Subway Girl

January 17, 2011
Amy Lee stands out in Hong Kong with her purple-streaked hair and fiery personality, but when mellow yet ambitious Simon Chan finally gathers the confidence to approach her in the subway station, they develop a surprising relationship, balanced between friendship and romance. Simon's parents run a small odds-and-ends shop and have high hopes for him to be the first high school graduate in the family, but he struggles with learning English, and is in danger of failing out of school. Originally from San Francisco, Chinese-American Amy attempts to tutor him, but their bond is threatened when she discovers that she is pregnant by her now ex-boyfriend and needs Simon's help to get an abortion without her mother finding out. The frequently alternating points of view highlight the teens' unique problems as well as the struggles they share, which involve the academic and social pressures associated with Chinese culture and adult life. Debut author Converse writes straightforward and sometimes lyrical prose, well suited to this story of wanderlust, dreams, and the forces that both bring people together and pull them apart. Ages 14–up.

February 15, 2011

Chan Tze Man, aka Simon Chan, is falling behind in English classes at his Hong Kong high school, and he decides to leave school, even though he knows that he won't graduate without passing the final exam. Riding the subway home, he ponders the fate of dropouts: "Maybe they were rounded up by their families and deposited in landfills. Or maybe they were just taken away and shot after answering one final grammar question incorrectly." Simon finds the nerve to strike up a conversation with the mysterious Subway Girl, who so far has ignored him and his friends. She turns out to be a Chinese-American girl named Amy who only speaks English. Simon's interest in Amy and her need for someone to confide in help them overcome the language barrier, and through halting conversations and e-mails, they find ways to support each other. Amy's last encounter with her ex-boyfriend ended with his lying to her about using a condom, and the story takes a serious turn as Simon helps Amy obtain a cheap abortion in neighboring China. The light narrative tone in much of the book is often just the right touch; other times there's enough of a hint of the author's purpose—writing a novel in English for his students in Hong Kong—to interrupt the flow of what is otherwise a story with depth. (Fiction. 14 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

June 1, 2011

Gr 10 Up-Simon is failing English, which means he'll get kicked out of his Hong Kong high school, and his parents don't care. His father's attitude is, "School is for rich people and doctors!" After Amy's parents separate, her mother moves them to Hong Kong. The boys at Simon's school all know Subway Girl, listening to her music with blue streaks in her hair. One day, Simon works up the nerve to talk to her, only to discover that Amy is Chinese-American and doesn't speak Chinese. Despite the language barrier, the two become friends and depend on one another for support. Simon wants to see the world, but is working as a busboy in a restaurant with no hope of advancement. After Amy's boyfriend tricks her into unprotected sex, she ends up pregnant and needs Simon's translation help to get an abortion. In brief scenes, short chapters, and direct prose, Converse paints the story of their growing friendship and relationship that's ultimately hopeful. In the background is Hong Kong, and readers get a sense of geography, the bustle, and class divisions while the focus remains solely on these two students trying to find themselves and instead find each other.-Jennifer Rothschild, Prince George's County Memorial Library System, Oxon Hill, MD

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2011
Grades 9-12 Underneath purple-streaked hair and an air of impossible cool, teenager Amy is a mess. Recently moved to Hong Kong, she barely understands the language, and she is pregnant with her ex-boyfriends baby, with no clue how to tell him. But to Simon, a Chinese student in his final school year, Amy is perfect. He wants to talk to her after seeing her on the subway, but his stunted English embarrasses him. Written with the authors own English-language students in mind, this debut is a mature, enthralling slice of Hong Kong life. The candor about sex, rape, and abortion is striking in its directness, and that same straight-forward tone lends quiet dignity to the deep, unspoken bond formed between Amy and Simon. Sadly, its hard to find stories featuring characters of Asian descent that dont also include flying daggers or ancient mystical secrets. YA readers eager for more might look to adult titles like Jean Kwoks Girl in Translation (2010) or Andrew Fukudas Crossing (2010).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)