What words come to mind when you think of childhood? For me, carefree and idyllic have been the operative words, but I had a rude awakening when I read Betty C. Tang’s Parachute Kids (Graphix/Scholastic, April 4). Set in 1981, this graphic novel follows three Taiwanese children as they arrive in Los Angeles for a vacation that they soon realize is a permanent stay: Their parents will be returning home to Taiwan due to visa issues. The siblings’ lives are anything but untroubled as they adjust to a new country, manage the household, and study hard, and though family friends are on hand to help, nothing can replace the support of their own parents. As Tang writes in her author’s note, the phenomenon of sending kids to the United States alone isn’t uncommon for Chinese immigrants, but it’s one that is rarely talked about; she hopes her book will change that.
Parachute Kids is a powerful reminder that there is no universal experience of childhood. Many kids, for various reasons, are forced to assume adult responsibilities, from looking after younger siblings to putting food on the table. Shouldering burdens is tough, but so is loneliness; it’s easy for kids to assume they’re the only ones going through this, that everyone else has a so-called “normal” life. But more and more middle-grade novels are centering children who are forced to grow up fast. For some readers, the books below will be eye-opening, while others will see their own experiences reflected in these pages.
“It takes a village to raise a child.” These words don’t impress the narrator of Torrey Maldonado’s Hands (Nancy Paulsen Books, Jan. 24). Twelve-year-old Trevor’s stepfather went to jail for beating Trev’s mother, and now that he’s due to be released, the young Black boy feels he alone must protect the family from further abuse. While Trev’s stepfather has always told him it’s his duty to stand up for himself—with his fists if needed—various men in the neighborhood attempt to set him on a different path. Maldonado’s terse yet potent prose roils with Trev’s pent-up anguish. Though the book doesn’t wrap up neatly, his skepticism for the “it takes a village” mindset slowly evolves into appreciation as he realizes that his community is willing to step up for him.
The protagonist of Atinuke’s Nigeria-set Too Small Tola Gets Tough (Candlewick, March 21), illustrated by Onyinye Iwu, is no stranger to taking on adult responsibilities; an earlier installment in this chapter-book series saw her and her older siblings pitching in when their grandmother contracted malaria. Though things seem to be on the upswing now, life becomes complicated with the arrival of a global pandemic. To earn money, little Tola must work as a live-in servant for a prominent family. Atinuke keeps the tone matter-of-fact and lively, and though she depicts Tola as a resourceful heroine capable of solving problems that stymie adults, it’s clear that she’s a young child who more than anything longs to be with her grandmother.
Raised by her grandparents, Lizzie Chu, a 12-year-old Scottish Chinese girl, took over running the household when her grandmother died a year earlier, but she now has a new and much more daunting duty: watching out for her grandfather, Wai Gong, who’s showing signs of dementia. Lizzie’s convinced that a trip to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom will restabilize Wai Gong, but nothing goes according to plan. With Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu (Amulet/Abrams, March 28), illustrated by Natelle Quek, Maisie Chan crafts a poignant tale of a young girl discovering it’s OK to ask for help. Lizzie’s loneliness is especially palpable; readers in similar situations will feel reassured that they aren’t alone.
Mahnaz Dar is a young readers’ editor.
