I cannot call this book historical fiction, but I think I missed the year it was based somewhere, maybe in the early 80s. Either way, it is a pretty scary prospect to be one of the first set of 'foreigners' in a school. I have been living outside my home country for almost two decades now, longer than I lived at home, but globalization is such that I can retreat into the familiar whenever I please, and people are a lot more experienced in the ways of the world than in the book.
The story does not give way to a dramatic sequence of events while maintaining a serious and emotional approach to what adjustment and change look like.
Peijing lives in Singapore at the start of the narrative. Her family of five, with their extended family, is celebrating the Mid-Autumn festival. They are to leave almost immediately after to start a brand new life with her father's new job on site. Her family is typical for the time and place, with the focus being on respect and conforming. Education is seen as a stepping stone for greater things, and art and music are not given a prime enough spot, or so Peijing feels. She is also an elder sister and ends up shouldering a lot of her younger sister's care as things start to get hard once things start to get a little fraught in their new home.
Their mother doesn't speak English and finds her ways of the world antiquated in the new world they find themselves in. Their grandmother is starting to sink into dementia and lose her way, and school is tougher for our protagonist than she imagined it would be. I found the depiction of almost everything in this book to be realistic. Peijing is struggling to stick to the ideals taught to her but feels a little taken aback at the freedom afforded to her sister as and when something changes. Change is not something she gives in to easily, even more than the adults in the book, and this makes sense given the background information we are provided. Family is still important, and the book maintains that as the foundation for everything.
It might be hard for a youngster in this time and age to imagine the newness and things discussed here as being the norm, and for that reason, I think I would love for my nieces to try this book out. It works well for both adults and children, and even if there are differences in the culture that I am used to, it felt like a very refreshing read.
The flights of fancy the sisters indulge in to spend time together is also something that can be further discussed for hidden meaning.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

A lovely and slightly critical look at the South East Asian family unit, what is important, racism and adopting to a new life. Peijing finds it hard to adjust to the changes from Singapore to Australia. Her parents more so and her little sister Bigu not at all. Peijing and her family are different and not everyone accepts them, but Peijing's only friend Joanna is also not accepted. Joanna is different and so is picked on too. She comes to school hungry, badly dressed and with bruises on her face and her classmates don't make her school life any easier that her home life. Peijing's Ah Ma has dementia, her Ma Ma is way out of her comfort zone and very homesick and her Ba Ba has to adapt to different expectations of what it means to be a Dad in a non Asian country. Constantly present is the make believe paper world with the Jade rabbit and the ever present Moon.

Excellent for class reading as books like this open up discussions about racsim, even when the racism is not explicit. It helps with the recognition of the various guises of racism and create empathy with those who are a little different to ourselves or to the perceived 'norm' be it in race or other aspects.

With more frequency our young children today are experiencing new pupils arriving into their schools from other countries whether they’re migrating for their parents work or fleeing a crisis in their homeland. Shirley Marr, author of the acclaimed A Glasshouse Full of Stars is back in middle grade with a new story about migration. Being a first generation Chinese-Australian, readers can feel reassured that the experiences felt by the characters are coming from a place of authenticity.

This story also provides a valuable insight for readers to understand the differences between Western and Eastern cultures, from the different foods, to festivals, inter-family relationships, attitudes to learning or material items.

About the book
The Guo family are a superstitious, traditional Chinese family who live in Singapore. Ba Ba (Dad) works incessantly and is a closed book to daughters Peijing (11) and Biju (5). Living in the same small apartment with them is Ma Ma (Mum) and Ah Ma (Granny). There’s no touching, hugging, there's silence at the dinner table and honour is of paramount importance. The children share a bedroom and inside a box they store their secret happy ‘Little World’ - animals and landscapes from their shared imagination that they have created themselves from paper; and from this they continue to create versions of stories based on Chinese myths that reflect their own lives as the story unfolds.

The story begins with the joyful Mid-Autumn Festival also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival. This is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture and is on par with Chinese New Year in popularity. Held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night, this corresponds to a date sometime in mid-September to early October in the Gregorian calendar. The Mid-Autumn Festival is based on the legend of Chang’e, the Moon goddess (of immortality) in Chinese mythology. There is great excitement in the kitchen about making the delicious mooncakes, Peijing can’t wait! Little does she know that her life is about to be turned upside down.

It is through Peijing’s experiences in this story that we follow her journey to start a new life in Australia with her family. Ba Ba takes a new architect job in Australia which affords them to be able to move to a house in the suburbs, a far cry from their former abode in Singapore. It takes the Peijing’s senses by surprise in the first few days after their arrival - the big blue sky, the cleaner air, green open spaces. Over the course of the book the reader finds out how the move to Australia changes each member of the family in their own way.

Ma Ma finds it incredibly hard. Her English is non-existent, unlike the girls who had learnt some at school already. At first she refuses to leave the house apart from walking to school and back for the school run (and to ‘feed’ her children their traditional Chinese lunches at school in the playground, much to Peijing’s embarrassment). She experiences racism and prejudice almost from day one, even when trying to buy the girls their school uniform. This is quite shocking. Gradually she realises that women have different expectations placed on them in Western culture. Women can have more equal opportunities to men than in the Eastern culture she has been used to. I find it really satisfying that Marr has subtly included Ma Ma’s own journey. She morphs from quite a cruel and cold mother into a more honest and caring mother by the end of the story. She's allowed to have her own identity outside the home.

Ah Ma is quite elderly, and uprooted from her life back home, she starts to become quite confused, and whereas in Chinese culture the family cares for the elders at home, the Guo family needs to make some tough decisions as to what is best for Ah Ma. This situation is such a source of anguish for Peijing. Ba Ba ends up having to take some time off from work and through some quite touching and funny moments goes from being a distant and hands off father to involved and invested. His use of spam and pasta as core ingredients for some new experimental ‘Western’ cooking is a great source amusement.

Peijing and Biju start their new primary school. Biju’s English is barely there and she really struggles at first, but being so young and with the emphasis on play and creativity she seems to adapt with support from her loving big sister. Peijing’s experience going into year 6, however, isn’t quite so peachy. She goes from having a core friendship group and being popular in Singapore to being an outcast. Peijing makes one friend in her class, Joanna. However, Joanna comes to school with broken shoes, bruises on her face and is so starved her bones stick out. They are two very different people, but both very lonely. Accepting each other as they are, they become soul mates, as close as sisters, and stick up for each other, and support each other to make the world a better place.

What I love, is that the family, much like the mooncake, realises that they are all people with their own hopes and dreams, but that together they are one, encasing their gorgeous glowing moon: Peijing, who cares and thinks so deeply about everyone and everything in the cosmos, especially her family. There are smiles, laughter, and by the end of the book Peijing is happy in her new life.

This is a very enjoyable read! Yes there are some hard truths about Joanna’s life and the racism towards Ma Ma, but there are also joyful and funny moments as Ba Ba gets to find out what it is to care for his family in more ways working at the office. I was relieved, like Peijing and Biju, that by the end of the story the chicken feature duster was out of action. Thanks to Peijing and Biju for the magic of their Little World. One day, I’m going to draw a little bee with a tiny black cat’s face… just to see if anyone notices.

Here’s some of Ah Ma’s wonderful wisdom:
“You cannot prevent the bird of sorrow flying over your head, but you can prevent it building a nest in your hair.”
“The world - your parents included - will always tell you to be the best version of yourself. I think that is wrong! What we all should be is our favourite versions of ourselves.”
“Pearls don’t lie on the shore. If you want one, you have to dive for it.”

A beautiful story about family, friendship, and finding your place in the world.
When Peijing and her family – parents, little sister Bijou and grandmother – move from Singapore to Australia, Peijing finds herself suspended between two worlds.
The family face a challenge which will be familiar to any readers who have moved to a different part of the world or have family members who grew up far away – working out which parts of their native culture they will hold on to, and which aspects of their adopted culture they will embrace. It’s a story about identity and change.
As the oldest daughter, Peijing feels a heavy sense of responsibility for her little family. Many readers will relate to her watchful worrying as she tries to take care of everyone and put her emotional needs aside. Along with adapting to the huge change of moving countries, Peijing has to navigate shifting family dynamics as the people around her go through their own process of adapting. The relationships in this book are skilfully written and authentic with every major character evolving and growing.
Throughout the book Peijing and Bijou connect through storytelling and art. They create a tiny paper world, and Bijou tells versions of myths and folktakes with her own flair. This creative dialogue between the sisters echoes the main themes of the book as they adapt old stories to make sense of their new situation. It’s a beautiful addition which adds a little magic and lightness as well as developing the sister relationship.
A gentle, hopeful book which will stay with you long after reading.

A really sweet read. I thought it had a lot of lovely things to say about fitting in and the importance of family. I really enjoyed it.

Adorable, wonderful read!!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.