A GLASSHOUSE OF STARS

A seemingly ordinary greenhouse provides a gateway to hope and resilience in this moving tale.

Meixing and her family, who are cued as Chinese, have immigrated to a strange place she calls the New Land. She names the overwhelmingly large house that is now her home “Big Scary” because of its eerie lights and labyrinth of rooms. The house feels alive, and its peculiarity unsettles Meixing, who already feels out of place with her braided black hair, raggedy hand-me-downs, and skin that is darker than that of people in this new place. Meixing finds solace when an exploratory trip to her backyard reveals an enchanted orchard inside a greenhouse. When she retreats to this fantastical space, worlds of possibility and hope open up. She brings Kevin and Josh, two friends who are also outsiders at school with their respective Vietnamese and Middle Eastern backgrounds, to the greenhouse. Together they discover their inner strength and the power of friendship. The unusual, immersive second-person narration allows readers to immediately empathize with Meixing’s fears and heartache. This style also helps modulate the pace so that the gentle unfolding of the greenhouse’s secrets feels like being enveloped in a warm hug while the urgency of an unexpected crisis is felt swiftly and intensely. The story feels universal, like it could take place anywhere and at any time, although textual clues point to the 1980s.

A tender, touching narrative about facing challenges by embracing the magic we hold within ourselves.