Outrun the Moon

March 7, 2016
Lee (Under a Painted Sky) creates another strong Chinese-American protagonist, 15-year-old Mercy Wong, in a novel set in 1906 San Francisco, where extreme discrimination against the city’s Chinese population flourishes. Mercy’s father runs a laundry, her mother is a fortune-teller, and six-year-old brother Jack is her treasure, but Mercy dreams of becoming a successful businesswoman. Characterized by her “bossy cheeks,” she bribes her way into an elite girls’ boarding school, where she poses as a wealthy heiress. Just as she is found out, the historic earthquake hits. In its aftermath, the story becomes a somewhat predictable survival tale as the schoolgirls overcome differences to work together to feed the homeless population camped out in Golden Gate Park. Suspense over the fate of Mercy’s father and romantic interest helps hold readers’ attention, but the girls’ adventures and achievements in building a community out of the diverse park residents are not as compelling as the interplay between Mercy’s life in Chinatown and at St. Clare’s School for Girls, which makes for an original exploration of a time and place not often depicted in historical fiction. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency.

Starred review from March 1, 2016
Leading up to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, ambitious Mercy Wong talks her way out of Chinatown and into an elite boarding school. Fifteen-year-old Mercy wants more than what's expected of her as the daughter of a Chinatown launderer and his fortuneteller wife in turn-of-the-20th-century San Francisco. Ambitious due to her "bossy cheeks"--her high cheekbones symbolizing an assertive, independent nature--she boldly bribes her way to a scholarship at the tony St. Clare's School for Girls, where she hopes the prestigious education will land her not a prosperous proposal (she's happily matched to handsome and supportive Tom, the herbalist's son), but a life out of what the non-Chinese derisively call Pigtail Alley. Mostly, she hopes to save her sickly little brother, Jack, from a life of menial labor. At St. Clare's, Mercy must pose as a Chinese heiress. She makes an eclectic group of new friends, such as Italian-American Francesca, who Mercy realizes is at the bottom of the white pecking order, and tries to avoid the hawk-eyed headmistress. When the earthquake hits, plucky Mercy's quick-witted leadership rallies survivors in the tragedy's aftermath. Full of beautiful turns of phrase, lessons in Chinese customs and superstitions, and a refreshing protagonist representing intersectional diversity, this is a must-read for followers of historical fiction. Propelled by a feisty and fabulous heroine, Lee's sophomore novel is powerful, evocative, and thought-provoking. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 12-17)

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March 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-Mercy is ambitious: she wants to own her own tea importing business, but the options for a young Chinese American girl in San Francisco in 1906 are severely limited. Mercy uses her cunning and business sense to bribe her way into St. Clare's, an elite school for girls. Not long after her arrival, the teen finds out that she will be learning comportment, not business. Mercy's disappointment compounds with a hostile roommate, skeptical classmates, and her end of the bribe she must uphold to stay enrolled. Everyone seems to be hiding secrets, and the 1906 earthquake is coming. Will Mercy be able to outrun and outwit her fate as a laundryman's daughter? Lee creates characters full of depth and nuance that seem historically accurate but still relatable to today's teens. Mercy is a strong protagonist full of determination and adventure who moves the story and will compel readers. Her drive to succeed; her love of her brother, Jack; and her goodness will endear her to readers. VERDICT A diverse, engaging historical fiction that should not be missed.-Cyndi Hamann, Cook Memorial Public Library District, Libertyville, IL

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2016
Grades 9-12 Mercy Wong, the daughter of a Chinatown launderer in San Francisco, has always been ambitious, but it's a hard trait for a 15-year-old Chinese American girl to have. Still, that ambition (plus a little bribery) gets her in the door of prestigious St. Clare's, a school that would otherwise never admit someone like her. Just as her headstrong demeanor gets her into big trouble, even bigger trouble arrives: the historic earthquake of 1906 devastates the city. As the dust settles, Mercy tries to find her family, and she and her classmates face a startling new reality where empathy and generosity have the power to supersede class and race lines. Mercy's narrative is flecked with witty puns, pithy wisdom from her fortune-telling mother, aphorisms from her favorite business book, and her obsession with bad-luck number four, all of which provide meaningful insight into both her character and her culture. While slipping in plenty of meaty historical context, particularly about the discrimination facing Chinese immigrants at the time, Lee tells a resoundingly warmhearted story about community arising amidst earth-shattering disaster.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)