Love, Love

by Victoria Chang (Author)

Love, Love
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

In this beautiful novel in verse, a Chinese-American girl contends with school bullies, tries to solve the mystery of her sister's strange illness, and finds strength and validation at the local tennis court.

Frances Chin, a 10-year old Chinese-American girl, lives in the suburbs of Detroit with her immigrant parents and older sister, Clara. At school Frances copes with bullies and the loneliness that comes with not quite fitting in. At home, she feels a different kind of aloneness. Her parents are preoccupied with work and worry about Clara, whose hair is inexplicably falling out. But, with the help of her friend Annie, Frances is determined to play Nancy Drew and solve the mystery of Clara's condition.

She also faces the everyday challenges and unexpected thrills of being a tween, especially when she receives encouragement from a tennis coach. Although she struggles to speak up, Frances's powerful inner voice resonates in gorgeous imagery and evocative free verse.

"Love and more love to Victoria Chang for her lyrical and gentle prose poems that, in excavating a deep secret, usher readers beyond shame and into the warmth of understanding." --Thanhhà Lại,

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School Library Journal

Gr 3-7--Frances Chin is a Chinese American girl living in Detroit with her family. Her older sister Clara is losing her hair, and Frances wants to help her. She attempts to find the wig Clara wears to school but does not return home wearing, she observes her sister to see what could be making her hair fall out, and she tries to stay out of her parent's way as they try to find solutions. Chang's novel in verse thoughtfully addresses hair loss in children, being an immigrant in the United States, and the plight of kids who are worried but do not have the words to share their concern--whether they are too scared or too shy or just do not know what to say. Frances deals with isolation from her peers (she has only one real friend), and struggles connecting to other children who make fun of her and her sister because of their appearance and ethnicity. Frances lives in the shadow of her sister, and she has talents that her parents do not recognize because they are not strictly based in academic excellence. Her time on the tennis court allows her to be herself and forget about her worries--but that time is not always supported by her parents. VERDICT Chang speaks to readers who quietly observe the world and reminds those who do not to look around and to be kind. Thoughtful, heartbreaking, and honest, this is a must-purchase for middle grade shelves.--Lia Carruthers, Gill St. Bernard's School, Gladstone, NJ

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Rooted in personal experience, this novel in verse captures the trials of being a young Chinese immigrant in suburban Detroit. Frances Chin, the 11-year-old daughter of Chinese immigrants, struggles to adapt to life in America with her parents and older sister, Clara, who is experiencing inexplicable hair loss. Clara's only wig is stolen by school bullies. Endless doctors' appointments fail to unearth answers. Frances is bullied at school and feels overlooked at home. Like Nancy Drew, Frances becomes obsessed with determining the cause of Clara's hair loss. In five chapters of short, free-verse poems, Chang shows young Frances blossoming with the help of a friend named Annie, who is also Chinese American, and a tennis coach. Readers first see the pain and loneliness of being different before Annie's friendship distracts Frances from her daily troubles. Frances channels her frustration onto the tennis court under the tutelage of an interested coach, which gives her the strength and courage to find the root of her sister's illness. The starting point of a tennis match is stated as "love, love"—a place of equality. Amid the challenges of first-generation life, Frances grasps onto the hope that there is a level playing field in this country. This lyrical story shows that, for some, the pressure of success is hard to bear. In her author's note, Chang describes her sister's experiences with mental illness and provides links to resources. An expressive book of poetry that provides a glimpse into life in an immigrant family." —Kirkus (Starred review)

"Chang speaks to readers who quietly observe the world and reminds those who do not to look around and to be kind. Thoughtful, heartbreaking, and honest, this is a must-purchase for middle grade shelves."—School Library Journal (Starred review)

"Love and more love to Victoria Chang for her lyrical and gentle prose poems that, in excavating a deep secret, usher readers beyond shame and into the warmth of understanding." —Thanhhà Lại, New York Times bestselling and National Book Award-winning author of Inside Out & Back Again, and most recently Butterfly Yellow
Victoria Chang
The daughter of Taiwanese and Chinese immigrants, Victoria Chang was born in Detroit and grew up in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Her poetry has earned such honors as a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Lannan Residency Fellowship, a MacDowell Fellowship, a California Book Award, a Pushcart Prize, and many others. Victoria is also the Program Chair of Antioch's MFA Program in Los Angeles. She lives in LA with her family and two wiener dogs.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781454938323
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Union Square Kids
Publication date
June 20, 2020
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV015020 - Juvenile Fiction | Health & Daily Living | Diseases, Illnesses & Injuries
JUV057000 - Juvenile Fiction | Stories in Verse (see also Poetry)
JUV039250 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emigration & Immigration
JUV011020 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - Asian American
JUV039230 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Bullying
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Schools
Novels in verse
Sisters
Friendship in children
Michigan
Bullies
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Chinese Americans
Detroit (Mich.)
Suburban life
Detroit
Children of immigrants
Compulsive hair pulling

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