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Pandas on the Eastside
When ten-year-old Journey Song hears that two pandas are being held in a warehouse in her neighborhood, she worries that they may be hungry, cold and lonely. Horrified to learn that the pandas, originally destined for a zoo in Washington, might be shipped back to China because of a diplomatic spat between China and the United States, Journey rallies her friends and neighbors on the poverty-stricken Eastside. Her infectious enthusiasm for all things panda is hard to resist, and soon she's getting assistance from every corner of her tight-knit neighborhood.
77 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 3, 2016
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February 25, 2017
3.5 stars. I liked the cover and the title, so I checked this out of the library. The story takes place in Vancouver's Eastside in 1972. This is an area I travelled through every day for several months, so I knew the location, though not in quite the detail the author does.
Journey Song, the main character, narrates, and she's an interesting 10-year old to hang out with. Her mother is a recovering alcoholic (who slips occasionally), her father has been absent her whole life, her best friend may be dyslexic and is illiterate, there are homeless, drug dealers, a prostitute, and a variety of people from different cultures in the neighbourhood (though not in the numbers found today). This feels like a city neighbourhood.
The story starts out with Journey's teacher finding out her brother has died in the Vietnam war. Very soon after, Journey finds out about two pandas who were on their way from China to a U.S. zoo, but because of diplomatic issues are stuck in Vancouver. Journey thinks that seeing the pandas will help her teacher feel better and Journey also wants to help the pandas to get to the zoo. During Journey's efforts to help the pandas, the author introduces us to people in the neighbourhood. Journey's father also returns, shaking Journey's ideas of her family and of herself.
I really enjoyed Journey's interactions with all these people, and these were the highlights of the book for me. The panda sections were a little less interesting to me. I just wanted to spend time wandering around the neighbourhood, meeting the kids, the shop owners, and other people, as I found them really interesting.
Journey Song, the main character, narrates, and she's an interesting 10-year old to hang out with. Her mother is a recovering alcoholic (who slips occasionally), her father has been absent her whole life, her best friend may be dyslexic and is illiterate, there are homeless, drug dealers, a prostitute, and a variety of people from different cultures in the neighbourhood (though not in the numbers found today). This feels like a city neighbourhood.
The story starts out with Journey's teacher finding out her brother has died in the Vietnam war. Very soon after, Journey finds out about two pandas who were on their way from China to a U.S. zoo, but because of diplomatic issues are stuck in Vancouver. Journey thinks that seeing the pandas will help her teacher feel better and Journey also wants to help the pandas to get to the zoo. During Journey's efforts to help the pandas, the author introduces us to people in the neighbourhood. Journey's father also returns, shaking Journey's ideas of her family and of herself.
I really enjoyed Journey's interactions with all these people, and these were the highlights of the book for me. The panda sections were a little less interesting to me. I just wanted to spend time wandering around the neighbourhood, meeting the kids, the shop owners, and other people, as I found them really interesting.
May 5, 2017
This review is originally from my blog at http://dickenslibrary.blogspot.ca/201...
Apparently, you are not supposed to start a book review claiming that you love the book. I don't care. I've fallen hard for this story of Journey Wind Song and her community.
Pandas on the Eastside is undoubtedly one of the grooviest books I've read in ages.
It's set in the early 1970's in the downtown eastside of Vancouver in an inner city area known to locals as The Projects. While this is quality historical fiction and the gift of pandas from China to the United States is real, this book becomes alternative reality with the imaginary stopover of the pandas here in Vancouver, BC.
In the middle of coming to terms with the return of a father she has never met, Journey Wind Song, a ten year old precocious preteen, gets it into her head to make sure that these two pandas, who are being held in warehouse somewhere in East Vancouver, are being taken care of, and end up safely at their destination in a Washington Zoo.
Prendergast captures the reality of the neighbourhood in the small details. On her way to her multicultural school, Journey sometimes has to "step over puddles of pee or worse things, but mostly the streets are quiet." At school, "Some kids at school don't even speak English. Some kids never bring lunch. Some kids only come to class once or twice a week, or they come late every day." Her remarkable teacher, Miss Bickerstaff, probably agrees with Journey that, "it must be hard to be a teacher on the Eastside."
Gabrielle Prendergast has created a multicultural community of complex, authentic characters, just like the real people who lived and continue to live in the neighbourhood. Each chapter introduces us to meaningful people in Journey's life through her point of view. All of them are survivors. Her unconditional acceptance of them enables the rest of us to see them as human. We are reminded that the world is composed of complicated individuals with different strengths and challenges who are all, in their own way, groovy. Nancy, Journey's best friend, can't read English, but can decipher Chinese characters. Contrary Gary, who Journey tricks into doing things by telling him to do the opposite, has mental health issues. Mr Huang, the owner of the corner store can be grumpy, but has a heart so soft he gives neighbourhood kids donuts for free. Kentucky Jack is a local alcoholic who the girls protect. Kelly Rae is a fifteen year old 'working girl' who Journey's mother describes as, "a good girl in a bad situation."
Sweetness and humour infuse this book.
David Shuman and his family, owners of the fanciest house in the neighbourhood, are communists. Journey claims, "I didn't have a crush on David or anything. I mean, he is nice and smart, but he really likes radios and spy books, and I really like bugs and pirate books, so it would never work. But I sure did have a crush on David's house."
At one point Journey gets into an altercation with a classmate, Michael Booker, who, Journey explains, "comes from a bad family, so it's only partly his fault. And I don't mean a poor family. All the kids at Eastside elementary come from poor families, and that's no excuse to be mean. But Michael's family is bad. His father went to jail for punching a policeman, and his older brother is one of those people who sell things I'm not supposed to know about. His mother is a drinker, like mine, only she never goes to meetings and hardly ever leave the house. She throws things too, I've heard, although I'm not supposed to gossip, so that's all I'll say about that." Eventually Journey apologizes to her substitute teacher and class with this speech, "I'm sorry for using such a bad word and making a disturbance in class. There is no excuse for something like that. In a way, I was objectifying Michael with my oppressive judgemental gaze instead of valuing him as a human being."
When Journey's father ogles a waitress, she tells him, "I don't like men who look at ladies like they are pictures on the wall, designed to be pretty and impress people." When her father asks where that came from, she replies, "Mom's consciousness-raising group."
As a consequence of her advocacy for the pandas, Journey ends up in trouble with the Chinese consulate. While Journey's mother and father may be flawed characters, they have their daughter's best interests at heart, and do everything they can to support and protect her.
You have to love a character like Journey, who after getting into trouble and ending up in the principal's office, reflects, "Mr. Hartnell looked at me in that grown-up way that makes me so mad sometimes. The look says, I understand you kids better than you know. But I was thinking that neither dad nor Mr. Hartnell could possibly understand me. I didn't even understand myself, and I lived inside me."
Gabrielle Prendergast's book celebrates the emergence of a young activist, and the power in a group of people coming together to make a difference. I hope we get to read more about Journey in the future. In the meantime, I'm going to track down Prendergast's earlier works, Audacious and Capricious, and her new title, Zero Repeat Forever.
Apparently, you are not supposed to start a book review claiming that you love the book. I don't care. I've fallen hard for this story of Journey Wind Song and her community.
Pandas on the Eastside is undoubtedly one of the grooviest books I've read in ages.
It's set in the early 1970's in the downtown eastside of Vancouver in an inner city area known to locals as The Projects. While this is quality historical fiction and the gift of pandas from China to the United States is real, this book becomes alternative reality with the imaginary stopover of the pandas here in Vancouver, BC.
In the middle of coming to terms with the return of a father she has never met, Journey Wind Song, a ten year old precocious preteen, gets it into her head to make sure that these two pandas, who are being held in warehouse somewhere in East Vancouver, are being taken care of, and end up safely at their destination in a Washington Zoo.
Prendergast captures the reality of the neighbourhood in the small details. On her way to her multicultural school, Journey sometimes has to "step over puddles of pee or worse things, but mostly the streets are quiet." At school, "Some kids at school don't even speak English. Some kids never bring lunch. Some kids only come to class once or twice a week, or they come late every day." Her remarkable teacher, Miss Bickerstaff, probably agrees with Journey that, "it must be hard to be a teacher on the Eastside."
Gabrielle Prendergast has created a multicultural community of complex, authentic characters, just like the real people who lived and continue to live in the neighbourhood. Each chapter introduces us to meaningful people in Journey's life through her point of view. All of them are survivors. Her unconditional acceptance of them enables the rest of us to see them as human. We are reminded that the world is composed of complicated individuals with different strengths and challenges who are all, in their own way, groovy. Nancy, Journey's best friend, can't read English, but can decipher Chinese characters. Contrary Gary, who Journey tricks into doing things by telling him to do the opposite, has mental health issues. Mr Huang, the owner of the corner store can be grumpy, but has a heart so soft he gives neighbourhood kids donuts for free. Kentucky Jack is a local alcoholic who the girls protect. Kelly Rae is a fifteen year old 'working girl' who Journey's mother describes as, "a good girl in a bad situation."
Sweetness and humour infuse this book.
David Shuman and his family, owners of the fanciest house in the neighbourhood, are communists. Journey claims, "I didn't have a crush on David or anything. I mean, he is nice and smart, but he really likes radios and spy books, and I really like bugs and pirate books, so it would never work. But I sure did have a crush on David's house."
At one point Journey gets into an altercation with a classmate, Michael Booker, who, Journey explains, "comes from a bad family, so it's only partly his fault. And I don't mean a poor family. All the kids at Eastside elementary come from poor families, and that's no excuse to be mean. But Michael's family is bad. His father went to jail for punching a policeman, and his older brother is one of those people who sell things I'm not supposed to know about. His mother is a drinker, like mine, only she never goes to meetings and hardly ever leave the house. She throws things too, I've heard, although I'm not supposed to gossip, so that's all I'll say about that." Eventually Journey apologizes to her substitute teacher and class with this speech, "I'm sorry for using such a bad word and making a disturbance in class. There is no excuse for something like that. In a way, I was objectifying Michael with my oppressive judgemental gaze instead of valuing him as a human being."
When Journey's father ogles a waitress, she tells him, "I don't like men who look at ladies like they are pictures on the wall, designed to be pretty and impress people." When her father asks where that came from, she replies, "Mom's consciousness-raising group."
As a consequence of her advocacy for the pandas, Journey ends up in trouble with the Chinese consulate. While Journey's mother and father may be flawed characters, they have their daughter's best interests at heart, and do everything they can to support and protect her.
You have to love a character like Journey, who after getting into trouble and ending up in the principal's office, reflects, "Mr. Hartnell looked at me in that grown-up way that makes me so mad sometimes. The look says, I understand you kids better than you know. But I was thinking that neither dad nor Mr. Hartnell could possibly understand me. I didn't even understand myself, and I lived inside me."
Gabrielle Prendergast's book celebrates the emergence of a young activist, and the power in a group of people coming together to make a difference. I hope we get to read more about Journey in the future. In the meantime, I'm going to track down Prendergast's earlier works, Audacious and Capricious, and her new title, Zero Repeat Forever.
April 17, 2017
I am a too inexperienced reader of Young Audience literature to know if Prendergast is truly as good at writing this genre as I experience her to be. All I know is that she is my sister-in-law. So, to be a good brother-in-law, I read her high school-appropriate Audacious (2013) and was so impressed, I turned as soon as possible to the sequel, Capricious (2014), and found it just as good. Well, here I am now reporting that my favourite so far is her middle school-appropriate Pandas on the East Side, (2016). It is entertaining as all get out with respect to the characterizations and the plot as well as the historical setting that conditions the main conflict in the narrative.
Sure, I gathered soon enough how the story had to end. So, what? I did not figure out the way this was going to happen, so I eagerly turned all the pages in order to find out. Are there a few contrived events involved? Sure. Again, so what? For all of the YA-oriented “mean streets” sociological realism informing the story, there is a – not ontologically fantastic; rather, psychologically fantastical – ethos resonating throughout the tale. Not to oversell this now, just to suggest that it is a kind of imaginative wish-fulfillment or daydream-come-true for the main character and it is very charming on her own comedic terms.
As a person who is 56 years old, I find it remarkable that Prendergast is able to provide an entirely convincing and positively compelling 1st Person narrative voice of a – precocious! – preteen. This goes much deeper than the cadence of the syntax, which is merely the technical means to divulge substantial thoughts and feelings. It is the latter themselves that she conveys, an entire existential attitude; what most folks would probably call an individual spirit but what I prefer to refer to as a personal worldview. That this belongs to a young woman is not incidental to the authenticity of it.
The book is rewarding for its emotional sensitivity, ethical sensibility and ideological delicacy. There are a number of incidents in the story that really moved me; one time, almost to tears; another time, to laugh out loud. The moral concerns of the story are presented in ways that are not didactic exercises artificially attached. They are instead intrinsic to the personal worldview of the protagonist and she communicates them with wry intelligence in a manner that is always organically valid to the unfolding of the plot. The political delicacy I have cited is similarly legitimate, although in this case it is not the worldview of the protagonist but rather the historical setting itself and certain secondary characters that are the conduits.
This brings me to what I find especially enchanting about Pandas on the Eastside. Excellent comedy is excellent not merely because nothing fatal ever seriously challenges, not merely because an ending in which all live “happily ever after” is assured. It is great for the social universe created under this metaphysic of benign security. For all the fascination we have with The Hero, the special individual, there is an even more powerful attraction to Home, the whole social ensemble, be it limited to the family or extended to a larger community. The protagonist of Pandas on the Eastside I like a lot. Yet, I do so in relation to everyone with her on the Eastside. Prendergast made me want to live there too and be part of the wonderful milieu. Read it and so will you.
Sure, I gathered soon enough how the story had to end. So, what? I did not figure out the way this was going to happen, so I eagerly turned all the pages in order to find out. Are there a few contrived events involved? Sure. Again, so what? For all of the YA-oriented “mean streets” sociological realism informing the story, there is a – not ontologically fantastic; rather, psychologically fantastical – ethos resonating throughout the tale. Not to oversell this now, just to suggest that it is a kind of imaginative wish-fulfillment or daydream-come-true for the main character and it is very charming on her own comedic terms.
As a person who is 56 years old, I find it remarkable that Prendergast is able to provide an entirely convincing and positively compelling 1st Person narrative voice of a – precocious! – preteen. This goes much deeper than the cadence of the syntax, which is merely the technical means to divulge substantial thoughts and feelings. It is the latter themselves that she conveys, an entire existential attitude; what most folks would probably call an individual spirit but what I prefer to refer to as a personal worldview. That this belongs to a young woman is not incidental to the authenticity of it.
The book is rewarding for its emotional sensitivity, ethical sensibility and ideological delicacy. There are a number of incidents in the story that really moved me; one time, almost to tears; another time, to laugh out loud. The moral concerns of the story are presented in ways that are not didactic exercises artificially attached. They are instead intrinsic to the personal worldview of the protagonist and she communicates them with wry intelligence in a manner that is always organically valid to the unfolding of the plot. The political delicacy I have cited is similarly legitimate, although in this case it is not the worldview of the protagonist but rather the historical setting itself and certain secondary characters that are the conduits.
This brings me to what I find especially enchanting about Pandas on the Eastside. Excellent comedy is excellent not merely because nothing fatal ever seriously challenges, not merely because an ending in which all live “happily ever after” is assured. It is great for the social universe created under this metaphysic of benign security. For all the fascination we have with The Hero, the special individual, there is an even more powerful attraction to Home, the whole social ensemble, be it limited to the family or extended to a larger community. The protagonist of Pandas on the Eastside I like a lot. Yet, I do so in relation to everyone with her on the Eastside. Prendergast made me want to live there too and be part of the wonderful milieu. Read it and so will you.
July 7, 2022
This story has one of the most endearing protagonists I have ever come across. Also, it is set in 1973, in a time that feels so much more innocent compared to the present!
10 yo Journey Song cares about everyone around her and everything that's happening in her vicinity. She wonders about people and their behaviour and feels deeply for them - her teacher who loses her brother in the war, the policeman who had to deal with everyone's fear, the homeless man who has nowhere to go..
When she comes across the news about two pandas gifted by the Chinese government to the US in danger of being sent back due to diplomatic issues, she thinks it's terrible for the poor animals and wants to do something about it. From tracking them down to trying to get them bamboo to eat to ensuring they don't have to make the long journey back, she is relentless, rallying her friends, schoolmates and neighbours to help.
It's a very feel good book because of the wit in the writing and Journey's humorous observations about the world as she deals with seeing her dad for the first time and keeping the pandas safe and trying to lesson everyone's burdens. There are a lot of diverse characters in the story which is set in Canada and they come together in an interesting way. The better part of human nature is depicted here which is why this is a happy book to read.
10 yo Journey Song cares about everyone around her and everything that's happening in her vicinity. She wonders about people and their behaviour and feels deeply for them - her teacher who loses her brother in the war, the policeman who had to deal with everyone's fear, the homeless man who has nowhere to go..
When she comes across the news about two pandas gifted by the Chinese government to the US in danger of being sent back due to diplomatic issues, she thinks it's terrible for the poor animals and wants to do something about it. From tracking them down to trying to get them bamboo to eat to ensuring they don't have to make the long journey back, she is relentless, rallying her friends, schoolmates and neighbours to help.
It's a very feel good book because of the wit in the writing and Journey's humorous observations about the world as she deals with seeing her dad for the first time and keeping the pandas safe and trying to lesson everyone's burdens. There are a lot of diverse characters in the story which is set in Canada and they come together in an interesting way. The better part of human nature is depicted here which is why this is a happy book to read.
July 13, 2017
I am a children's librarian with 20 years of reading middle grade novels, so I think I know a good one when I read it. Here's my review!
Journey Song is growing up in the early 1970’s in a very poor Eastside neighbourhood. It’s true that neither she nor anyone else on the Eastside has very much of anything. But her somewhat troubled mother loves her and her teacher is both caring and hard-working. Journey and her quirky, loyal best friend Nancy enjoy their friendships with the real people who live on the Eastside, even if the rest of the world ignores them all. One day, Journey hears about two pandas who are caught in the middle of a diplomatic disagreement between the United States and China.
“They’re right here, in a warehouse. Right here, on the Eastside”
When she finds out that they are being held in a gloomy warehouse in her very own Eastside Journey decides it is up to her to do something to help them. How can two pandas survive in a warehouse? But, what can she do? Meanwhile, Journey’s absent father is all of sudden not so absent, her beloved teacher suffers an unimaginable loss and her best friend Nancy, who has always been full of surprises, really surprises her. Readers of all ages will love joining the irrepressible Journey on her unforgettable mission to help two stranded pandas. Who doesn't love pandas?
As a fan of Kate DiCamillo's middle grade novels (Raymie Nightingale, Because of Winn-Dixie etc) I think Pandas on the Eastside has a similar feel to the kinds of novels that present a child character who possesses both an inner wisdom and an innocent outlook on a sometimes cold, inscrutable world run by grown-ups. The ability of characters like Journey (and Raymie, and Opal) to warm hearts is one of the true powers of children's books. I highly recommend this book for reading aloud to grades 2 to 6 and for independent readers ages 8 to 12 years old.
Here's a link to the book trailer I made to help promote this book to the kids in my library and everywhere else!
https://youtu.be/kJM-EK_zBVM
Enjoy!
Journey Song is growing up in the early 1970’s in a very poor Eastside neighbourhood. It’s true that neither she nor anyone else on the Eastside has very much of anything. But her somewhat troubled mother loves her and her teacher is both caring and hard-working. Journey and her quirky, loyal best friend Nancy enjoy their friendships with the real people who live on the Eastside, even if the rest of the world ignores them all. One day, Journey hears about two pandas who are caught in the middle of a diplomatic disagreement between the United States and China.
“They’re right here, in a warehouse. Right here, on the Eastside”
When she finds out that they are being held in a gloomy warehouse in her very own Eastside Journey decides it is up to her to do something to help them. How can two pandas survive in a warehouse? But, what can she do? Meanwhile, Journey’s absent father is all of sudden not so absent, her beloved teacher suffers an unimaginable loss and her best friend Nancy, who has always been full of surprises, really surprises her. Readers of all ages will love joining the irrepressible Journey on her unforgettable mission to help two stranded pandas. Who doesn't love pandas?
As a fan of Kate DiCamillo's middle grade novels (Raymie Nightingale, Because of Winn-Dixie etc) I think Pandas on the Eastside has a similar feel to the kinds of novels that present a child character who possesses both an inner wisdom and an innocent outlook on a sometimes cold, inscrutable world run by grown-ups. The ability of characters like Journey (and Raymie, and Opal) to warm hearts is one of the true powers of children's books. I highly recommend this book for reading aloud to grades 2 to 6 and for independent readers ages 8 to 12 years old.
Here's a link to the book trailer I made to help promote this book to the kids in my library and everywhere else!
https://youtu.be/kJM-EK_zBVM
Enjoy!
July 26, 2017
Brief thoughts originally published 1 February 2017 at Falling Letters.
Pandas on the Eastside is alternative historical fiction, something I hadn’t previously come across in middle-grade fiction. The author’s note at the back of the book states, “In 1972, the government of China gifted two giant pandas […] to the people of the United States[.]” Prendergast notes that although the relationship between China and America was strained that year, the gift of the pandas went “went off without incident.” Her story imagines an alternate narrative “in which the panda’s journey was not quite so smooth.” I found this book tackled two unique topics for middle-grade fiction: a child’s perspective of international diplomacy (conducted via pandas!) and neighbourhood life in an impoverished area of 1970s Vancouver. Journey learns how to engage in activism with the support of a varied cast of characters who live in her neighbourhood, including shop owner Mr. Huang, teacher Miss Bickerstaff, and homeless man Kentucky Jack. There are a lot of historical references in here, including hippie life, racial tension, and American war deserters.
Pandas on the Eastside is alternative historical fiction, something I hadn’t previously come across in middle-grade fiction. The author’s note at the back of the book states, “In 1972, the government of China gifted two giant pandas […] to the people of the United States[.]” Prendergast notes that although the relationship between China and America was strained that year, the gift of the pandas went “went off without incident.” Her story imagines an alternate narrative “in which the panda’s journey was not quite so smooth.” I found this book tackled two unique topics for middle-grade fiction: a child’s perspective of international diplomacy (conducted via pandas!) and neighbourhood life in an impoverished area of 1970s Vancouver. Journey learns how to engage in activism with the support of a varied cast of characters who live in her neighbourhood, including shop owner Mr. Huang, teacher Miss Bickerstaff, and homeless man Kentucky Jack. There are a lot of historical references in here, including hippie life, racial tension, and American war deserters.
May 11, 2022
Set in Vancouver BC, on the downtown east side, this story follows Journey (and a great cast to characters) as she fights to rescue two pandas who are in political limbo after being gifted by China.
Based on a true story of pandas given to the US by China- but in this novel, the story & outcome is changed!
I really enjoyed the various characters, especially journey and her friend Nancy. I also appreciated that so many complex issues were explored, at a middle/highschool grade level. Some really important topics in here for discussion, and definitely an enjoyable story!
Based on a true story of pandas given to the US by China- but in this novel, the story & outcome is changed!
I really enjoyed the various characters, especially journey and her friend Nancy. I also appreciated that so many complex issues were explored, at a middle/highschool grade level. Some really important topics in here for discussion, and definitely an enjoyable story!
March 6, 2019
I loved it! It's a sweet and heartfelt story from 10 year old Journey's perspective.
If choosing to read, keep in mind that this is meant for a young middle grade audience, grades 3-6.
It was a great and inspirimg story to enjoy.
If choosing to read, keep in mind that this is meant for a young middle grade audience, grades 3-6.
It was a great and inspirimg story to enjoy.
July 26, 2021
I really enjoyed this book which was unexpected because I tend to like more action based books. But the writing for this book was very good. I liked the metaphors and feeling like I really knew the main character, Journey.
You should try out this book even if you usually go for action based books.
You should try out this book even if you usually go for action based books.
February 1, 2022
This was the first chapter type book I ever read when I was younger and I recently reread it and it’s still as good.
Love love love the characters in this book. A lot of times good characters distract me from shitty plots (not this one though, good plot). I like that each chapter is named after a character. Nancy is my favourite.
Love love love the characters in this book. A lot of times good characters distract me from shitty plots (not this one though, good plot). I like that each chapter is named after a character. Nancy is my favourite.
July 19, 2017
Pandas on the Eastside is s very touching story about a 10 year old girl who just wants to save some pandas and make the world a little better. Journey Song lives in an impoverished, and culturally diverse part of town. There are those who can barely speak English, there are others who have mental health issues, and prostitution, abuse, and broken families are the everyday reality. Journey knows this, but it is not what she sees as the defining qualities of these people, or her neighbourhood. Her ability to see the human being in everyone heavily influences the tone of the book, and our own perception as we read. The story is set in 1972, at a time when the relations between China and the United States were tenuous. Prendergast takes an historical event, that of presenting pandas as a gesture of goodwill, and attaches a small side note to it. An addendum to the event where a young girl works together with those in her community to save some creatures who are caught up in bureaucratic limbo. Journey understands that people grow up under very different circumstances, afterall she lives in the "slums" of the Eastside, but she also sees with a child's clarity, that people make things more complicated than they are. The ending leaves us with a feeling of empowerment, that, through kindness, the world can change for the better. We may never know what happens to these people, whether her Journey's father sticks around, whether Nancy ever learns to read English, or whether Contrary Gary gets the help he needs, but it doesn't matter because we get the sense that things will turn out all right.
September 27, 2017
I was looking for a read aloud for the primary grades when I came across this book. I love the cover and I was intrigued by the title. The story is about a girl named Journey Song who was raised by her alcoholic mother. Things started to change for Journey when she witnessed her teacher breakdown with the news of her brother dying in Vietnam war. Journey wanted to help her be happy and encountered the story of Pandas being gifted to her country only to be caught in the middle of political tirade. She learned that the Chinese government wanted to take the Pandas back and subject them to the long journey home. Journey made some requests and with the help of the adults around her, was able to change the course of the pandas’ plight. I gave it a three star rating because I find the story to be unbelievable. Mom being alcoholic was not explored, father being an absentee father and suddenly coming back to her life and turning her life around giving her exposure for her cause, and the convenience store owner suddenly revered her. The change with the characters is too drastic and the setting, being at war, did not really touch on the emotional side of war. In the end of the book, the author has a blurb that it was inspired by a couple of pandas that were actually gifted to the United States but the whole story was a what-if scenario. I think the book is a good feel good read aloud for younger grades but nothing deep.
August 27, 2017
The title of this book intrigued me as I am mildly obsessed with pandas. Although the pandas are not the main characters they do provide a major plot framework. This book follows young Journey Song as she deals with the struggles of life on the Eastside of Vancouver in 1972. I wouldn't exactly call this a coming of age story, as the main charcter is only 10, but the reader does see a glimpse into the mind of a child whose innocence is beginning to drop. Journey's descriptions and feelings towards the people in her neighborhood show an understanding and compassion that unfortunately many loose as they grow up and become cynical and bitter. The author does a really nice job of depicting the realities of inner city life and the type of people who live there while keeling it true to the perspective of a child. Although there are characters who are homeless, alcoholics, even a prostitute, they are described and dealt with in a manner that is appropriate to the viewpoint of a 10 year old. It is very clear that the intended audience of this book is more middle schoolers than adults, however, as an adult I enjoyed this book very much.
March 3, 2018
Pandas On the Eastside is one of the best books I read this year! It's abt"Panda Diplomacy" in 1972. Remind me of Because of Winn Dixie, but more fun! Historical fiction about detailed diversity. This book made me think of meaning of diversity and community through a 10 yr old girl protagonist, Journey. Having a dark skin had people in her Eastside community guess of her ethnicity in certain ways started a good yet comical story. 60's and 70's are interesting historical time, yet such dynamics are greatly illustrated through a smart young girl's perspectives.Taiwanese & Chinese differences r even there with Great humor! Unknown history in 70's makes the story fun. I just love how the author created all different characters to tough socio-political issues through pandas. Girl agency and community resilience are another theme.
December 11, 2020
In 1972, the Chinese government gifted two giant pandas, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, to the United States following President Richard Nixon's visit. Pandas on the Eastside shares the story of ten-year-old Journey Wind Song, living on the eastside in a neighborhood in Vancouver, finding the two pandas in a warehouse. She is concerned about their wellbeing. She is horrified to learn that the pandas, originally destined for a zoo in Washington, might be shipped back to China because of a diplomatic spat between China and the United States. Bringing together her tight-knit community to assist in protecting the pandas, the story is inspired by a young girl's single-minded earnestness and determination. A book to inspire readers, no matter how big or small, to be the change they want to see in the world.
August 1, 2017
Neighborhood economic and cultural diversity--warm cast of scruffy locals. Mom is an alcoholic, mostly functional. Dad left when born--only 19, but comes back and they establish a nice relationship. Best friend Nancy can only read Chinese----"it's just a secret code, right--can't everyone read it?" Chinese shopkeeper helps with Bamboo/panda note.
Journey is sturdy, capable and kind. One day her teacher, Mrs. Bickerstaff, finds out that her brother has been killed in Viet Nam. Journey decides that saving, then seeing the pandas China is giving the US (which are being held in a nearby warehouse while [fictional] diplomatic issues are resolved) would help her feel better.
Journey is sturdy, capable and kind. One day her teacher, Mrs. Bickerstaff, finds out that her brother has been killed in Viet Nam. Journey decides that saving, then seeing the pandas China is giving the US (which are being held in a nearby warehouse while [fictional] diplomatic issues are resolved) would help her feel better.
July 7, 2017
Drawn in by the stunning cover, Pandas on the Eastside is sure to be a delight for middle-grade readers. Young Journey Song is growing up in Vancouver's low income neighbourhood, the Eastside, surrounded by characters with interesting lives, when she learns of a pair of pandas being held in a nearby warehouse due to a political dispute. Journey's refreshingly sweet, but yet precocious attitude aid her in her adventure and desire to change the world. Cute tale.
Short-listed for the 2018 MYRCA.
Short-listed for the 2018 MYRCA.
January 10, 2018
I really loved this book. The insight into The main character’s life. A life where she has to seen and experienced things daily that no child of her age should have to go through, makes her very empathetic towards others. This book made me cry towards the end. As a prolific reader I always feel if a book can provoke feelings of any kind then the writer has done a magnificent job. I will definitely recommend this book to others.
September 17, 2020
My husband loved pandas which is what drew me to this book, so I was a little disappointed that it wasn't as good as I expected. It was well written and I loved Journey. I liked that it deals with race but in a very subtle way that didn't hurt anyone. I loved that it took place in the 70s The end of the book was a little flat for me, but I loved that she cared about the pandas so much. I do wish that they had gone into more detail with her relationship with the dad she barely knew.
December 26, 2022
4.5 stars for me. A book that is only a little bit about pandas but most often about a Vancouver neighborhood, the Downtown East Side (DTES). This book shows the human side of this "slum" and each chapter reveals a little more of one of the quirky or colourful members of the community. The book features a fiery 10 year old protagonist, and with the brief length this looks like a book for ten year olds but it reads more like a short book for young teens.
March 6, 2024
Set in the poor eastside of Vancouver, 10 year old Journey Song, loves where she lives and the characters in her neighbourhood. When she finds out that two pandas being shipped from China to the USA are being held in containers, she worries that they will be hungry and lonely and resolves to help the pandas. She makes it her mission to do whatever it takes to get the pandas to their destination. Journey is a wonderful character. Really enjoyable story.
July 12, 2017
A delightful little "what if?" story about the 1972 gift of pandas to the US from China and what might have happened had they been delayed in Vancouver. Prendergast introduces the reader to an interesting bunch of people all through the eyes of Journey Song, a precocious ten year old who lives in Vancouver's downtown eastside neighbourhood.
June 13, 2018
I really enjoyed the voice in this book. Journey's observations about all the other characters in the book, her desire to do something to better her community, and her ability to see the good in people really resonated with me. A sweet and though-provoking book that I hope my own son will read soon.
August 4, 2017
Heartfelt story that rings true to all of life!
What a story of determination, trust and acceptance. I laughed and cried and just kept reading. What a powerful read! Can't wait to 'book talk' this one to my students!
What a story of determination, trust and acceptance. I laughed and cried and just kept reading. What a powerful read! Can't wait to 'book talk' this one to my students!
September 6, 2018
I was really surprised by this book it was great.I have picked this up from the library a few times and I actually never read it until today.And I'm really glad I picked it up.I love how it was about pandas and relationships with family.I would like to check out Gabrielle Prendergast as an author.
July 10, 2019
I will admit, I was not expecting this book to hit me as hard as it did. I am blown away by this book.
I will collect my thoughts and report back with a full and eloquent review in the days to come.
I will collect my thoughts and report back with a full and eloquent review in the days to come.
July 30, 2017
Informative, provocative and adorable all in one. Would highly recommend for young readers.
August 24, 2017
so adorable. journey wind song is my personal hero.
December 15, 2017
Well the last couple of chapters left me verklempt (I love that word). Short, sharp, funny, direct, and dangerously truthful. Journey Song's quest to change the world is beautiful.
November 6, 2019
a little bit sad but I still enjoyed it
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