Learning to Fly

March 1, 2009
Gr 7-10-An immigrant from China, Jason, 17, struggles with his father's betrayal of his mother when he left her for another woman and the underlying sentiments of racism in a small Canadian town. Smoking pot is his way of coping, and, because of this habit, he finds himself with a new group of friends. While he is happy that some people have accepted him, he also feels that he has fallen in with the wrong crowd. The exception is Chief, a First Nations boy who can identify with some of what Jason experiences as a minority. They both must make life-altering decisions when Jason gets charged with drug trafficking and tragedy befalls Chief's family. While the book should be a draw for reluctant readers, the brevity of the story leaves little room for character development or resolution. Those looking for titles covering similar issues with a broader emotional range may prefer Gene Luen Yang's "American Born Chinese" (Roaring Brook, 2006) or An Na's "A Step from Heaven" (Front St., 2001)."Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2008
Grades 6-10 Jason Shen, 17, wants to leave his small town in Canada and return to China, where he and his mother lived until four years ago. His white high-school teachers do not know how smart he is, andhis classmatesjeer at him. Driven to join the crowd of potheads, he bonds especially with his Native American classmate, Charles (Chief). Narrated in Jasons wry, first-person, present-tense narrative, Yees slim novel packs in a lot. The story is comedic in scenes of Jasons cultural confusion and realistic about racism, both toward the immigrant kid and alsowithin his own family (Jasons aunt thinks those Native people are the worst). Desperate after the police catch him buying drugs for his friends, Jason thinks of suicide, but he finds help in surprising places.The clipped dialogueperfectly echoesthe contemporary scene, the harsh prejudice felt by both the new immigrant and the Native American, and their gripping friendship story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)