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Finally Seen Audiobook
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From the New York Times bestselling author of Front Desk comes a “involving, realistic” (Booklist, starred review) middle grade novel about a young girl who leaves China to live with her parents and sister, after five years apart, and learns about family, friendship, and the power of being finally seen.
My sister got to grow up with my parents. Me? I grew up with postcards from my parents.
When ten-year-old Lina Gao steps off the plane in Los Angeles, it’s her first time in America and the first time seeing her parents and her little sister in five years! She’s been waiting for this moment every day while she lived with her grandmother in Beijing, getting teased by kids at school who called her “left behind girl.” Finally, her parents are ready for her to join their fabulous life in America! Except, it’s not exactly like in the postcards:
1. School’s a lot harder than she thought. When she mispronounces some words in English on the first day, she decides she simply won’t talk. Ever again.
2. Her chatty little sister has no problem with English. And seems to do everything better than Lina, including knowing exactly the way to her parents’ hearts.
3. They live in an apartment, not a house like in Mom’s letters, and they owe a lot of back rent from the pandemic. And Mom’s plan to pay it back sounds more like a hobby than a moneymaker.
As she reckons with her hurt, Lina tries to keep a lid on her feelings, both at home and at school. When her teacher starts facing challenges for her latest book selection, a book that deeply resonates with Lina, it will take all of Lina’s courage and resilience to get over her fear and choose a future where she’s finally seen.
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"Kay skillfully portrays Lina’s thoughts, a messy mixture of happiness at rejoining her family, sadness at having left her beloved grandmother, curiosity about her new home, and severe anxiety over her imperfect English. Kay balances this with Lina’s ever-growing voice as she learns to speak out on behalf of the people and beliefs she holds dear. Kelly Yang enthusiastically narrates her author’s note about the value of being seen in children’s literature.""
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“Yang does a skillful job in portraying Lina’s multitude of emotions.”
— Horn Book Magazine -
“Finally Seen is, as Lina would say, ‘a sliding door’ into a world many have never experienced and ‘a mirror’ for those who have.”
— Shelf Awareness -
“Cindy Kay shines in this heartfelt exploration of the immigrant experience…Kay skillfully portrays Lina’s thoughts, a messy mixture of happiness at rejoining her family, sadness at having left her beloved grandmother, curiosity about her new home, and severe anxiety over her imperfect English…Kelly Yang enthusiastically narrates her author’s note about the value of being seen in children’s literature. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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An Amazon Editor’s Top Pick
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About Kelly Yang
Kelly Yang is the award–winning author of children’s fiction, young adult fiction, and young adult romance. Front Desk won the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature and the Parents’ Choice Gold Medal, was the 2019 Global Read Aloud choice, and has earned numerous other honors, including being named a best book of the year by Amazon, the Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and NPR. She immigrated to America when she was six years old and grew up in Southern California, where she overcame poverty to go to college at the age of thirteen and law school at the age of seventeen. She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and Harvard Law School. After law school, she gave up law to pursue her passion of writing and teaching children writing. She is the founder of The Kelly Yang Project, a leading writing and debating program for kids in Asia. As a writing teacher for thirteen years, she helped thousands of children find their voice and become better writers and more powerful speakers. She is the Honorary Chair of the American Library Association for National Library Week. Learn more at KellyYang.com.
About Kelly Yang
Cindy Kay is a Chinese Thai American narrator and educator who grew up in the California Bay Area and lives in the Rockies. Her work has been described as listening to a “cozy best friend.” She narrates fiction and nonfiction, and has studied Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, and Japanese.