by Jean Kwok
First published 2010
Eleven-year-old Kimberly Chang arrives in New York with her mother, leaving Hong Kong behind for a cramped, freezing apartment in Brooklyn. Kim struggles at school where her limited English makes her an outsider among classmates. After classes end, she joins her mother at a sweatshop where the work is grueling but where she meets Matt, an attractive young man who catches her attention. Despite the harsh conditions and language barriers, Kim proves herself academically gifted. Her hard work pays off when she earns a scholarship to an elite private school, opening doors she never imagined possible. Kim battles obstacle after obstacle, determined to build a better life for herself and her mother. Just as her dreams seem within reach and everything she has sacrificed for appears to be paying off, Kim discovers she is pregnant with Matt's child. The timing threatens to derail everything she has worked toward.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Brooklyn, Hong Kong, New York
Period: 21st-century
303 pages · Paperback · De Boekerij
Content warnings: sexual-content