The Year of the Book, by Andrea Cheng

(Paperback, 160 pages, first published in 2012)

A novel to treasure with every middle-grade reader you know (NYTBR), this first Anna Wang story shows how a young Asian-American girl navigates her way around friendship and learns to accept that our differences are what makes us unique.

In Chinese, peng you means friend. But in any language, all Anna knows for certain is that friendship is complicated.

When Anna needs company, she turns to her books. Whether traveling through A Wrinkle in Time, or peering over My Side of the Mountain, books provide what real life cannot—constant companionship and insight into her changing world.

Books, however, can’t tell Anna how to find a true friend. She’ll have to discover that on her own. In the tradition of classics like Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy books and Eleanor Estes’ One Hundred Dresses, this novel subtly explores what it takes to make friends and what it means to be one.

Storyglory Considerations: The protagonist, Anna, is Chinese and the title of the book references the Chinese zodiac calendar; Anna mentions learning the calendar toward the end of the book. Also note that Anna's friend Laura's parents are going through a divorce, which may be sensitive for some readers. See Redeemed Reader's review here.

Recommended Age: 8-12