About this book:

“Sometimes things don’t turn out the way we plan! In this chapter book series about a daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Ly-Lan navigates her life as a new third grader—complete with old and new friends, unexpected (and disappointing) changes at home and school, and finding a way to thrive.
Third grade is not starting the way Ly-Lan pictured. First, her best friend Cece is put in another class--even after Ly-Lan prayed they would be in the same one. And then Ly-Lan is tasked with showing the new Vietnamese student around. Ly-Lan wants to hang out with Cece, not play translator to the new girl, and she doesn’t understand why her prayers aren’t being answered. If Ly-Lan is going to survive and thrive in third grade, she must learn to trust in God’s plans, especially when it means making some adjustments to her own.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Ly-Lan Finds a Way” series.


Spiritual Content- A prayer (that Ly-Lan does with her parents); Ly-Lan shares with her best friend that whenever she needs something, her father has told her to get on her knees, which her friend thinks she means begging, but Ly-Lan explains she means praying and shows her how she prays under a cross in her room to Jesus (there is an illustration of Ly-Lan on her knees praying and a note that she prays with her parents before bed every night); Ly-Lan tells her best friend that her father told her to pray to Jesus whenever she needs help or has a special wish (her best friend says that “that’s cool” and she usually just yells out loud to her parents in hopes one of her parents can get her wish for her); Ly-Lan believes her prayers to be in the same classroom as her best friend has worked since kindergarten, but her mom says she’s not sure that’s how prayers work; When she finds out she’s not in the same class with her best friend, Ly-Lan wonders if she said the wrong name in her prayers; Ly-Lan’s parents tell her that God isn’t a genie to grant our wishes and that sometimes things don’t work out the way we want even when we pray about it (adding that “prayers are like wishes from our hearts, but sometimes our wishes aren’t always the best thing for us. Only God can decide that. We have to trust Him.” and encourage her about trusting God, but Ly-Lan decides that if praying is not going to help and God doesn’t grant wishes, she’s going to take her chances on someone at school who can grant her wish); Ly-Lan doesn’t think prayers will work after her disappointment and wonders what the point of praying is if it doesn’t come true; *Spoiler* At the very end, Ly-Lan realizes the good that can come from being in a new class and prays with her parents *End of Spoiler*; Talks about God, Jesus, trusting Him, & praying/prayers; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God & Jesus; Mentions of praying & prayers;
*Note: A few mentions of magic (in the sense of Ly-Lan thinking her mother can work magic like creating a certain yummy food and could help her out with the classroom problem; Later, Ly-Lan thinks that moms are magical when her best friend tells her something that her mom said that was the same thing her mom said too); A mention of being lucky.


Negative Content- Ly-Lan is upset about her hopes and plans not being able to happen (such as being in the same classroom as her best friend or sitting with her at lunch) and thinks “Adults choose everything for kids—whose class we’re in, where we sit at lunch, and who we sit with!” and adds that “today is officially the worst first day ever.”, but she still follows the directions of her teacher; In a moment of being upset, Ly-Lan whines and says a hurtful thing to her best friend (which her friend says to take back her mean words, but Ly-Lan is still upset); *Spoilers* Towards the end, Ly-Lan realizes that she was wrong and writes an apology note to her best friend and plans to make a new friend or two in her new class; Her best friend forgives her *End of Spoilers*; A couple mentions of jealousy.


Sexual Content- N/A.

-Ly-Lan Tran, age 8
P.O.V. of Ly-Lan
96 pages
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Pre Teens- Four Stars
New Teens- Three Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)

To get the technical stuf out of the way: I’m not the best judge for the writing quality of beginner chapter books, so I did think it was a bit simple at times, but I think that can be expected. I don’t know how realistic it was for Ly-Lan’s writing skills either. There were a few times of extra exclamation points in a sentence or amazing being said as “AMAZINGGG!!!” by our main character and her friend.

I thought this story was very cute overall and how important it is for Ly-Lan has to learn that it’s okay and even possible to have more than one best friend. The illustrations were adorable and definitely added to a cute charm to the story.




*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Zonderkidz) for this honest review.

First, I love the artwork inside and cover. Then, this subject of being very loyal to one single friend and wishing nothing changes is a theme that always struck close to home because when we see our best friends be with others, we tend to feel abandoned and betrayed. But the book shows how the more the merrier can open doors to new lessons, friendships, and opportunities. It is easy to read and a short chapter book.

ANHPI Heritage Month 2025 #10

I hated having a Vietnamese name growing up, especially as someone that barely speaks Vietnamese. Like Ly-Lan, I understand it better than I speak it. It wasn't until I was an adult adult that I learned the term for this is receptive bilingualism, and it's far more prevalent than I thought.

Back on names, I love that Ly-Lan is named so, and doesn't appear to have a problem with it. She eats Vietnamese food at home, is happy to talk about it at school, and has a diverse group of friends. Her best friend, Cece, is a redhead that likes to wear cowboy boots.

When the girls are in different classes for the first time in their lives, Ly-Lan goes on a bit of a misadventure to try to sort this out. First, she prays. (I, personally, don't like how preachy this is, but to each their own. Everyone is allowed to write about their faiths, and I'm far less judgmental about non-Christians, as someone that grew up Catholic.) Then, she tries to get her teacher to switch her. When this doesn't work, she escalates it to the principal.

While I found these incidents annoying, I have to remind myself it has been quite some time since I have been in third grade. Would I have done the same things?

In addition to all of this, a new student from Vietnam, Quyen, arrives. Ly-Lan is often paired with her to make her comfortable. This isn't overexplained due to their shared heritage, which it usually would be.

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Zonderkidz

This is the story of Ly-Lan and her best friend Cece. They are excited for third grade as they think they will be in the same class. Ly-Lan prays for it. When it doesn’t happen she gets very angry. This is a story of just because you pray for something it may not be your plan, and another plan is formed. It’s an everything happens for a reason. Ly-Lan is asked to help Quyen who is from Vietnam and speaks only a little English. This is a well written story that you can feel the emotions as you read. It is a story of friendship, new friends, and accepting change. As an added bonus you get to learn some Vietnamese language. The illustrations are in black and white and very expressive. I highly recommend this book for 3rd graders and up.

I received an electronic ARC from Zonderkidz-Books through NetGalley.
Ly-Lan is excited to start third grade but soon discovers nothing is going to go as she and her best friend, Cece, planned. Readers feel her disappointment and watch how she handles this. There are references to prayer and faith as she learns that her God is not like a genie granting wishes. I do appreciate how her family helps her understand bigger issues and dealing with decisions made. By the end, she realizes that she can have more than one best friend and she reaches out to the new girl in her class.
It's a good start to a new series and I look forward to seeing where the author takes these characters. A glossary of Vietnamese terms is provided at the end to help readers learn.

I originally picked Ly-Lan and the New Class Mix-Up to read with my kindergarten-aged niece, but once I opened it, I realized it was better suited for older elementary readers since Ly-Lan is in third grade. While there are some pictures, the book is mostly text.

One surprise that made me instantly like it even more—it’s a Christian book! The story is a cute and meaningful one about dealing with disappointment and learning important lessons about friendship. Ly-Lan doesn’t always get her way, but she has wonderful parents and supportive school staff who guide her, even when she doesn’t want to listen. In the end, she realizes they were right, and everything comes together in a heartwarming way.

Overall, it’s a great story with positive values, and I highly recommend it!

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

Ly-Lan is excited for third grade and even more excited to be in the same class as her BFF just like they have been each year before. On the first day of school, though, there is a mix-up and Ly-Lan and her BFF are not in the same class. Ly-Lan is placed with a new student with the hope of helping the new student feel comfortable. Ly-Lan tries to convince the principal to change their mind, but it doesn't work. In the end, Ly-Lan learns that she can have more than one BFF and that sometimes change is good!

Ly-Lan is sure that she and CeCe will be in the same class again, in 3rd grade. Ly-Lan even prayed about it. Unfortunately, it turns out they aren’t and her teacher wants her to help the new student, Quyen. Things will still be okay, because 3rd graders get to pick where they sit at lunch-only this year it changed and they can’t. Ly-Lan struggles through this problem, but in the end realizes it time to make new friends while keeping the old ones.

A good message and just right for a 2nd or 3rd grade girl. I think many students have had this problems and can understand all the Ly-Lan goes through.

When Ly-Lan and Cece discover they have been assigned to different third grade classrooms, they become frantic in their assertions that a mistake must have been made. Certainly, the principal and their teachers would not separate two best friends who have spent every moment together and been in the same classroom and shared the same teacher since the first day of kindergarten. However, even after writing a letter to principal Grant, Ly-Lan is informed that they will remain in their third-grade classrooms as assigned. This charming children's book about the challenges of growing up and attending school will have children entertained and amused. Valuable lessons instilled include acceptance, kindness, speaking one's mind, and ultimately learning that sometimes things work out differently than we wish but that it is typically always for a wonderful reason.

The characters are well written and believable. The narrative flows well and seems well suited for young readers. The dialogue is charming and engaging. The fact that the author adds a glossary at the end shows the magnitude of dedication toward this book and that children of all socioeconomic cultures can easily access and internalize the meanings of this delightful book.

Cute story with an obvious "moral" for kids. A bit too obvious really. My 7yo quickly lost interest.
I'm sure parents will like this one, but kids probably won't be as into it. The "Woah, Moms are magical!" part seemed like such an adult-perspective, as did the majority of the book.

Also - I'd strongly advise taking out the "Dad says if I really want something to get on my knees."
Umm... I understand they're talking about prayer, but that does not come across well. At all. Maybe a rephrase at least.

In my elementary school, getting into the third grade was a big thing. We were upstairs, and we were learning how to do cursive, and multiplication as well as division. We also got to play on the larger lower level playground with the other big kids.

So, in this new picture book, Ly-Lan, and her best friend Cece are all so happy that they have made it to third grade, where they will have more privileges. That they will be able to sit anywhere in the cafeteria, in any seat they want. And to make sure that Cece is in her classroom, Ly-Lan does a quick prayer, because her parents have told her that will work wonders.

Needless to say, nothing works the way Ly-Lan thinks. Cece is in a different classroom, and the third graders no longer can pick where they sit.

This is a good book for kids of this age, because these sorts of disappointments happen so often with kids. I think it helps to see this is normal. I also liked how, because Ly-Lan was a second generation Vietnamese-American, that she had to learn Vietnamese, so she could talk to her grandparents.

This is the start of a new series, there will be others. Thanks to Netgalley for making tis book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 34d of June 2025.

Loved this story! Loved the illustrations scattered throughout. This was the cutesiest story of a a third grader learning about friendship. I loved the incorporation of her Vietnamese culture into the story. Beautifully written and illustrated

This is a super cute small chapter book with more books coming in the series. I could see 2nd and 3rd graders relating to this book, since they are getting older and want to have more choices at school. The main character was reflective in the way she responded to a situation at school. I could use this to teach many lessons, including writing and SEL. I also loved that the characters were from different backgrounds, just as my students are in my own classroom.