Cloudwish

August 22, 2016
Van Uoc Phan’s hardworking parents, refugees from Vietnam, have a dream for her in Australia: they want her to become a doctor and expect her to focus on her studies at her prestigious Melbourne school. She
wants to be an artist, however, and spends a great deal of time fantasizing about her crush, athletic ladies’ man Billy Gardiner. When her wish to be noticed by him mysteriously comes true, she suspects that magic is afoot, especially after Billy seems to want more than friendship. The question of whether Billy is actually spellbound or truly falling in love creates suspense throughout the novel, as Van Uoc begins to enjoy being swept off her feet. Besides tracing the excitement and anxiety associated with first love (real or imagined), Wood (Six Impossible Things) offers insight into conflicts emerging from the clash of old and new values, the traumas refugees face, and the struggles of the children of first-generation immigrants. It’s an inspiring story with a sympathetic heroine, who will especially appeal to those who feel pressured to follow paths they don’t want to travel. Ages 12–up. Agent: Cheryl Pientka, Jill Grinberg Literary Management.

A Vietnamese-Australian teen grapples with her family expectations.Sixteen-year-old Van Uoc, a child of Vietnamese refugees, is the perfect daughter and student. As a scholarship student in private school, she is under immense pressure to earn straight A's, play the oboe, and participate in her school's community life. During a creative-writing master class, she makes an offhanded wish that Billy, a popular white boy, would like her. Her wish becomes a reality when he suddenly pays attention to her. Although Van Uoc is initially suspicious of Billy's wish-fueled intentions, she allows herself to date him--but she'll never know for sure. Wood's attempt to walk in a Vietnamese-Aussie teen's shoes feels removed, as if she's translating. Van Uoc's character comes across as simultaneously self-loathing and indifferent even when she is supposed to be angry or sad. Missing cultural nuances, such as her failure to call an adult the respectful Ong or Ba, will stand out for Asian-American readers. Some characters, such as privileged Billy and "lesbian-in-waiting" best friend Jess, seem to exist merely as elements on a hidden diversity checklist. The text's inconsistent italicization of Vietnamese words is distracting; many foods are not italicized, yet terms for father, mother, and daughter are. Van Uoc's struggle to reconcile her parents' wishes and her passion for art is a tired conflict, especially for Asian characters. Misguided. (Fiction. 13-17) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Van Uoc Phan is a student at Crowthorne Grammar. She's a "scholarship kid" from Vietnam whose parents came to Melbourne, Australia, by boat after the fall of Saigon. Her observations about being privileged are sharp but not critical. She's also more concerned with her mother's chronic depression than she is with her own assimilation, and together mother and daughter offer a more complete picture of what it's like to live-and succeed-in an unfamiliar culture. Van Uoc works hard and earns excellent grades, but socially she's supposed to disappear, a message she gets from both ends: her peers feel their turf is crowded enough, and her parents dictate a strict schedule that leaves her no time off. They pin their hopes on Van Uoc's future. She's a good girl who nonetheless sees through her parents. Enter Billy Gardiner, who is Van Uoc's secret crush. When he notices her, she thinks she's been found out, and, even more confusing, he seems so nice. It turns out they share a rebellious streak; she wants to be an art major but has so far kept this from her parents, who expect her to go to med school. And the Gardiner men have rowed crew for three generations, but Billy's pranks may cost him his position as team coach. He's also entitled and a bit mischievous: Will Van Uoc lose her head? If they suspend disbelief that two teens from very different worlds can fall in love, readers will enjoy this culminating book in Wood's trilogy. VERDICT A strong choice for YA collections, especially where the author's previous novels are popular.-Georgia Christgau, Middle College High School, Long Island City, NY

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2016
Grades 9-12 Van U?c, daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, is a first-generation Australian, and apart from chafing under intense academic pressures and the expectations of her parents, she's nursing a crush on the golden boy of her grade, Billy Gardiner. When a wish that Billy found her . . . fascinating impossibly comes true, the popular, athletic Billy can't leave her alone. At first, she's sure it's a trick, especially when in-crowd mean girls start spreading cruel rumors about her. Soon, there's no denying his interest, but is his love for real or is it just the wish? Though Wood's description of the immigrant experience often feels fairly paint-by-numbers and the romance comes across a bit half-baked, Wood is perhaps best at capturing the rich, sometimes contradictory teenage emotional landscape, and that's what's most powerful here. Brainy, mostly self-assured Van U?c waffles between confidence, desire, insecurity, guilt, and loyalty, and Wood coolly unspools it all. Fans of her earlier novels will be pleased to see some familiar faces, and others might find solidarity in Van U?c's moving coming-of-age.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)