Summer at Squee
by Andrea Wang (Author)
From Newbery Honor-winning author Andrea Wang, a new middle grade novel about a Chinese American tween who attends a Boston-based Chinese cultural overnight camp--and the many ways it transforms her.
Phoenny Fang plans to have the best summer ever. She's returning to Summertime Chinese Culture, Wellness, and Enrichment Experience (SCCWEE for short and "Squee" to campers in the know), and this year she's a senior camper. That means she; her best friend, Lyrica Chu; and her whole Squad will have the most influence. It almost doesn't matter that her brother is a CIT (counselor-in-training) and that her mom and auntie are the camp directors. Time spent at Squee is sacred, glorious, and free.
On the day Phoenny arrives, though, she learns that the Squad has been split up, and there's an influx of new campers this year. Phoenny is determined to be welcoming and to share all the things she loves about camp--who doesn't love spending hours talking about and engaging in cultural activities? But she quickly learns how out of touch she is with others' experiences, particularly of the campers who are adoptees. The same things that make her feel connected to her culture and community make some of the other campers feel excluded.
Summer at Squee turns out to be even more transformative than Phoenny could've imagined, with new friendships, her first crush, an epic show, and a bigger love for and understanding of her community.
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Publishers Weekly
Phoenny Fang looks forward to Squee--a Chinese heritage summer camp--every year. As senior campers, she and her friends--the Squad--plan to make the most of their final experience. But things go awry from the start when the Squad is broken up due to an influx of new, unenthused campers. Phee tries to be as welcoming as possible, but in attempting to befriend her group members, she finds herself butting heads with McKenna, who is irritated by Phee's probing personal questions. This new group doesn't take to martial arts, language lessons, and other Chinese cultural activities as easily as the Squad and, upon learning that they're all adoptees, Phee and the rest of Squee's senior campers shift their perspectives. Over the next two weeks, Phee experiences transformative moments and first crushes, and her love for her friends and community deepens. With light prose and even pacing, Wang (The Many Meanings of Meilan) relays themes of identity, belonging, and acceptance, deftly communicating the feelings of both the senior campers and Squee's newest members without minimizing their plights. An author's note speaking to Wang's own experience at a camp like Squee as well as adoptee resources conclude. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
A Caldecott Medal Winner
A Newbery Honor Book ★ An adept gem of a picture book
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ Understated, deep, and heart-rending—bring tissues.
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review ★ A powerful story sure to awaken empathy and curiosity.
—School Library Journal, starred review ★ Affecting.
—The Horn Book, starred review ★ Delicate and deeply felt.
—BookPage, starred review ★ A deft exploration of the information and emotion gap between parents, especially immigrant parents, and children.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review ★ Powerful poetry and exquisite illustrations.
—Shelf Awareness, starred review The Many Meanings of Meilan ★ Wang's resonant middle grade debut features stunning prose and a fierce protagonist.
—Booklist, starred review ★ Wang's middle grade debut is a vibrant exploration of family and identity . . . Meilan's story should be on library shelves everywhere.
—School Library Journal, starred review The little girl I was would have been thrilled to encounter Meilan and her many names in a book . . . and having found a character who embraces the complexity of being both Chinese and American, I would have been able to echo her words: 'I am not alone.'
—New York Times Book Review by Jean Kwok With light prose and even pacing, Wang (The Many Meanings of Meilan) relays themes of identity, belonging, and acceptance, deftly communicating the feelings of both the senior campers and Squee's newest members without minimizing their plights. —- Publishers Weekly
JUV011020 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - Asian American
JUV013010 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Adoption
Camps
Chinese Americans
