I read this back when it came out. I'm not sure why I didn't review it then, but I can't stop thinking about it now. A deadly disease. Mandatory quarantine. Racism against Chinese immigrants. Sound familiar? This book is set in 1900, but so many aspects of it are relevant today with COVID-19. ( )

Independent Reading level: 4th-7th grade.
Awards: Los Angeles Public Library FOCAL (Friends of Children and Literature) Award

I love historical fiction that gives us a glimpse of portions of history we haven't heard a lot about. In this new adventure/mystery set in 1900 San Francisco, a medical mystery highlights the tension between Chinese Americans and white San Francisco residents. Issues of class, race, and gender are everywhere, not to mention the pretty scary state of medical knowledge at the time! ( )

This is one of those middle grade books that doesn't translate well for older readers. Which is fine. I'm not the target audience. I don't want to read about how much mucus a nose makes or "farts in a jar". But a middle grade reader would probably delight is such silliness.
Just not for me. ( )

What an interesting book to read during a pandemic! The discussions of the role of competing financial interests and racial and class biases in crafting public health policy, distribution of treatment, and dissemination of information are very relevant, as is the issue of vaccine hesitancy. Aside from the timeliness, this is quite an enjoyable read about a young woman trying to find her way in the world. Another from Build Your Library, level 6. ( )