I really enjoyed this as a midde grade novel, it had characters that I cared about and was invested in what was going on with them. I thought the characters worked well overall in this universe and worked with the plot of this book. It had that element that I wanted from Wendy Wan-Long Shang and enjoyed the overall journey.

Emse's on the cusp of her adolescent years. She's leaving elementary school and a rising middle schooler. It's the summer before that transition and her friendship with multiple girls, not just Kaya, that's the focus of this book. There's Cat, Tegan, 'and' Kaya. Each of these respective characters tests Esme's viewpoints on striving for excellence and teambuilding.

Left with a few questions after the read. Cat's questions and statements. Is it jealousy or something less innocuous? The ''yoda' slash 'Mr. Miyagi' figure of Joe, what keeps him at the pool year after year? Emses' (as well as her sisters' ) relationship with their mother will it be forever tainted by Mom's ambition? Sisterly support only?

This ARC was provided by the publisher, Scholastic | Scholastic Press, in exchange for an honest review.

#TheBestWorstSummerofEsmeSun #NetGalley

This was a middle grade novel but I was drawn to it for the description/content and it did not disappoint. From the very first chapter "The Best Worst Summer of Esme Sun" captivated me with the dialog and interpersonal connections between Esme and her sisters + classmates/teachers. I could literally feel this girl shrinking. Although this is meant for teens/tweens, it was well-written and held my attention. I also really appreciated the diverse character representation. Content warnings for racism and mental abuse (at least, I would classify it that way with the mom). A solid 4 star read for me. **I received a complimentary ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Strong themes of identity, friendship, family, parental pressure, sportsmanship, teamwork, racism, and growing up despite not always being ready to grow up quite so fast.

As a parent reader, this probably hit me differently than it would a kid reader. Because I know parents who are like Esme's mom. Full of expectations and pressure, not understanding that the point of sports is not necessarily winning but the valuable lessons it teaches our kids about learning to both win and lose. Often times, it's the parents who forget about this, and add unnecessary pressure to young athletes. And it makes something that should be fun, less fun.

Lots of swimming references for young readers who are looking for sports stories. An enjoyable read just in time for summer!

Recommended for ages 8+.

The first two-thirds of this book was great! I enjoyed learning about swim team culture and seeing Esme navigate new friendships. But, I was surprised by the abrupt ending -- it felt like there were many unresolved character issues.

I think that this book could be a good conversation starter for SEL lessons:
* Why do you think [character] acted the way they did?
* What would you do if you were [character]?

If you're looking for a fun, relatable read this summer, THE BEST WORST SUMMER OF ESME SUN is it! This book touches on so many core challenges for middle grade readers dealing with issues revolving around growing up. From fights with friends, sibling rivalry, and competitive swimming, Esme is put through the wringer in this book.

I love the honest interpretation of growing up as an Asian American kid in the US. We often feel isolated from others and don't always know where to turn for support. Shang captures this conflict beautifully and highlights the challenges of never truly feeling "good enough" at anything!

The story felt very authentic and realistic. I especially loved the competitive yet protective nature of Esme's sibling relationships. One can experience subtle triggers if you grew up in this type of household, but the candid exploration of family - blood related and found - is refreshing.

Overall, this is a must read for audiences looking for a fast-paced story about discovering yourself and your passions. Esme is an all-around average girl looking to become extraordinary while everything around her changes faster than she's trying to. Facing your own challenges and finding your own path is the main lesson readers will discover with this heart-warming book!

The best worst summer of esme sun was AMAZING, I loved how esme learned to stand up for herself , even against the toughest one of all , HER MOM. The best worst summer of esme sun is essentially a story about learning to stand up for yourself , I'm going to dive a little deeper to the story. Esme suns summer isn't going exactly as planned , Esme, a sixth grader who feel overshadowed by her older sisters , who finds she has a talent for swimming, after getting a growth spurt. What starts as a exciting discovery quickly turns into a whirlwind of challenges,. Between Intense swim team practices , navigating tricky friendships and trying to live up to her moms high expectations, her summer is anything BUT ordinary. Content touches on racism, and suggests what people do alone in a tennis yard nothing described or even directly stated , Overall this was a really enjoyable book , however I didn't like the ending which is open-ended, to me it felt like a cliffhanger but Overall this was a good book, I give it 4.8 stars out of 5

Tweens will relate to Esme's awkward phase and and mixture of feelings toward summer, friendships, and her place among her award-winning family. This was a quick read, making it ideal for reluctant readers. I loved how immersive the swim meet descriptions were, I felt like I was right in the midst of the fun.

So many kids will feel seen, while others will get a window into a different family dynamic than their own. I recommend this book for schools and libraries!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

While I enjoyed The Secret Battle of Evan Pao and The Great Wall of Lucy Wu, I didn’t connect as much to Bubble Trouble, but thought I’d give the newest book a chance.

Esme finds her self yearning for her mom’s approval, as she is the least “successful” of her four sisters, and also trying to navigate friendships while pursing her passion of swimming. She seems to find her passion and talent with swimming, but finds that it might cost her a friendship (although I didn’t quite understand why - it seemed like it would be a good lesson to illustrate that your interests my change, but you can still be friends and support each other.). And after finally gaining some favor in her mom’s eyes, it turned out that it wasn’t all the glitter and gold she thought it would be.

As an adult that grew up in the midst of “Model Minority Myth”, I was able to somewhat relate to pressure that Esme felt trying to gain her mom’s approval. However, I felt that the author made Esme’s mom a bit too extreme. I also feel that things have toned down a lot over the years. Now, as a parent and substitute teacher, I definitely do not see this level of “tiger parenting” among myself/peers and other parents. Quite the opposite actually - as a lot of parents think their kids are “the best” (even when they’re not, but this review is not the place for that discussion.). I don’t think kids reading this book now will have the same connection to that. At the end of the book, while Esme seems to have found a resolution in her mind, I wish that there had been a better resolution with her mom to come full circle. It didn’t have to be a “Full House” moment, but I felt like that story line also dropped rather abruptly.

I also felt like there were a lot of other issues like her parents’ separation that were brushed over, but clearly affected the family dynamics. I think it spanned maybe a page of the book in total, but it seemed like it was unnecessary since it was never brought up again.

Not a bad book, but not my first choice if I were to recommend a book by this author.

MG novel about a young swimmer who wants the approval of her mother, but finds that approval comes with a cost that is at odds with her own values. The plot is pretty simple and low stakes and the resolution was somewhat unsatisfying in that nothing really changes in a material way. Esme's mother is depicted as vicious and with really no good qualities, making one wonder why Esme even wants her approval (something Esme asks herself very quickly upon briefly achieving it). There's no context for why Esme's mother is the way she is except for a somewhat vague implication that her bigotry and meanness is somehow cultural, which feels uncomfortable and icky. It's possible this is meant to encapsulate the conflict between the first American generation and the parent immigrant generation, but it is never made clear if Esme's mother is a immigrant, so instead she comes across as a mean, racist woman who happens to be of Chinese heritage.

This is a perfect adventure and slice of life for young teens. It addresses, issues of friendship and misunderstandings. It also addresses ways to deal with parents who have differing belief systems. In this case Esme's mom's ideas were pretty toxic but realistic with old Chinese beliefs about colorism coming into play.

Finding ones voice as a young teen is an important moment. I think the book guides young teen through that process via Esme's actions. She is a good role model when it comes to being yourself in a larger group. She also has to deal with high pressure situations and does it gracefully.

I think that Esme will be a relatable character for young teens. While the book is focused on swimming the lessons from the book could easily transfer to any other activity. I used to be a swimming enthusiast. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the pool. I also appreciated the different activities in the water.

Shang is either and enthusiast or a great researcher. Because it felt like I was right back at a pool like I remember when I was Esme's age. Overall I'd give this book four stars, great characters. Great narrative line and incredible attention to detail. I'm sure this book will be a hit come this summer.

*4.25 Stars*

This was a really short middle grade novel about Esme Sun and her summer.
I really liked this one. Esme was a great main character, she wasn't perfect, she was very layered and I loved getting to know her and seeing her grow (even for just one summer!). I loved seeing her form friendships and interact with her family. Her relation to swimming was really interesting too.
Basically, this was short but it packed in a lot and I would definitely recommend it.

Middle grade novel. Really does a good job explaining the feelings of confusion during the middle school years. Of wanting to have fun and be a kid yet have friends who want to be older. The cultural issues could have been discussed better, but again appropriate for the age.

I received a free copy of, The Best Worst Summer of Esme Sun, by Wendy Wan-Long Shang, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Esme Sun has three older sisters who are great at excelling. Esme has never cared for winning, until she starts swimming and winning swim trials. Esme mom puts way to much emphasis on winning, when Esme just wants to enjoy swimming. Esme mom is wrong and racist. This was a good read, I enjoyed reading about Esme.

Esme goes through many emotions that lots of teens will identify with. Great positive message about admitting when your wrong, competing with compassion and drive, as well as battling parental expectations. A quick, read to encourage teens that hard work and good friends afe worth it!