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Summary
Summary
A powerful story set in small-town Arkansas in the 1950s that illuminates the friendship surrounding the arrival of Chinese immigrants in the segregated south.Azalea is not happy about being dropped off to look after Grandmother Clark. Even if she didn't care that much about meeting the new sixth graders in her Texas hometown, those strangers seem much preferable to the ones in Paris Junction. Talk about troubled Willis DeLoach or gossipy Melinda Bowman. Who needs friends like these!And then there's Billy Wong, a Chinese-American boy who shows up to help in her grandmother's garden. Billy's great-aunt and uncle own the Lucky Foods grocery store, where days are long and some folks aren't friendly. For Azalea, whose family and experiences seem different from most everybody she knows, friendship has never been easy. Maybe this time, it will be.Inspired by the true accounts of Chinese immigrants who lived in the American South during the civil rights era, these side by side stories--one in Azalea's prose, the other in Billy's poetic narrative--create a poignant novel and reminds us that friends can come to us in the most unexpected ways.
Author Notes
Augusta Scattergood is the author of Glory Be , which was a National Public Radio Backseat Book Club selection, a Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee, and hailed by Newbery medalist Richard Peck as the story of a bygone era "beautifully recalled." Her novel The Way to Stay in Destiny was named an Amazon Best of the Month. A children's book reviewer and former librarian, Ms. Scattergood has devoted her life and career to getting books into the hands of young readers. Her reviews and articles have appeared in the Christian Science Monitor , Delta Magazine , and other publications. Ms. Scattergood, who lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, is an avid blogger. To learn more, visit www.augustascattergood.com.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a quiet story set in 1952, Scattergood (Glory Be) shines a light on a rarely told bit of history. Introverted Azalea Ann, 11, is reluctant to spend the summer in Arkansas helping her bossy Grandma Clark, a woman she hardly knows, and she has no idea what to think of Billy Wong, who has just moved to attend a better school and help his family run the town's small grocery. Billy is the first Chinese person Azalea has met, and she openly wonders how she could "talk to a boy who looked like he'd just moved here from China." Despite Azalea's reservations, they soon unite against the overt racism of Willis DeLoach, a local boy with a tough reputation. Grandma Clark, Billy, and even Willis end up teaching Azalea quite a bit about jumping to conclusions and the power of finding unexpected commonalities. Azalea's narration is interspersed with occasional entries from Billy's perspective, written in verse, that show his strength of character and desire to succeed, despite facing clear challenges in the segregated South. Ages 8-12. Agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Shy eleven-year-old Azalea spends the summer of 1952 in Arkansas helping her ailing grandmother. Chinese American Billy Wong moves to town to attend the integrated school and work at his relatives' grocery store. Azalea's conversational prose alternates with Billy's verse as their friendship blossoms. Weak characterization and some heavy-handedness hamper a well-intentioned story. An author's note on Chinese Americans in the South adds value. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Eleven-year-old Azalea Morgan had no idea that a summer in Arkansas would change her life, much less through an unexpected friendship. Initially reluctant, Azalea befriends Billy Wong, gradually learning about his family and the history of the Chinese community in the Deep South, and readers will soon like him as much as she does. Billy's perspective is provided through the notes he takes about making a new friend, dealing with racism and isolation, and looking forward to school. Azalea and Billy contend with a number of problems: a snooty gossip girl; a sneering, racist bully with a tender secret; unending chores; elusive parents; unfulfilled creative talents; and the weight of keeping too many secrets. Though these multiple plots compete for attention, most are satisfactorily resolved. The summer ends on a positive note with the promise of a continuing friendship. Further context for the story is provided by the author's note, which explains her research and more of the history of the Chinese community's negotiation of race relations in the Jim Crow South.--Chaudhri, Amina Copyright 2016 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Azalea, 11, is summoned from Texas by her grandmother in Arkansas to help her while she recuperates from an injury. Shy Azalea is less than thrilled to spend the last month before school starts away from her best friend, waiting on the crotchety relative she hardly knows and missing the family vacation. Grandma Clark has Azalea work in the garden but forbids her to go into the mysterious garden shed. She also sends Azalea to the only grocery store in town, which the Wong family has run for generations. The Wongs' great-nephew, Billy, has recently moved in with them so he can attend the local school, as the one in his hometown is segregated. This being the early 1950s, Billy would be forced to attend the less well-equipped school for nonwhites in his hometown. Billy is undaunted at being the only Chinese student at the school and wants to experience all it offers. He describes his thoughts and feelings in scattered chapters of free verse. Slowly, Billy and Azalea become friends. Not everyone in town, especially bad boy Willis, who has secrets, is happy about the new student. The characters are finely drawn, and the period elements are smoothly incorporated into the narrative. The author's extensive research on the time and place comes through in the details. VERDICT This is a quiet story about family, friendship, and combatting the problems of racism and bullying. A fine addition to most collections, especially where historical fiction set in the mid-20th century is in demand.-Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Excerpts
Excerpts
From Making Friends with Billy Wong : (Azalea) All it took to send my summer on the road to ruin was a fancy note and a three-cent stamp. The minute that envelope showed up, Mama was packing my suitcase. (Billy) Inside Lucky Foods Grocery Since I was old enough to stand on a wooden fruit crate and roll nickels. First, at my parents' grocery. Now, at Lucky Foods. After school. Most every day. Weekends, too. I've worked hard. Now I run hard, like it's a race, a sprint. All the way back to Lucky Foods. I push open the door. Stop. Catch my breath. Great Aunt waits by the cash register. "Sorry I'm late, Auntie." "Put on your apron. Evening shoppers coming." She disappears into her kitchen behind the store. Smells of pork and onions drift in, mix with peppermints on the counter. Maybe I shouldn't climb trees to daydream in the clouds. But high on a tree branch, stories pop wide open. I tie the white apron around my waist and straighten pickle jars. Stories jumping. Popping. Waiting to explode Onto the pages of the Tiger Times. Billy Wong, Hoping-to-Be Cub Reporter for the Paris Junction Tiger Times School Newspaper Excerpted from Making Friends with Billy Wong by Augusta Scattergood All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
