New From Here

New From Here

Kelly Yang

Simon & Schuster, 2022

355 pages

Grades 3-6

Realistic Fiction

Knox's life is turned upside down when his mother takes him and his two siblings from their home in Hong Kong to their vacation house outside of San Francisco to escape the new and scary Coronavirus. Dad must stay behind to work with only the family dog for company. Life in America is not great. The bi-cultural kids get discriminated against by their new classmates, especially older brother, Bowen, who looks the most Chinese. Mom is struggling to find a job and money is tight. It does not help that Knox has a hard time controlling his impulses and costs the family even more money (and adding to Mom's worries) by his antics. A new friend is a bright spot in adjusting to California and his new teacher is both kind and adapts to his learning style, resulting in school success. Knox discovers that he has ADHD, which explains a lot about his behavior and gives him peace of mind to know that there is a reason for his uncontrollable actions. The three siblings miss Dad and are concerned for his safety. They set up a LinkedIn for him and begin to take interviews in order to land Dad a job in the US. Meanwhile, they are raising money anyway they can in order to pay for his place fair to join them. Naturally, all of these good intentions blow up in their faces, but in sometimes hilarious ways as the Coronavirus finally finds its way to California and the lockdown begins.

It was hard for me to read a book about the early days of the lockdown, being that it felt a little too soon. Yang brings to light a very specific experience: that of Asian Americans, who were grossly discriminated against and blamed for the Coronavirus. There are parts of the story that made me uncomfortable to read including the bits of Asian hate, the fake LinkedIn that I thought would destroy Dad's career, and the garage sale where the kids sold stuff they shouldn't. Even the kids delivering Chinese food on bikes in Dinosaur suits for protection, though funny, made me nervous. That may be just me, still twitchy from this pandemic. Kids will find a lot of the crazy situations funny and appreciate the young character's independence and willingness to solve adult problems. Themes include overcoming hate with kindness, sibling cooperation and respect, and the importance of community. Young readers will possibly appreciate that this is historical fiction, kind of, that they can relate to and remember. For kids time moves slower, so it may not be as raw to them as it was to me. The book ends on somewhat of a happy note, yet readers know that the pandemic is just heating up. What will be next for this family? I would not be surprised if Yang makes this stand alone novel a trilogy.