April's Reviews > Finally Seen

This book spoke to me on multiple levels—as a teacher, an advocate for diverse children’s literature, and as the daughter of immigrants. It was truly everything my heart needed. Honestly, I picked it up for an extra credit book club, but it ended up being so much more.

Finally Seen discusses the importance of diversity, inclusion, and acceptance while also shedding light on the damaging effects of book bans and censorship on children. On top of that, through Lina's journey from China to America, it also tackles the challenges of assimilation and immigrantion. I especially loved Lina's resilience navigating her life despite so many ongoing struggles. Each character contributed some sort of added layer to the overall story and I appreciate the complexity Kelly Yang managed to intertwine through these stories despite this being a shorter middle grade book. I think each layer of the story showed that we might have a lot going on, but we are strong and capable enough to continue on and conquer these large challenges.

As someone completing their Masters in Elementary Education, with a focus on literacy and English language learners, I appreciated how Kelly Yang subtly referenced educational concepts like Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors. It added authenticity not only to Lina's experiences but also to the educational aspect of the book. There a million and ten other reasons I admire what Kelly Yang did with this story, but I don’t want this to be 30 pages long!!

So, to wrap it up, I encourage everyone to read this because it truly is a story with a message that resonates regardless of age and experience.