Shang, Wendy Wan-Long. The Great Wall of Lucy Wu. Scholastic Press/Scholastic ISBN: 978-0-545-16215-9
“In my house, there are two kinds of food – Chinese and American. American food is anything that isn’t Chinese – whether it’s Tex-Mex, Thai, or Italian. Before Yi Po showed up, we usually had Chinese food half the time, and American food half the time, which was just fine with me. After Yi Po arrived, though, it was clear that we were going to have Chinese food all the time…”
MG- Lucy, an American-born Chinese girl, is about to have the best year of her life. Her perfect older sister is finally moving away from home for college, leaving Lucy with her own bedroom (finally!), and she has big plans of playing even more basketball, not to mention being a sixth grader. Then just when things are about to be perfect, her parents announce a total surprise, Yi Po (a great aunt Lucy didn’t even know she had) is coming for a long visit…and Yi Po is about to become Lucy’s new roommate! As Lucy finds her Chinese heritage being shoved down her throat, Lucy feels like she will barely cope let alone survive. Vicks Vapo Rub, loud Chinese radio broadcasts and a steady diet of traditional food not to mention her parents’ bright idea of Chinese Saturday school invade her life. Her sister’s accusation that Lucy is somehow less than enthusiastic about her heritage, “ ‘You’re a banana, a Twinkie,’ Regina whispered… ‘You’re yellow on the outside, white on the inside…,’ ” certainly doesn’t help. But in a way, it’s true; Lucy loves lasagna, basketball, and speaks embarrassingly limited Chinese. But Yi Po never stops surprising everyone as she ultimately endears herself to Lucy’s entire family. In her plucky narrative voice, Lucy pulls readers into her world full of family, school, and friends as she deals with a bully, experiences a realistic crush, and finds a new friend. Shang shows remarkable insight as an author, portraying a story that rings true to the eleven year-old experience and touching on some of the challenges that arise from growing up in a transcultural family, e.g., the over emphasis on academics, gross traditional food, and awkward cultural etiquette. This book will both resonate and humor Asian American kids who will strongly relate to the feeling of straddling cultures that Lucy wrestles with and ultimately learns to treasure. Through this heartwarming story, Shang gives readers an accurate portrait of an intergenerational, cross-cultural family all the while illuminating the hurt and pain suffered by everyday racism. Lucy is a courageous and determined girl who ultimately, by embracing who she is and more importantly where her family has come from, rises above and shines despite the ignorance of others. Mandarin phrases and sentences seamlessly integrate an easy and lasting sense of ethnicity and cultural pride throughout the novel in this fun and playful book with a lasting and important message.
© Kristin Lum