Tiger Daughter

Starred review from July 3, 2023
Because of 13-year-old Wen Li Zhou’s struggles with math, her father often deems her a “useless, insolent child.” His verbal abuse also extends to her mother; once a vivacious woman, she now acts reserved to avoid Wen’s father’s outbursts. Wen finds peace with her best friend Henry Xiao. Both teens live in Australia with their Chinese immigrant families, and both plan to take the upcoming entrance exam to an “amazing, government-funded selective school,” believing that attending it will change their lives for the better. When Henry’s mother dies by suicide, however, everything comes to a standstill. Henry won’t leave his house, and Wen’s parents want her to stay away from him, but she refuses to let him suffer alone. To help Henry, Wen must tap into her own strength and learn to stand up for herself. Lim (the Mercy series) draws on her own experiences as a migrant child growing up in Australia, as outlined in an author’s note, to deliver an eye-opening novel that covers weighty issues of abuse, grief, mental health stigma, racism, and sexism alongside the harsh realities faced by Wen and Henry’s families. A tidy, uplifting ending, paired with Wen’s vulnerable first-person voice, round out this heartstring-tugging read. Ages 10–up.

August 1, 2023
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Wen Zhou and Henry Xiao are fast friends. Their families migrated to Australia from different parts of China, bringing with them all manner of hierarchical mores that, combined with the difficulties of trying to survive in a racist environment, stack the odds against them for a good future. At the suggestion of their teacher, they decide to prepare for an entrance exam to a school that could help them realize their ambitious dreams. They study hard, helping each other, while their parents struggle with immigrant disillusionment, coping in ways that hurt the ones around them. When tragedy strikes, it falls to Wen to keep Henry on track for the exam, which means standing up to her abusive father for the sake of her friend. Wen is a smart, lively narrator whose voice crackles on the page, even when it wavers with vulnerability. Wen and Henry's story is one of community, friendship, courage, and solidarity in unexpected places. Tiger Daughter calls out the ways toxic masculinity intersects with class and race and ultimately hurts everyone, especially those bound up in it. Wen and Henry are part of a generation whose members can lead one another toward a new future, not by running away but by toppling ugly power with defiance, respect, and love. A middle-school must-read.

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Starred review from June 15, 2023
In this award-winning Australian import, a young Chinese immigrant fights to forge her own path, inspiring change in her loved ones in the process. Thirteen-year-old Wen Zhou feels stuck in an insular world, kept in motion by equal parts rage and fear. Having been a medical doctor in China, her father bitterly resents managing a restaurant. Ruling with an iron fist, he places unreasonably high expectations on Wen and her mother. A recent Chinese immigrant to Australia, Wen's best friend, Henry Xiao, has his own share of struggles. With fierce determination, he convinces her that they can escape their circumstances by entering a prestigious school on the other side of town. Just two weeks before the entrance exams, however, tragedy befalls Henry's family. To support her friend and keep their dream alive, Wen must have the courage to take risks and be resilient enough for the two of them. Lim weaves a powerful and empathetic account of the complex struggles of the immigrant experience from a child's perspective. Tough topics like poverty, grief, and domestic abuse are explored with poignant honesty and sensitivity. Despite the harsh realities faced by the characters, the book hums with an infectious sense of hope that is bound to empower readers who see themselves in Wen. Tough but uplifting and, above all, heartfelt. (author's note, note to teachers and librarians) (Fiction. 11-15)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from July 1, 2023
Two "migrant kids" -- first-generation immigrants to Australia from China -- aspire to escape their dysfunctional lives and constricted futures by being accepted to a prestigious, government-funded high school. Wen Li Zhou, thirteen, and her best friend, Henry Xiao, face different challenges. Wen's controlling, verbally abusive father strictly monitors and restricts his wife's and daughter's every move. Henry is brilliant at math and science but fears his English isn't good enough to pass the high-school entrance exam. When tragedy strikes the Xiao family, Wen becomes defiant and takes big risks to help Henry survive academically and emotionally; her mother, Teresa, joins the effort, at even greater risk to herself. Lim's prose realistically conveys the anguish and fear felt by Wen and Teresa as they hide their charitable deeds and growing involvement in the neighborhood from the tyrannical Mr. Zhou. Ultimately, empathy and kindness prevail in this novel as mother and daughter both learn it is better to risk everything to do what is important rather than take no action, turning a bleak story into one about resilience and change. Michelle Lee

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from September 1, 2023

Gr 5 Up-For Wen Zhou, a first-generation Chinese immigrant living in Australia, life is challenging. Her father, Jin, who chooses to work in a restaurant after failing to complete a top-level surgical exam, is angry and disappointed. He tries to shelter Wen and her mother, Mei Ling, by forbidding their contact with other members of the community, and both are afraid to defy him. At her local school, Wen finds little solace other than her friendship with Henry Xiao. Both are studying for entrance to a better school more suited to their educational needs. Henry is confident; Wen, not so much. Sadly, Henry's mom dies by suicide, and in grief and humiliation, both he and his father retreat into their home. But Wen is determined to see that Henry keeps studying for the exam and, with the eventual help of her mother, they bring food and homework to his house daily. But can they keep it a secret from Jin? This book offers a fresh perspective on immigration in a setting outside of the United States. The author, an Asian Australian herself, creates the story and dialogue from a wealth of firsthand experience including rich detail on traditional Chinese cuisine and other customs. Young readers will enjoy the story's satisfying conclusion and its reminder to work hard and never forget your dreams. VERDICT A first purchase for libraries serving immigrant populations and highly recommended for those looking to diversify their collections.-Anne Jung-Mathews

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2023
Two "migrant kids" -- first-generation immigrants to Australia from China -- aspire to escape their dysfunctional lives and constricted futures by being accepted to a prestigious, government-funded high school. Wen Li Zhou, thirteen, and her best friend, Henry Xiao, face different challenges. Wen's controlling, verbally abusive father strictly monitors and restricts his wife's and daughter's every move. Henry is brilliant at math and science but fears his English isn't good enough to pass the high-school entrance exam. When tragedy strikes the Xiao family, Wen becomes defiant and takes big risks to help Henry survive academically and emotionally; her mother, Teresa, joins the effort, at even greater risk to herself. Lim's prose realistically conveys the anguish and fear felt by Wen and Teresa as they hide their charitable deeds and growing involvement in the neighborhood from the tyrannical Mr. Zhou. Ultimately, empathy and kindness prevail in this novel as mother and daughter both learn it is better to risk everything to do what is important rather than take no action, turning a bleak story into one about resilience and change.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 5, 2020
From Rebecca Lim, author and co-editor of the Meet Me at the Intersection YA anthology, this coming-of-age tale is about finding your own voice as a young girl in a minority group, a perspective that so often goes unheard or is overshadowed. Tiger Daughter is a powerful and important new YA novel that is overflowing with empathy and authenticity; every character is written with such intricacy and nuance that they come to feel like real people. Wen, as the only child of Chinese immigrants, embodies the difficulties of being a young girl growing up with familial, cultural and societal expectations and her character is sure to resonate with teens and young adults. When I was growing up, there were very few books I read that included characters who looked like me. As an only child with Chinese immigrants on my dad’s side of the family, it is refreshing to read a YA novel that I can see myself in and that reflects my own experiences. If only a book like this had been written and published 20-odd years ago! Despite its complex themes, which include how to be a friend to someone whose mother takes her own life, Tiger Daughter is a thoroughly enjoyable and easy read, peppered with heartfelt and hopeful moments that will leave readers with a renewed faith in humanity. Solidifying what Lim aimed to do in Meet Me at the Intersection—champion Own Voices stories—Tiger Daughter is by far her most standout piece of work yet. It sits easily alongside Australian coming-of-age award-winners like Looking for Alibrandi, Laurinda and Amelia Westlake. Freelance reviewer Mischa Parkee is a bookseller, primary school teacher and YA enthusiast. Read her interview with Rebecca Lim about Tiger Daughter here.