I got some great new books off my wish list for Christmas, and I can't wait to read them. But I finished my last book, The Notebook, in the middle of college bowl season and guys...I'm gonna be honest. I love the NFL. I could - and have - watched the NFL all day. There are times I'm not in the mood because I don't care about either team playing, but for the most part I love it. But I married a man who loves both the NFL and college ball, and I'm not sure how to handle that. I don't know the players, I don't know the commentators, I don't have any strong opinions about the teams...it's like a foreign language to me. So I'm thankful that I have a husband who doesn't get bothered if I read a book while he has a bowl game on. The point is to be together, after all. All of that being said: I didn't feel like picking up Blue Like Jazz or Love Does or even the new Percy book in the middle of bowl season. So I picked up this random book that had been given to me when I was teaching instead.
The Great Wall of Lucy Wu is Wendy Wan-Long Shang's first book for young adults and I have to say it's pretty cute. It's not the absolute best writing I've ever read, and it's not the most earth-shattering plot in the world, but it's good. It's sweet. It is a little long but it's an easy read, which was great for both bowl season and a 2.5 hour wait at the GMC dealer.
Lucy is excited that her older sister, perfect daughter with straight A's and love for their Chinese heritage and culture, is finally going to college and leaving her their room. She's already planned all the decorating and is looking forward to her "perfect year" when her parents announce that a distant relative they've never met is going to be staying with them for a few months. The worst part is that this stranger will be joining Lucy as a roommate in her newly acquired room. Meanwhile, Lucy's parents are insisting that she quit the basketball team and attend Chinese school instead...something she is really not excited about.
Even though there are moments within the plot that are predictable, it's overall a really cute and endearing story. Lucy matures quite a bit throughout the story, but her initial reactions to the circumstances around her are natural (and understandable, since she's only 11). The growth in the relationship between Lucy and her roommate is the best part; it's a great little story about our first impressions rarely being enough to make a judgement about someone else. And as an added bonus, it's also a story about how cruel kids can be to each other sometimes, and the importance of friends and family to get through those times.
No comments:
Post a Comment