Synopses & Reviews
Itand#39;s summer time and twelve-year old Anna Wangand#160; is writing letters and exchanging English for Chinese lessons with her pen pal Fan in China. When Anna and her friend Andee decide to invite Fan to stay as an exchange studentand#160;and#160;in Cincinnati, Fan responds in an unexpected way. Through this experience, Anna learns more about family values in todayand#39;sand#160;Chinese culture.
In the fourth chapter book sequel to The Year of the Book, The Year of the Baby, and The Year of the Fortune Cookie, Anna grows her understanding of how to overcome conflictand#160;with communication in orderand#160;to build enduring friendships. With lively and warm illustrations by Patrice Barton throughout.
Review
"Middle-grade readers will find many ways to connect with Anna and her friends in this warm family and school story."
and#8212;Kirkus
"This book deals deftly with a range of thorny adoption- and ethnic-stereotyping issues, such as the abandonment of female Chinese infants and the assumption that all Asians are gifted students, and it has special meaning for families touched by adoption."
and#8212;School Library Journal, starred review
"The science-fair and adoption angles make this useful in a number of settings, and readers who have followed Anna since fourth grade will hope Cheng goes on to keep tabs on her as she reaches sixth grade."
and#8212;Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Review
"A gentle, affectionate take on familiar middle-grade issues and the joys of reading."
and#8212;Kirkus
"Tender . . . Cheng credibly portrays Anna's budding maturity."
and#8212;Publishers Weekly
"Cheng's telling is as straightforward yet sympathetic as her self-contained main character; and Halpin's often lighthearted pencil-and-wash sketches both decorate and enrich this perceptive novel."
and#8212;Horn Book
"Readers are led to discover the extraordinary within the ordinary, and to witness how kindness can draw trust and create confidence in a hesitant child."
and#8212;School Library Journal
"This is a remarkably pithy and nuanced portrait of a fourth-grader and her world, and the streamlined simplicity of Cheng's writing and the brief page count make it accessible."
and#8212;Bulletin
"The Year of the Book was a pleasure to read and more. This is a novel to treasure and share with every middle-grade reader you know."
and#8212;New York Times Book
Review
andquot;The threesomeand#39;s friendship feels genuinely complicated and endearing, with communication mishaps, cultural differences, and unmet, early teen expectations...This unique sisterhood beats with a gentle heart.andquot;
andmdash;Kirkus
andquot;The story focuses on conflicting emotions, cultural differences, and evolving friendships...Strong writing and fully developed characters resonate emotionally and introduce Western readers to the plight of Chinese migrant workers.andquot;
andmdash;Booklist
and#160;
Review
It's Future Job Day at Sam's nursery school, and not only has his mom made him a "Zooman Sam" jumpsuit, his sister Anastasia has acquired for him a whole mess of sports caps with such fitting logos as Tigers and Cubs. In a class filled with future firefighters, Sam's zookeeping aspirations really stand out, and he's especially thrilled when his teacher tells him he can wear a different cap each day and tell the other children about each animal: "For six weeks he could stand in front of the circle and feel that feeling of being the most interesting person in the room." This is a slender thread on which to hang an entire novel, but Lowry spins interesting variations on her theme, and the book ends with a swell (and well-prepared) surprise. Sam remains every middle-grader's little brother; parents, too, will be amused.
Horn Book
"For Future Job Day' at Sam Krupnik's nursery school, the four-year-olds have been instructed to dress up as representatives of their desired profession. Sam doesn't want to be a fireman, as do all the other boys in his class. Instead he wants to be somebody important, somebody interesting, somebody more than ordinary,' a secret concept he privately and quite marvelously dubs the Chief of Wonderfulness.' With the assistance of his impossibly even-tempered mother and ever-helpful sister, Anastasia, Sam dresses up in a spiffy homemade zookeeper's costume. Sam's teacher allows Sam to tell his class about a different zoo animal every day, a privilege that he finds both thrilling and challenging. The plotting is leisurely, the story is slender, and a subplot about the training of the family dog barely registers. This cast of familiar characters isn't as vibrant as usual, and the material runs out of steam before the novel ends. Fans of the Sam books may find satisfaction in the nicely foreshadowed but still unanticipated punch line." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
In the fully-illustrated sequel to The Year of the Book, Anna's familyand#160;adopts aand#160;baby from China. When her new sisterand#160;fails to thrive,and#160;Anna and herand#160;best friends Laura and Camille create aand#160;science project that may save the day.
Synopsis
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 isnand#8217;t thriving. Can Anna and her best friends, Laura and Camille, create a science project that saves the day? In this heartwarming sequel to Theand#160;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.
Synopsis
This fully illustrated chapter book follows Anna, a young Asian-American girl, as she navigates relationships with family, friends, and her fourth-grade classroom, and finds a true best friend.
Synopsis
In Chinese, peng you means friend. But in any language, all Anna knows for certain is that friendship is complicated. When Anna needs company, she turns to her books. Whether traveling through A Wrinkle in Time, or peering over My Side of the Mountain, books provide what real life cannotand#8212;constant companionship and insight into her changing world. Books, however, canand#8217;t tell Anna how to find a true friend. Sheand#8217;ll have to discover that on her own. In the tradition of classics like Maud Hart Lovelaceand#8217;s Betsy-Tacy books and Eleanor Estesand#8217; One Hundred Dresses, this novel subtly explores what it takes to make friends and what it means to be one.
Synopsis
Astute Anna discovers that sisterhood really can cross continents and cultures in this heartwarming fourth book in the Anna Wang series.
Synopsis
Sam Krupnik has to dress up for Future Job Day at school--but Sam doesnand#39;t want just any job in his future!
Synopsis
Itand#39;s Future Job Day at Samand#39;s nursery school, and Sam decides to dress up as a Zookeeper. But he wants to be more than that... he wants to be important, interesting, and more than ordinary: the Chief of Wonderfulness. Will he find a way to be the Chief of Wonderfulness as he teaches his classmates about all the different animals? Hilarious and charming, Zooman Sam is perfect for readers new and old, and for anyone who still asks themselves the question: andquot;What do I want to be when I grow up?andquot;
About the Author
Lois Lowry is known for her versatility and invention as a writer. She was born in Hawaii and grew up in New York, Pennsylvania, and Japan. After several years at Brown University, she turned to her family and to writing. She is the author of more than thirty books for young adults, including the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Readerand#8217;s Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, NUMBER THE STARS and THE GIVER. Her first novel, A SUMMER TO DIE, was awarded the International Reading Associationand#8217;s Childrenand#8217;s Book Award. Ms. Lowry now divides her time between Cambridge and an 1840s farmhouse in Maine. To learn more about Lois Lowry, see her website at www.loislowry.com