Yes We Will: Asian Americans Who Shaped This Country
Catalina

Finally Seen

My sister got to grow up with my parents. Me? I grew up with postcards from my parents.

When ten-year-old Lina Gao steps off the plane in Los Angeles, it’s her first time in America and the first time seeing her parents and her little sister in five years! She’s been waiting for this moment every day while she lived with her grandmother in Beijing, getting teased by kids at school who called her “left behind girl.” Finally, her parents are ready for her to join their fabulous life in America! Except, it’s not exactly like in the postcards:

1. School’s a lot harder than she thought. When she mispronounces some words in English on the first day, she decides she simply won’t talk. Ever again.
2. Her chatty little sister has no problem with English. And seems to do everything better than Lina, including knowing exactly the way to her parents’ hearts.
3. They live in an apartment, not a house like in Mom’s letters, and they owe a lot of back rent from the pandemic. And Mom’s plan to pay it back sounds more like a hobby than a moneymaker.

As she reckons with her hurt, Lina tries to keep a lid on her feelings, both at home and at school. When her teacher starts facing challenges for her latest book selection, a book that deeply resonates with Lina, it will take all of Lina’s courage and resilience to get over her fear and choose a future where she’s finally seen.

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  • Winner of the Newbery Medal--a brilliant journey through the stars, to the very heart of what makes us human.

  • The story of a Cuban refugee and her joy in an unexpected encounter that connects her beloved home in Havana with her new home in Atlanta Each evening Coqui waits for the familiar cry of the Peanut Man—”¡Mani! Peanuts!”—and watches for him to appear on the street below her window. They always greet each other in their own special way—Coqui tucks her thumbs in her ears and sticks out her tongue at Emilio. And Emilio, to her great amusement, does the same in return. Night after night, the two friends continue their ritual. One evening, Coqui sadly announces, “Nos vamos.” She [...]