Love, Love by Victoria Chang - ADVISABLE

Love, Love by Victoria Chang, 224 pages. Sterling Children's Books, 2020. $17           

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS  - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

11yo Francis lives with her older sister, Clara, and their parents. They are Chinese-American. Francis deals with bullying and watches her sister get bullied because they look different. She feels pressure from her parents to always get A's in school and be more like Clara, who is in the gifted program. Francis feels that everything revolves around Clara. Clara is losing her hair and has a big bald spot on her head. Doctors do not seem to be able to help. Mom buys a lot of Chinese herbal medicines, but nothing helps. Francis is lonely both at school and at home. She has a friend, Annie, and they like to go to the library and they like to play tennis together. Francis finally feels like she fits in when she is invited to join the school tennis team. She is a great tennis player. Francis loves to read, and the Nancy Drew books are her favorite.

I loved how strong and resourceful Francis is, and how she goes from not fitting in, to having friends and feeling a sense of belonging. I also loved how Francis went about solving the mystery of her sister's illness. The book is written in verse and is a fast read. I could not put it down. I even brought it in the car just to finish the last few pages! This is definitely a "feel good" story and I highly recommend reading it.           

Ellen-Anita, LMS