Julie knows Christmas will be difficult this year, but when her sister Tracy refuses to go to Dad's house for Christmas, Julie feels as if her family is falling apart. Over the holidays Julie finds comfort spending time with her best friend, Ivy Ling. The Lings are getting ready for Chinese New Year, and helping with their preparations distracts Julie from her sadness about her own family. Then she learns that her whole family is invited to the Lings' New Year banquet. Julie tries to share Ivy's excitement, but her heart sinks--with Mom, Dad, and Tracy there, how will they all get along?
10 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ME
10. The first book I ever wrote was about a hermit crab, inspired by a pet I once owned.
9. My favorite color is purple.
8. I love to read mysteries. When I was Judy's age, I read all 56 classic Nancy Drew books . . . in order! Jeepers!
7. I used to collect scabs so I could examine them under the microscope that I got for my 8th birthday.
6. My four sisters and I often made up our own language, which included the words "Hoidi Boidi", "oogey", "retzel crummypuss" and "poony-poony".
5. My favorite TV show is JEOPARDY!
4. To research my Sisters Club book, THE RULE OF THREE, I toured San Francisco in search of the ultimate cupcake. The winner: Sleepless in San Francisco. Think chocolate + coffee.
3. When I was a kid, I fell down a hill from chasing the ice-cream truck and had to get stitches.
2. When I was a librarian, I used to tell stories in sign language. That's how I got the expression "same-same" for Judy.
1. I share a birthday (February 28) with a famous princess, race car driver and gangster, a Rolling Stone, a French tightrope walker, and a winning racehorse named Smarty Jones.
