tatyana_'s reviews
173 reviews

Faerie scholar journals about her field trips and adventures one winter. (Full)RTC.

This children's memoir follows Kalia, who is a young child from a family of Hmong refugees. After witnessing her parents being treated poorly for speaking limited English, she stopped speaking at school. Her selective mutism confuses everyone both at home and school, but none more than Kalia. She describes the pressure and helplessness she is experiencing as "the rock in [her] throat". This is a moving story that is infused with hope at the end. The simple, muted color palette also seems to enhance the growing pressure and anxiety Kalia is experiencing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lerner Publishing Group, and Kao Kalia Yang for an advanced copy of this book. Available as of March 5, 2024.

In this book, a WWII pilot crashes in the desert where he encounters a young prince who is also very far from home. While he tries to fix his plane the prince recounts how he got to the desert from his home planet. The pilot and the prince explore what is truly important in life and use the lessons the prince learned to do so. The book has been a part of my life for many years. I had a copy of it as a child in its original language (that I could not read by myself lol) and later used it for a 10th grade English essay that I was rather proud of at the time. And I plan to keep rereading this book throughout my life. I certainly think reading this book at different ages and stages of my life has shaped what I’ve gotten from the work. I found myself picking up on the criticisms the prince and the pilot make about losing yourself in desires and cherishing time this time around. Although this is often regarded as a children’s book, I’d recommend this book to people of all ages.