The Year of the Three Sisters (An Anna Wang novel)
By: Andrea Cheng (Author), Patrice Barton (Illustrator)
Rating: 5 of 5
“The Year of the Three Sisters” is the fourth book in a series about a young Chinese American girl, Anna Wang. I have not read the prior three books but after reading this one, I will be sure to go back and read the full series.
The book was surprising to me, as many books aimed at this age group are unrelentingly upbeat and happy. This book is not that. It deals with many issues, including homesickness, loss of friendship, misunderstood feelings, and even loss of a loved one. It seemed to be looking at the way a real 7th grade girl would look at things happening about her. Sometimes she understands and sometimes she just wishes she was back where she was before many of the unhappy issues started. There are also very happy and upbeat moments.
It is pretty obvious that almost all of the characters in this book have appeared in the prior books and that they have a past that is brought forward that I had to glean from the story versus knowing from reading the series. Anna’s friend Andee finds a way to bring a young Chinese migrant girl, Fan, to the United States for a nine month cultural exchange. Fan is a friend that Anna made in a previous book and is currently a pen pal with. The story chronicles the time that Fan spends with her friends and the ups and downs of their friendships.
I really enjoyed the book and felt that it would be a great book for children age 8 and up to read. It is definitely too much for a younger child to cope with and I would suggest that a parent be ready to answer any questions a young reader might have. There is information about how migrants are treated in China that might be confusing and upsetting to a child. It is good for them to know about but they might need more information and some assurance from a trusted adult in their life.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.
“The Year of the Three Sisters” is the fourth book in a series about a young Chinese American girl, Anna Wang. I have not read the prior three books but after reading this one, I will be sure to go back and read the full series.