From Scholastic Press

ISBN: 978-0545162159

Lucy Wu, aspiring basketball star and interior designer, is on the verge of having the best year of her life. She's ready to rule the school as a sixth grader and take over the bedroom she has always shared with her sister. In an instant, though, her plans are shattered when she finds out that Yi Po, her beloved grandmother's sister, is coming to visit for several months -- and is staying in Lucy's room. Lucy's vision of a perfect year begins to crumble, and in its place come an unwelcome roommate, foiled birthday plans, and Chinese school with the awful Talent Chang.

Her plans are ruined -- or are they? Like the Chinese saying goes: Events that appear to be good or bad luck often turn out to be quite the opposite, and Lucy finds that while she may not get the "perfect" year she had in mind, she can create something even better.

*NEW*

The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association has awarded LUCY its 2012 Children's Literature Award.  And my fellow Mixed-Up Files blogger Sheela Chari received Honors in this category for her amazing book, Vanished.

LUCY is a finalist in the CYBILS (Children's and Young Adult Blogger Literary Awards) Middle-Grade Fiction category for 2011!

The Wall Street Journal blog, Speakeasy, mentioned LUCY as part of its "Best of Asia and Asian-America 2011". 

The American Booksellers Association has made LUCY a New Voices middle grade book selection!  New Voices selections represent ten middle grade and ten young adult books by debut authors.  Now I've got some reading to do!

LUCY has received Silver Honors from Parents' Choice!  Parents' Choice "honors material that respects a child’s age, interests and abilities, and adheres to universal human values".

From Kirkus Reviews

"Lucy Wu may only be 4 feet tall, but she has big (and brilliantly on-the-money kidlike) dreams..."

 From Publishers Weekly

 "...First-time author Shang effortlessly interweaves the multiple threads of her story, as Lucy grows tremendously (and rewardingly) while learning about China's turbulent history and the value of sympathy and strength. Bolstered by frequent use of Chinese language and proverbs, this is a realistic and amusing portrait of family dynamics, heritage, and the challenge of feeling like an outsider--even in one's own family."

From the Los Angeles Times (click to read more!)

"Written in the first person from Lucy's point of view, "The Great Wall" has a delightfully pessimistic tone that leavens dread with humor. In Lucy Wu, author Wendy Wan-Long Shang has accomplished something quite difficult: She's made a girl who constantly feels sorry for herself extremely funny and relatable as Lucy attempts to strike a balance between parental expectation and self-fulfillment, her Chinese heritage and the American lifestyle."

From the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Shang also capably portrays the family as a whole, presenting a fully realized unit that has both smooth and rough times...[Lucy's] struggle to determine what and who is important to her will most certainly resonate with young readers."

From Booklist

"Shang's solid debut wonderfully captures the unbearable, terrible unfairness of being a tween balanced between two cultures.  Lucy's struggles and frustrations are realistic, and her experiences take her from stubborn resistance to pride in her Chinese heritage."

LOVE BOOKS FOR THE 8-12 YEAR-OLD SET?  VISIT ME AND 29 OTHER MIDDLE-GRADE AUTHORS AT FROMTHEMIXEDUPFILES.COM.

If you would like to have me on your blog, please contact my publicist, Lauren Felsenstein, at lfelsenstein (at) scholastic (dot) com.  Thanks!