“You’re the daughter of first generation immigrants. Do you know what that means?
It means your blood is made of iron will and determination. Your backbone is built from the sacrifices and impossible decisions of all those who walked before you. You have a duty to them to protect your heart.”

Finally Seen is a brilliant and beautiful book
A middle grade novel that packs a punch
And shines a spotlight on so so many
Issues relevant to young readers today
Post pandemic life
Racism
Bullying
Immigration
Moving somewhere new
Navigating friendships
Repairing relationships
Language barriers
Financial insecurity
The importance of good teachers
The vital role books
Libraries and librarians
Can play in the lives of our young people
This book shines a light on
Book banning and
FReadom
The freedom to read

Finally Seen is the story of Lina
Who finally flies to America
To join her parents and sister
They have been apart for 5 years
Lina has to leave behind
Lao Lao
Her beloved Grandmother
She feels so guilty but
But she is determined
To join her family
In America

Lina finds that life in America
Is not all that she
Had hoped it might be
School is hard
Children are unkind to her
And tease her when
She tries to speak English

Her parents are working so hard
For very little money
And they owe rent money
For their house
Lina does not feel like she belongs
She is homesick for Beijing
But also longs to be seen
In America
By her family and the children in school

Lina makes friends with Finn
They bond over feeling that
They are different
They bond through talking
About their families and
Home life
They bond over their love of books
Of graphic novels in particular
Finn helps Lina adjust to
Life in America and she is also
Helped by her one to one
English language teacher
Who is one of my favourite characters
And who is based upon the teacher
Who helped author, Kelly Yang
When her family first moves to
The States

Finally Seen takes young readers
On a journey through the day to day
Life of Lina as she experiences America
As a newly arrived Asian immigrant
We see the prejudice that her family faces
The cruelty and hardship they endure
We see how language and cultural barriers
Stop people living their lives
This book shows us all how
Kindness and acceptance help
How we should all be
Considerate and welcoming
To new people in our lives
This book shows the importance
Of helping people feel like they belong
Of showing people that they matter
Through Lina and her sister Millie
We feel the pain and anxiety caused
By worrying that you are not enough
You will never belong or do well
In the new country
That you now call home

This brilliant and beautiful book
Tackles difficult issues
In Kelly Yang’s story
We see children noticing when things are not right
We see children finding their voices and speaking out
To peers and classmates
To their family and friends
To school staff and community members
We see children and the grown ups who
Champion them and believe in them
Being empowered to make change
To stand up and speak out and make a difference
This is a story of love and courage
A story of resilience
There are so many characters
Each with their own layered story
All interwoven seamlessly
To paint a picture of real life
For a Chinese immigrant
Settling into a new life in America

I love the focus on graphic novels
In this story
I have ordered the books mentioned
In Finally Seen
For my children and I to read
I love that Lina feels seen
In the words and illustrations of
Flea Shop
And I am glad that she is able to
Communicate and express herself
Through her artwork and
Through her own explorations of
Creating graphic stories

One of the best parts of this book for me
Was the chapter when characters
Schooled and home educated
Old and young
Male and female
From all walks of life and
From many countries of the world
Stood up and spoke out passionately
About the banning of books
About why books and stories matter
And why we should all be free to read
The books we want and need to read
Why all children should have access
To the books that act as
Sliding doors and mirrors for them
Books are doors, windows and mirrors
Books are bridges
They connect us
They help us to see and feel and understand
They help us to be
Finally Seen

“My greatest hope in writing this book is to show just how essential books are as sliding doors and mirrors.
Because children need and deserve to see themselves represented in books …
… Because our future depends on it.”
Kelly Yang