Laurine Price's beautiful singing voice enhances her narration of this audiobook about a biracial sixth grader who longs to shine. When Laura and her best friend, Tara, try out for the school musical, Lauren hopes that she will be the star instead of Tara, for once. But even after her audition brings down the house, Lauren is not cast as the lead because, being half-Chinese and half-Jewish, she doesn't look the part of the “all-American girl.” With fresh youthfulness, Price believably portrays a range of middle school characters with distinct voices and personalities. Adult voices round out the story—from that of the condescending musical director to those of Lauren’s bickering grandmothers, each with authentic-sounding accents that signal their Chinese and Jewish heritages. S.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Not Your All-American Girl
Narrated by Laurine Price
Wendy Wan-Long ShangUnabridged — 5 hours, 14 minutes
Not Your All-American Girl
Narrated by Laurine Price
Wendy Wan-Long ShangUnabridged — 5 hours, 14 minutes
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Overview
Editorial Reviews
Praise for Not Your All-American Girl:
"A nearly pitch-perfect middle school exploration of race and friendship." — Kirkus Reviews
"Lauren’s story is a sensitive and realistic portrayal of a girl who struggles to find her place in a community where very few people look like her... this is a funny, tender, quick-moving story of family, friendship, identity, and music." — School Library Journal
"While focusing on serious themes (racism and prejudice), the overall tone remains light, and several scenes (including Lauren's disastrous attempt to lighten her black hair, resulting in orange stripes) will elicit laughter." — Booklist
Praise for This Is Just a Test:
2017 Sydney Taylor Award — Honor Book
CBC Book of the Year Finalist
2017 VOYA Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers
New York Historical Society's Children's History Book Prize Finalist
2018 Young Adult Virginia Author Award Finalist
"For a book about the possible end of the world, Rosenberg and Shang keep the tone surprisingly light. . . . The dialogue is snappy and the plot fast-paced." — The New York Times Book Review
* "It's refreshing to meet a male protagonist who, like Tara in Paula Freedman's My Basmati Bat Mitzvah, is struggling with how to be authentically Jewish in a bicultural family. . . . Giggle-inducing, light, and charmingly realistic fiction that will resonate with a wide variety of readers." — School Library Journal, starred review
"There's a lot to enjoy, but it's David's relationships with his two grandmothers that steal the show, especially when the rivals eventually unite to teach him he's not 'half of each' but 'all of both.' A nostalgic and heartwarming period coming-of-age comedy." — Kirkus Reviews
"A journey filled with humor, emotional depth, and important realizations about what it means to be a friend and to embrace multiple cultures. His struggle to make sense of the Cold War will resonate with readers grappling with a confusing political climate themselves." — Publishers Weekly
"This novel tackles the very difficult topic of understanding who you are while appreciating your background and differences . . . In today's society, where families come in diverse variations and many children are growing up biracial and/or multiethnic, plenty of readers will find relevance to their lives in this middle-grade novel." — School Library Connection
"The first-person narrative engages readers with David's candid reflections as well as his droll telling of events." — Booklist
"Rosenberg and Shang keep the plot episodic and light, allowing David's feuding grandmothers to upstage the kids in many of the acts . . . Underpinning the domestic comedy is respect for fears that transcend generations." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"[A] seamless collaboration by two truly gifted writers [and] a perfect read for summer and beyond." — Christian Science Monitor
"Rosenberg and Shang infuse this story with humor, tenderness and a genuine examination of what it means to grow up caught between cultures." — Richmond Times-Dispatch
"Sure to hold a reader's interest and filled with humor." — Jewish Book Council
"This is the funniest middle-grade novel I read this year. . . . Everything about this book is satisfying." — Tablet Magazine
"A delightfully told story of competing sides in a tug-o-war/give-and-take battle, showing the reader that even 12-year-old seventh graders have a lot to deal with, whether it be on a grand scale such as international relations or on a smaller scale of balancing new and old friendships." — Compass Book Ratings
"Rosenberg and Shang's warm, mostly realistic handling of David's multicultural family speaks for their comprehensive understanding of the struggles of identity they depict, and makes David a unique and relatable role model of a character." — International Examiner
Praise for Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Praise for The Way Home Looks Now:
An Amelia Bloomer Project Selection
A CCBC Choices Selection
A BookPage Best of the Year selection
* "[A] fine story of family, loss, growing up and learning to play baseball, raised to a higher level by gracefully incorporated themes of feminism and kindness." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "Shang (The Great Wall of Lucy Wu) skillfully balances the different aspects of Peter's life, robustly characterizing his friendships and his time at school and home. Issues of sexism, racism, and struggles with depression are handled deftly in scenarios grounded in reality, including an ending that's hopeful without being pat." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Readers will cheer Peter on as his love for his family drives him to persevere at home and on the field. Parallels between home plate and home as place abound as grief completes its work and relationships are restored. Interwoven with cultural ties to both Peter's Chinese heritage and to the women's liberation movement, this touching novel shows the importance of patience — baseball." — Booklist
Praise for The Great Wall of Lucy Wu:
Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Library Association Award for Children's Literature
"A delightful story about assimilation and family dynamics . . . sure to appeal to young readers struggling with issues of self-identity, whatever their heritage." — Los Angeles Times
"Thought-provoking, funny, and incredibly heartwarming." — Booklist
"A realistic and amusing portrait of family dynamics, heritage, and the challenge of feeling like an outsider." — Publishers Weekly
"Genuinely touching." — Kirkus Reviews
"A unique look at the power of family." — Discovery Girls Magazine
Laurine Price's beautiful singing voice enhances her narration of this audiobook about a biracial sixth grader who longs to shine. When Laura and her best friend, Tara, try out for the school musical, Lauren hopes that she will be the star instead of Tara, for once. But even after her audition brings down the house, Lauren is not cast as the lead because, being half-Chinese and half-Jewish, she doesn't look the part of the “all-American girl.” With fresh youthfulness, Price believably portrays a range of middle school characters with distinct voices and personalities. Adult voices round out the story—from that of the condescending musical director to those of Lauren’s bickering grandmothers, each with authentic-sounding accents that signal their Chinese and Jewish heritages. S.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940177357706 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Scholastic, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 07/07/2020 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
| Age Range: | 8 - 11 Years |
Read an Excerpt
"Look at Tara," said Mrs. Tyndall. "When people see her, they won't have a hard time imagining she's an all-American girl from Pleasant Valley. It's our job in the theatre to make it easy for the audience to imagine they are right there with her."She made it sound so reasonable.She said: Tara looks like she's from Pleasant Valley.She meant: You look like you're from someplace else. Someplace that isn't Pleasant Valley. Someplace that isn't even in the United States. Why hadn't I sung the Star-Spangled Banner for my tryout instead?"You'll do a great job in the group numbers. You'll help everyone stay on pitch," said Mrs. Tyndall. "Don't forget, every role is important or it wouldn't be there. Most girls would feel extremely lucky to make the ensemble."I would have felt extremely lucky to be in the ensemble, too. If Mrs. Tyndall hadn't said what she'd said. And if Tara wasn't poised to be the peanut butter. Again."Won't the audience wonder why there's one Chinese-Jewish girl in Pleasant Valley?" I asked, just to show her that I got her point about sticking out. Though there was only one Chinese-Jewish girl at Dwight D. Eisenhower, too."You're Jewish?" said Mrs. Tyndall. "Are you sure?"I wanted to say I wouldn't have spent so much time being bored out of my mind in Hebrew School if I wasn't Jewish, but I decided against it. The Chinese part of me was the part she could see, but the Jewish part of me was always there, too.Mrs. Tyndall made a little sweeping motion with her hand. "Anyway, that's the ensemble. They'll barely notice."Because I was an apple. A French fry. A green bean and macaroni and cheese and corn. I was the side dish. I didn't have reddish brown hair or blue eyes. I had black hair and brown eyes like my mom and a dimply smile like my dad's. Some girls in my grade liked to put their arms against mine and say how tan I was, even at the end of winter. I had thought that was a good thing. Until now.
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