reading level) but this was actually enjoyable to read. It also had a lot of themes I thought were good for my young daughter: complications of cultural differences between friends, friendship and not bowing to peer pressure, adjusting to new siblings, the scientific method, figuring out the things that you are good at and using your gifts, and more.
April 1, 2021
Message learned: It takes a village to raise a child
Anna is worried because her new baby sister isn't thriving. Thanks to a variety of other circumstances and interactions with her friends, she investigates a way to help her baby sister. It's a sweet tale of friendship and family that I enjoyed reading to my kids. Anna is a darling, and I love that she's made friends with someone like her, and someone not like her. Friendships don't need to be dictated by race or ethnicity. I am excited to see where the story continues to go as she's noticing the differences between how her friends interact with each other.
Anna is worried because her new baby sister isn't thriving. Thanks to a variety of other circumstances and interactions with her friends, she investigates a way to help her baby sister. It's a sweet tale of friendship and family that I enjoyed reading to my kids. Anna is a darling, and I love that she's made friends with someone like her, and someone not like her. Friendships don't need to be dictated by race or ethnicity. I am excited to see where the story continues to go as she's noticing the differences between how her friends interact with each other.
September 6, 2022
Literally it's impossible to not like a book where you can related to the characters between cultures on a personal level. I'm reading the series backwards with my daughter. We started with the Year of the Fortune Cookie not knowing it was the third book. But it's all working out for us to read it this way. It's helping us remember the things we read previously. Haha! Truly, the main thing I adore about this series is how Andrea Cheng simply just says as they are without being pushy or shy but really just in such a matter of fact way. It's just so...normal. I love it!
June 10, 2017
Strangely, my review didn't show up after I submitted it the first time...
But I thought this book was good. I liked the premise. It's adorable and heartwarming. However, when Anna draws a map of China for her grandma on page 80, she draws the island of Hainan where Taiwan's supposed to be. Clearly, this is a mistake, because the map Anna was copying from does indicate Taiwan and China as part of the same entity.
But I thought this book was good. I liked the premise. It's adorable and heartwarming. However, when Anna draws a map of China for her grandma on page 80, she draws the island of Hainan where Taiwan's supposed to be. Clearly, this is a mistake, because the map Anna was copying from does indicate Taiwan and China as part of the same entity.
May 21, 2019
This is such a sweet series. In this one, Anna's family adopts a baby from China. Her parents are Chinese-born but Anna was born in the U.S. The baby is a cutie and Anna and all her friends are in love with her. The only thing is, the baby is refusing to eat and she's actually losing weight. Anna and her friends pitch in to find a solution...and it just so happens to dovetail with their project for the science far.
February 13, 2020
My kids and I were mildly interested in this book at the beginning, but at about 2/3 through, we were all eager for it to be done. The characters are nice and sweet, but the plot really wasn't interesting enough and the lessons learned not captivating enough for this to be a favorite. By the end my kids were begging me to read 2-3 chapters a day so we could be done with it and move on to something else.
March 1, 2021
One of our favorite read alouds we have done in a long time! I would never have picked this book if I just saw it in the library, but Sonlight had it in their curriculum catalog, and I always love the books they pick, so we have it a shot, and we LOVED it! It was so sweet and charming—Anna was such a kind sister and friend. We were also excited that there are several other books in the series to read too!
March 9, 2020
I had never heard of this book until we read it for school. I absolutely loved it as did my 7 year and 4 year old girls. Woven into delightful tale that showed a beautiful example of adoption was also the issue of failure to thrive. My favorite part was how the big sister solved two problems by showing some love and care. The girls can’t wait to read the next in the series!
April 20, 2021
I really liked this modern school story about a Chinese-American family who just adopted a new baby from China. The story was dear; the main character Anna was a great big sister but also an imperfect, growing girl; my kids were fully invested in the "is the baby thriving" plot.
I personally appreciated how the book snuck in lessons about China and the Chinese language, whetting my kids' appetite for that culture. In the back, there's even a recipe for the bean paste dumplings they eat--in case that appetite wants more filling! But info about China wasn't all the book slyly introduced: there were also different learning styles, how we might perceive one behavior and be wrong about the reason behind it, and a gentle introduction to the scientific method.
We all want to read the first and third books in the series now. Thanks, Sonlight, for introducing us!
I personally appreciated how the book snuck in lessons about China and the Chinese language, whetting my kids' appetite for that culture. In the back, there's even a recipe for the bean paste dumplings they eat--in case that appetite wants more filling! But info about China wasn't all the book slyly introduced: there were also different learning styles, how we might perceive one behavior and be wrong about the reason behind it, and a gentle introduction to the scientific method.
We all want to read the first and third books in the series now. Thanks, Sonlight, for introducing us!
November 17, 2023
I was so glad to spend more time with Anna! While I was sorry there weren’t as many books mentioned in this story, I enjoyed it nearly as much as the first book. I was a little surprised that the pictures were by a different illustrator but the same loving and cozy tone came across. This is a warm and gentle series I look forward to rereading when in need of cozy comfort.
January 1, 2024
Anna is a big help with her new baby sister, who her parents traveled to China in order to adopt. But little Kaylee isn't thriving the way she should. But how do you coax a stubborn baby to eat? One of my favorite lower middle grade series. And thanks to the teaser at the end of the book, I can't wait to pick up the next one. Recommended.
December 6, 2018
A lovely little story that I read to the kids for school. It has a light touch but it deals with issues such as weight gain issues in babies, adoption and being American-born Chinese.
AND contains a great example of the scientific method in action.
AND contains a great example of the scientific method in action.
May 12, 2020
I really enjoyed reading this book and continuing on from the year of the Book! It was interesting to learn about China and adoptions and how to get a baby from another country I really enjoy reading about Anna and her friends and family. Their science project was very interesting!
March 30, 2022
Read this book to my kids. We have really enjoyed reading this together. Plenty of opportunity to talk about other cultures, learn about China, discuss friendships, and discuss the scientific method.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews