Customer Reviews

Anna Mei: Cartoon Girl

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a sixth grader and I loved your book! It inspired me to not think badly about other people. No matter who they are or what they are, they are all the same as each one of us in God's creation.

I'm the mother of two girls adopted from China and I just bought this book - read it the same day I got it. The writing is wonderful - sounds just like how a sixth grader might be feeling and thinking, and not like an adult trying to sound like a sixth grader - it flows so naturally - very impressive. It also could be very helpful for my girls if they get assigned the dreaded heritage project to do and don't know how to handle it. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and I know my girls will love it too.

Anna Mei: Cartoon Girl, by Carol A. Grund, is middle grade/intermediate novel that introduced me to a world that felt familiar, but distant. Remember late grade school?

I do. I have a LOT of memories of those 5th grade through 8th grade years (I know, that bleeds over into junior high, but living it felt that way too).

Boys were icky, and yet...interesting. Girls were friends and...horrible. Parents were alien life forms and everything was changing.

Eleven-year-old Anna Mei faces all of this AND a total upheaval of her world. She finds herself in a new school, the outsider, trying to fit in.

She ends up being someone she's not, but it takes a while before she will admit it out loud. I forgot about the courage that takes. It's good to be reminded, because I have kids this age in my life. I think I'll be sharing this book with them, in fact.

Woven throughout (but NOT shoved down your throat) are Christian/Catholic values, including Anna Mei's own struggles with relating to God. She finds herself discovering unexpected things about herself and those around her. I found myself remembering how important fiction like this was to my own formative years. I'll be passing it on for sure.

Highly recommended.

There is no doubt about it - relocating is difficult at any age but in the sixth grade moving is downright painful. This is a wonderfully reassuring story about Anna Mei (sounds like anime) who moves across the country with her family, leaving friends she has known since kindergarten behind in Boston. Anna feels self conscious when she discovers that she is the only asian girl in her new school, and even more self conscious when her new friends notice her parents are not asian. A refreshing story about the power of family, reaching outside your comfort zone, and giving new acquaintances a chance!

Trying to fit in is the goal of any new kid, and some go to untold lengths. "Anna Mei: Cartoon Girl" tells the stale of Anna Mei who is trying to fit into her sixth grade class, as the child of an adoptive family. Fearing being an outcast, she manufactures herself a personality, only to find that reality will keep up with her and being herself is hard after trying not to for so long. "Anna Mei: Cartoon Girl" is a top pick for middle school fiction readers.

This is a wholesome, well written story about a young girl coming to terms with her own identity. It is a relatable topic, perfectly suited for its intended age range. The believable characters give the story a sense of realism as they struggle to overcome the sort of obstacles that many people face in their lives, adopted or not. I highly recommend it.

As the population of young girls adopted from China matures its nice to have a book out that deals with some of the issues they face having dark hair, dark eyes in a sea of blond girls with blue eyes. In addition, as Anna Mei learns to deal with being adopted without the possibility of connecting with her birth family it may open up conversations that are often difficult to begin. Thank you Ms. Grund for the helpful tool and the interesting read.

Anna Mei, Cartoon Girl is available by clicking on the "buy new" link underneath the "Out of Stock" statement. Obviously, this is not a review of the book, but I was afraid the status of the book was unclear.

Read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have never read a book targeted for this age group so thought I may get a feeling of being engaged in a more child like voice. I felt no such thing. I am impressed with the author's ability to get some very good, basic, values concepts across without being 'preachy.' I was toward the end of the book at breakfast and ended up being late for work. I have a young niece and nephew that I have purchased copies for. I look forward to the next book.