Not Your All-American Girl

Gr 3-7—When Lauren Horowitz tries out for her middle school's musical, she thinks she might have a shot at the lead. She loves to sing, and even her classmates tell her that her audition is great. But when the drama teacher tells her she doesn't look "all-American" because she's Chinese and Jewish, Lauren begins to doubt whether her dream of being a singer is possible. While balancing her place in the ensemble, her growing button-making business, and her family's hopes and expectations, Lauren starts to question her place in her suburban community in 1980s Tennessee. The text is interspersed with illustrations of the buttons Lauren wears and ends with selected pages of the play's program. While many subtle cultural and historical references may be lost on a young reader, Lauren's story is a sensitive and realistic portrayal of a girl who struggles to find her place in a community where very few people look like her. The 1982 murder of Vincent Chin plays a role in the story, and the authors address it in a way that is accessible to an elementary school audience without shying away from the racist motivations of the attack. Though this book is a sequel to 2017's This Is Just a Test, it is a self-contained story, and readers do not need to read the titles in order. VERDICT For fans of Jenn Bigelow's Drum Roll, Please and Ann Hood's She Loves You, this is a funny, tender, quick-moving story of family, friendship, identity, and music.—Madison Bishop, Forbes Lib., Northampton, MA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Praise for This Is Just a Test:

2017 Sydney Taylor Award — Honor Book

CBC Book of the Year Finalist

2017 VOYA Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers

New York Historical Society's Children's History Book Prize Finalist

2018 Young Adult Virginia Author Award Finalist

For a book about the possible end of the world, Rosenberg and Shang keep the tone surprisingly light. . . . The dialogue is snappy and the plot fast-paced. — The New York Times Book Review

* It's refreshing to meet a male protagonist who, like Tara in Paula Freedman's My Basmati Bat Mitzvah, is struggling with how to be authentically Jewish in a bicultural family. . . . Giggle-inducing, light, and charmingly realistic fiction that will resonate with a wide variety of readers. — School Library Journal, starred review

There's a lot to enjoy, but it's David's relationships with his two grandmothers that steal the show, especially when the rivals eventually unite to teach him he's not 'half of each' but 'all of both.' A nostalgic and heartwarming period coming-of-age comedy. — Kirkus Reviews

A journey filled with humor, emotional depth, and important realizations about what it means to be a friend and to embrace multiple cultures. His struggle to make sense of the Cold War will resonate with readers grappling with a confusing political climate themselves. — Publishers Weekly

This novel tackles the very difficult topic of understanding who you are while appreciating your background and differences . . . In today's society, where families come in diverse variations and many children are growing up biracial and/or multiethnic, plenty of readers will find relevance to their lives in this middle-grade novel. — School Library Connection

The first-person narrative engages readers with David's candid reflections as well as his droll telling of events. — Booklist

Rosenberg and Shang keep the plot episodic and light, allowing David's feuding grandmothers to upstage the kids in many of the acts . . . Underpinning the domestic comedy is respect for fears that transcend generations. — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

[A] seamless collaboration by two truly gifted writers [and] a perfect read for summer and beyond. — Christian Science Monitor

Rosenberg and Shang infuse this story with humor, tenderness and a genuine examination of what it means to grow up caught between cultures. — Richmond Times-Dispatch

Sure to hold a reader's interest and filled with humor. — Jewish Book Council

This is the funniest middle-grade novel I read this year. . . . Everything about this book is satisfying. — Tablet Magazine

A delightfully told story of competing sides in a tug-o-war/give-and-take battle, showing the reader that even 12-year-old seventh graders have a lot to deal with, whether it be on a grand scale such as international relations or on a smaller scale of balancing new and old friendships. — Compass Book Ratings

Rosenberg and Shang's warm, mostly realistic handling of David's multicultural family speaks for their comprehensive understanding of the struggles of identity they depict, and makes David a unique and relatable role model of a character. — International Examiner

Praise for Wendy Wan-Long Shang

Praise for The Way Home Looks Now:

An Amelia Bloomer Project Selection

A CCBC Choices Selection

A BookPage Best of the Year selection

* [A] fine story of family, loss, growing up and learning to play baseball, raised to a higher level by gracefully incorporated themes of feminism and kindness. — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* Shang (The Great Wall of Lucy Wu) skillfully balances the different aspects of Peter's life, robustly characterizing his friendships and his time at school and home. Issues of sexism, racism, and struggles with depression are handled deftly in scenarios grounded in reality, including an ending that's hopeful without being pat. — Publishers Weekly, starred review

Readers will cheer Peter on as his love for his family drives him to persevere at home and on the field. Parallels between home plate and home as place abound as grief completes its work and relationships are restored. Interwoven with cultural ties to both Peter's Chinese heritage and to the women's liberation movement, this touching novel shows the importance of patience — baseball. — Booklist

Praise for The Great Wall of Lucy Wu:

Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Library Association Award for Children's Literature

A delightful story about assimilation and family dynamics . . . sure to appeal to young readers struggling with issues of self-identity, whatever their heritage. — Los Angeles Times

Thought-provoking, funny, and incredibly heartwarming. — Booklist

A realistic and amusing portrait of family dynamics, heritage, and the challenge of feeling like an outsider. — Publishers Weekly

Genuinely touching. — Kirkus Reviews

A unique look at the power of family. — Discovery Girls Magazine