Age: 8th grade-high school
Identity of protagonist: Mixed, Chinese mother, white father
Identity of author: Taiwanese American (first gen)
Location: Taiwan
Tough Issues: Suicide, depression

First line: " My mother is a bird. This isn't like some William Faulkner stream-of-consciousness metaphorical crap. My mother. Is literally. A bird."

GORGEOUS (light) magical realism depicts a teenage girl reeling from the recent suicide of her mother and coping with the unrequited love of her best friend. Truly a masterful look at death, rejection from those you love the most, passion for art (drawing for Leigh, piano for her mother), remembrance, and young love. The Taiwanese setting adds to the uniqueness of the book, especially from the perspective of an Asian American traveling to visit a family she has never met.