In the Beautiful Country

I saw In the Beautiful Country by Jane Kuo on the new book shelf at the library and thought it looked like one I'd enjoy. The book description says, "Anna can’t wait to move to the beautiful country—the Chinese name for America. Although she’s only ever known life in Taiwan, she can’t help but brag about the move to her family and friends. But the beautiful country isn’t anything like Anna pictured. Her family can only afford a cramped apartment, she’s bullied at school, and she struggles to understand a new language. On top of that, the restaurant that her parents poured their savings into is barely staying afloat. The version of America that Anna is experiencing is nothing like she imagined. How will she be able to make the beautiful country her home?"

This was a great read. It was written in verse and quick to get through, and I loved the main character, Anna. The book was pretty heavy at times and reminded me of books like Front Desk where these immigrant families come to America for a better life and find that instead, they are facing so many difficult things that it seems impossible for them to endure and survive. But things looked up by the end, and I loved that Anna and her parents were good people who sought to be kind and do the right thing (even when others didn't). I also loved the example of Terry and her family who befriended Anna and her family when no one else did. I saw that the author has a companion book to this, so I alreayd put it on hold at the library.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it....but really liked it!)