FINALLY SEEN

Cindy Kay shines in this heartfelt exploration of the immigrant experience. Ten-year-old Lina is ecstatic to reunite with her family in California after five years spent waiting in Beijing to come to America. However, the perfect life she pictured is not the reality of a family struggling in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Kay skillfully portrays Lina's thoughts, a messy mixture of happiness at rejoining her family, sadness at having left her beloved grandmother, curiosity about her new home, and severe anxiety over her imperfect English. Kay balances this with Lina's ever-growing voice as she learns to speak out on behalf of the people and beliefs she holds dear. Kelly Yang enthusiastically narrates her author's note about the value of being seen in children's literature. N.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2023]