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A review by kindredbooks
New from Here by Kelly Yang
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I received an ARC of New From Here by Kelly Yang from Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.
I am a huge fan of Kelly Yang and her middle grade series - Front Desk. So it was with a heart full of anticipation and excitement that I received a copy of New From Here, a new middle grade novel that Kelly Yang based upon her experience at the start of the pandemic. In New From Here, we follow Knox, the middle child of the Wei-Evans family who is finding that his life is about to change drastically as his mother decides to move him and his siblings across the ocean to America in order to escape COVID-19. His father, who is his best friend, would have to stay in Hong Kong as he is unable to leave because of work. Life is not exactly easy or smooth sailing even when they arrive in America as Knox is dealing with new revelations about himself and his family. On top of all that, he is the new kid and the siblings experience firsthand racism because they are Chinese. In a chaotic world where there is so much uncertainty, Knox and his family have to decide how they continue to move forward as a family.
What a beautiful, honest, heartwarming and inspiring story that Kelly Yang brings to readers yet again. Once again, she tackles on very real and important issues - and this one hits particularly hard as we are still living through this pandemic. It is a story that readers will connect to, engage with, and spark conversations about the very real issues that we have had to face in the past few years. I really enjoyed this story of family, courage, resilience, and love and I'm sure that readers will love it just as much as the Front Desk series.
I am a huge fan of Kelly Yang and her middle grade series - Front Desk. So it was with a heart full of anticipation and excitement that I received a copy of New From Here, a new middle grade novel that Kelly Yang based upon her experience at the start of the pandemic. In New From Here, we follow Knox, the middle child of the Wei-Evans family who is finding that his life is about to change drastically as his mother decides to move him and his siblings across the ocean to America in order to escape COVID-19. His father, who is his best friend, would have to stay in Hong Kong as he is unable to leave because of work. Life is not exactly easy or smooth sailing even when they arrive in America as Knox is dealing with new revelations about himself and his family. On top of all that, he is the new kid and the siblings experience firsthand racism because they are Chinese. In a chaotic world where there is so much uncertainty, Knox and his family have to decide how they continue to move forward as a family.
What a beautiful, honest, heartwarming and inspiring story that Kelly Yang brings to readers yet again. Once again, she tackles on very real and important issues - and this one hits particularly hard as we are still living through this pandemic. It is a story that readers will connect to, engage with, and spark conversations about the very real issues that we have had to face in the past few years. I really enjoyed this story of family, courage, resilience, and love and I'm sure that readers will love it just as much as the Front Desk series.