Review by Booklist Review
It's the early 1990s, and seventh-grader Lily Xiao loves grunge rock. She longs to attend Camp Rock Out, a summer rock-music program that ends with a performance. While Lily is at the top of her class, her cousin, Vivian, is struggling. Vivian recently moved to the U.S. from Taiwan and is still developing her English-language skills. Lily makes a deal with their grandmother to help Vivian with her schoolwork in exchange for help convincing their parents to let them go to Camp Rock Out. When Lily reaches out to Vivian's teacher for help, she learns that, up until six years ago, every California public school had ESL classes, but a law passed in 1986 ended federal funding for bilingual classes. As Lily endures microaggressions and racism along with mounting obstacles to help her cousin, she learns the importance of speaking up for what she believes in. As Lily breaks through the model-minority "robot" reputation she's been boxed into, her inspiring quest highlights youth activism and immigrant experiences in a nostalgic nineties setting.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Taiwanese American sixth grader Lily Xiao dreams of playing in a grunge band and being "amazing and brave and strong" instead of "shy and awkward." So, she persuades her Mandarin-speaking cousin Vivian to join her in signing up for Camp Rock Out, a summer program during which she will learn to play an instrument and participate in an end-of-summer concert. Despite her performance anxiety, Lily is certain that camp will help teach her how to show her family that it's okay to speak out against microaggressions and to fight for what they want. But when Vivian informs Lily that she may need summer tutoring, Lily fears attending camp alone and offers to help Vivian by asking for assistance from a teacher. In doing so, she learns that English as a Second Language isn't offered at their school, a variable that impacts Vivian's academics. Recruiting friends to form an ESL homework club, Lily and Vivian work together to boost Vivian's grades in this sweet and charming friendship story by Chen (It's Boba Time for Pearl Li!), who highlights personally informed experiences of growing up Asian American, the joys of music, and the benefits and challenges that come with advocacy via Lily's high-spirited first-person POV. Ages 8--12. (May)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
The former Sixth Grade Student of the Year goes grunge. It's 1993, and seventh grader Lily Xiao wants nothing more than "to be grunge." She's fascinated by how grunge has transformed shy and awkward Eddie Vedder into the powerfully raw lead vocalist of her favorite band, Pearl Jam. Lily has some way to go in her own transformation, however. Her classmates call her the "class robot"; her cousin, Vivian, who recently moved to California from Taipei, is her only real friend; her parents and Ah-ma seem terrified of doing anything to get in trouble; and she doesn't know how to play the guitar and definitely won't sing. If Lily and Vivian can ace their progress reports, their parents will let them attend Camp Rock Out this summer, and she'll finally be able to find her true grunge self. But when Lily learns of Vivian's academic struggles and the principal's refusal to provide support for any of the school's many English language learners, she realizes that the time to be bold is now. From Lily's Taiwanese American family to her Spanish- and Korean-speaking classmates, the book is filled with characters who broaden Lily's world. At times, the overly simplified presentation of complex topics may have readers wishing for more robust backmatter. Still, Lily's love for grunge--and the joyful inclusion of Mandarin and Taiwanese language and culture--make this story noteworthy. Rock on. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
