The Key Collection - Hardcover

Cheng, Andrea

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805071539 ISBN 13: 9780805071535

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2003

Synopsis

An intergenerational and cross-cultural story of love and friendship.

The lines around Ni Ni’s eyes were deeper than before. Her hair was thin and grey. I wanted to tell her that she didn’t have to move. She didn’t have to move at all. Nobody would make her. We could explain to Auntie Helen that she was not ready. Not yet. Not for a long while.

Xiao Jimmy’s Grandma Ni Ni is his favorite person in all the world. Ni Ni cooks delicious jiao zi, teaches Jimmy Chinese characters, and always has wonderful stories and fascinating objects—like the key collection—to share with him. So when Jimmy learns that Ni Ni must move far away to California, he feels he’s losing his best friend. In time, however, Jimmy discovers there are ways to bridge distance, and to make new friends in the process.

This warm and reassuring novel explores a special relationship that crosses cultures and generations, and holds strong when tested.

About this title

About the Author

Andrea Cheng is the author of the picture book Grandfather Counts, and the middle-grade novel Marika. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her family.

Yangsook Choi is the illustrator of Rice Is Life and Nim and the War Effort, as well as New Cat. Born and raised in Korea, she now lives in New York City.

Reviews

Grade 3-4-In Cincinnati, Xiao ("Little") Jimmy is lucky to have his father's mother living next door. However, his aunt Helen lives in San Francisco and wants her mother to come live with her. Helen is a doctor, and as Ni Ni's health deteriorates, this begins to seem like a good idea to the adults. As she is about to leave, Jimmy realizes how much he is losing. As he plays with her key collection, he gradually sorts through his unhappiness. Dividing the keys into families, he begins to see how he and Ni Ni are connected to others. As she recounts familiar family stories, the connections deepen. Eventually Jimmy is able to accept his grandmother's departure, and as new people move into the house and new keys are found, he finds his way forward. This is a quiet story with a strong heart and a clear picture of the way kids cope. The essential references to Chinese culture are conveyed with skill and clarity. A recipe for jiao zi, the dumplings the pair makes on occasion, is included along with a pronunciation guide for other Chinese words. The black-and-white illustrations help make this an inviting first chapter book that shines with a subtle, steady glow.
Carol A. Edwards, Sonoma County Library, Santa Rosa, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3-5. Ten-year-old Jimmy has a close relationship with his grandmother, Ni Ni, whom he visits nearly every day. She cooks delicious treats for him, teaches him Chinese characters, tells wonderful stories about growing up in Shanghai, and shows him such things as a fascinating collection of keys. Jimmy is heartbroken when he learns Ni Ni is moving to San Francisco to live with his aunt, but the blow of losing Ni Ni is softened somewhat by a friendship that develops between Jimmy and a boy named Jason. Jimmy is reunited with Ni Ni after his aunt sends a ticket for him to fly out to San Francisco for his grandmother's eightieth birthday. During the visit, Jimmy comes to realize that there are ways for him and his grandmother to bridge the distance between them. This warm, reassuring story of intergenerational friendship is decorated with black-and-white illustrations of key scenes that add further emotional content. Ed Sullivan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805071539
• ISBN 13: 9780805071535
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Choi Yangsook
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 112