I really enjoyed reading this, it had everything that I was looking for in a not seen but is a coming of age novel. It worked with everything that I was expecting from a children’s fiction book. The characters were everything that I wanted and enjoyed about the genre. Tina Cane has a great writing style and can’t wait to read more.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Emily was adopted from China by a white couple who live in New York City, and has spent all of her school years in a small Montessory school, Meadowlake. During the pandemic, her father lost his job, and her mother's salary as a teacher at a community college is not enough to pay for the tuition. In ninth grade, she transfers to IS 23, which has a large Asian population and Chinese language classes. Since Emily always felt out of place at Meadowlake, sicne there were few students of Asian descent, it feels comforting at first to be with others who look like her and who don't bully herr because of her ethnicity. Emily struggled with feelings of isolation during the pandemic, and is no longer in contact with her two best friend. She has also cut her hair very short, wears white combat boots, and feels anxious all the time. She feels out of place in the new school as well, since her classmates assume that because she looks Chinese she should know the language. There are some girls who try to be nice to her, but she keeps them at arm's length. She does get to know Grace a bit, and slowly broadens he horizons. Her father, who has been depressed, has some of his photographs exhibited and seems to be on an upwards path, engaging in the community more. This is helpful to Emily as well. Having discovered the poetry of Emily Dickinson, and feeling like it is speaking to her own mental state, Emily does some research into the author and her work, and is able to make more connections to people in her school during this process.
Strengths: Coming out of the pandemic was a strange feeling, and it's hard to remember how things gradually changed. Students have to change schools because of family problems all the time, and having to leave a familiar environment, especially when stressed, can't be easy. Teens are definitely searching for personal identity, and try on lots of different personalities, so Emily's obsession with Dickinson's work make sense. Since this is a novel in verse, it tries to mimic Dickinson's choppy style. There is a lot of discussion about Asian identity, and the term "banana" is discusssed. I was glad to see that by the end of the book, Emily is feeling better about herself. Also, the elderly dog, Keeper, did not die. I was certainly expecting that to happen, so it was a relief when it did not.
Weaknesses: I was surprised that a public school library in New York City would still have books that were "not systemized by computer". This allows Emily to see her teacher's name on a check out card and ask him about the book, but I think that unless a school is SUPER small, the catalog would be online. Reading an entire novel written in Dickinson's breathless style was a challenge.
What I really think: This is more of a Young Adult book because of the pacing and introspective nature, but might be something that fans of Green's The Fault in Our Stars or Chobosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower might like. I will pass on purchase for middle school.

I had a tough time with this one. In the beginning, It felt like chapters were out of order, which made it feel disjointed and repetitive. While I am extremely familiar -- and quite like to read -- the novel in verse format, the spaces between (rather than line breaks) made it choppy to read.

On the positive side, the inclusion of poetry and its focus was great. The poems provided insight and were very well done. The title fits nicely and keeps the novel tight and focused.

Summary of the book: In this middle grade novel in verse, Emily - a Chinese student - transfers from a private school to Chinatown's I.S. 23 where she faces cliques and feels more different from others than ever before.