The Year of the Baby (Anna Wang) - Hardcover

Cheng, Andrea

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0547910673 ISBN 13: 9780547910673

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013

Synopsis

Last year, Anna learned how to be a good friend. Now that her family has adopted a baby girl from China, she wants to learn how to be a good sister. But the new year proves challenging when the doctor warns that the baby isn’t thriving. Can Anna and her best friends, Laura and Camille, create a science project that saves the day? In this heartwarming sequel to The Year of the Book, readers will be just as moved by Anna's devotion to her new sister as they will be inspired by her loving family and lasting friendships.

About this title

About the Authors

Andrea Cheng is the author of several children’s books, including the acclaimed middle-grade Anna Wang series critics call "gentle," "accessible," and "just right." Though she passed away in 2015, her books will continue to inspire readers. Visit her website at andreacheng.com.

Patrice Barton's talents were discovered at age three, whens she created a mural with a pastry brush and Crisco. She lives in Austin with her family. Visit her website at patricebarton.com.

Reviews

Gr 1-4-In this sequel to The Year of the Book (Houghton Harcourt, 2012), Anna Wang's parents have adopted a toddler from China. Kaylee's failure to thrive is being monitored by an unsupportive doctor, and Anna's mother is frantic about the child's low weight and resistance to food. Even Grandma Wang's herbs do not entice her to eat. Meanwhile, Anna cannot think of an original science project that "really matters" until she and her Chinese friend Camille stumble upon something. As Camille sings a Chinese song, Kaylee seems mesmerized and eats more than usual. Anna and her project partners design a controlled experiment that proves their hypothesis: listening to songs, especially those in Chinese, encourages Kaylee to eat. And indeed, she gains nearly a pound. The experiment is entered in the town-wide science fair. Anna learns to appreciate the wisdom of Camille, who struggles academically but possesses a serene emotional intelligence. This book deals deftly with a range of thorny adoption- and ethnic-stereotyping issues, such as the abandonment of female Chinese infants and the assumption that all Asians are gifted students, and it has special meaning for families touched by adoption. The delicate black-and-white drawings scattered throughout the straightforward text help make this a good choice for readers new to chapter books, and it will appeal to fluent readers looking for a compelling story.-Deborah Vose, Highlands Elementary School, Braintree, MAα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In this follow-up to The Year of the Book (2012), the focus of 11-year-old narrator Anna shifts to the new girl in the house, adopted a few months ago from China. Now in fifth grade, Anna exhibits the same understated thoughtfulness she did in the last book. Cheng deftly shows how Anna thinks through a problem, whether it is a science-project topic or the fact that her little sister, Kaylee, hasn’t gained enough weight to satisfy the pediatrician. Cheng’s tying up of story threads is as tidy as Barton’s spot illustrations. To top it off, young cooks get a recipe for bao zi buns. Grades 2-4. --Abby Nolan

Edition details

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0547910673
• ISBN 13: 9780547910673
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Barton Patrice
• Number of pages: 162