This story also has an excellent portrayal of a young boy with ADHD. Poor Knox struggles with impulsiveness, and he always feels like he’s either in trouble or about to be in trouble. This is why being diagnosed is so essential. Without it, kids end up thinking that something is wrong with them.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

Another fabulous title from the award-winning author of the Front Desk series that focuses on resilience, courage, and kindness.

Against the backdrop of the increasing spread of the Coronavirus, Knox and his family move to California from Hong Kong, thinking they will be safe. The transition isn't smooth for Knox and his siblings, especially since their dad can't come with them. Not only does Knox have to adjust to being the new kid, he and his family encounter intolerance and racism as the virus spreads. The family undergoes a lot of stress, and Knox struggles with blurting things out. Yang focus on the message of kindness, even as she realistically portrays what lockdown was like. "Love is the only vaccine for hate. It's love that gets us through the hard times and it's love that will bind us back together as community, nation and world."

I was very excited for the opportunity to read this book. I loved the Front Desk series. New From Here did not dissapoint. Knox's world changes when her mom decided she will take Knox and her siblings from their home in Hong Kong to the United States to get away from the coronavirus. They flee Hong Kong and move to California. Soon though Covid makes it's way to the US. The anti-Asian racism that follows is challenging for Knox's family on top of worries about the pandemic and money struggles.

I enjoyed this middle grade novel set during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. It had a great perspective as Knox moves to the US with his mom and siblings and leaves his dad behind in Hong Kong. Knox has to learn how to adjust to life in a new place, with a mom he didn't see much before, and dealing with ADHD and racism.

This is a great novel and done very well, but I do wonder how well it will be received as so many are tired of hearing about anything pandemic related.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

This book offers important perspectives - of an Asian family during the pandemic who faces racism, of a family separated by the pandemic, and a family having difficult financial times. These are important perspectives that need to be part of the stories we are highlighting and to develop empathy in children readers. I also love that the main character has ADHD. I work with so many students who gave ADHD, Autism, anxiety, learning disabilities, and other things that may make them not neurotypical, and we need more main characters with those for kids to connect to. A lot of kids will relate to Knox.

I don't know if I was quite as ready as I thought to read a pandemic book. Eep. That being said, I loved Knox as a character, as well as all the difficult topics this book tackled in a really easy-to-understand way. This is perfect for kids on the younger spectrum of middle grade!

10yo Knox Wei-Evans was living in Hong Kong with his family as the novel COVID-19 virus began to spread in China. Concerned for the family's health and safety, Knox's mom decides to take the children to their home in California. Knox doesn't get along well with his older brother 12yo Bowen, and he has had to leave his dad (who is his best friend) behind. Bowen hates middle school, and their younger sister Lea is having trouble making friends. Even Knox, who has a caring teacher, and a new friend, is facing racism as kids are targeting the Evans kids because they are Asian.

It isn't too soon for COVID-19 children's fiction. More a story about Knox who didn't know he had ADHD until he overheard his mother enrolling him in public school, than his brother and sister. I appreciated that Kelly Yang wrote from experience, not only the COVID-19 experience but also showed how the children face racism at school. Covid Tag was horrible. I can only imagine what Bowen was subjected to, as he kept what was going on at school to himself. We only got a glimpse at his track meets. With Knox as the central character, this is placed solidly in upper elementary, so l was a bit daunted by the page count, however, the chapters are short, making it more accessible. I believe that it would appeal to a middle school audience as well. Yang's Front Desk series is popular, I'm excited to recommend this as well. Knox's family is Asian

I love how Kelly Yang writes! Her books are a great way for my students to see themselves in the pages of a book, or to learn about a culture that may be new to them, in a setting that is familiar. This was a great novel and I will be purchasing it for my classroom library to join the other Kelly Yang novels on those shelves.

This is a really important and relevant book, and I'm so glad that someone has written a story about the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic and some of the realities surrounding it. .Many kids aren't aware of how it kind of "crept" into Americans' consciousness, or how very few people anticipated it would become as deadly and destructive to every day life as it did. As with her previous books, I like how Kelly Yang did not sugar coat anything, but approached the difficult topics with a directness and honesty that shows a great respect for her young readers.

Infused with the main theme of a family dealing with the coronavirus are underlying themes of race relations, sibling relationships, and a boy dealing with his own reality of learning he's got ADHD. Like the topic of the coronavirus, these others are handled delicately, but with a realism that readers will understand. I think there is a lot in this book that will make readers, regardless of cultural background, have the opportunity to see something of themselves in these pages.

This is a book that is relevant today. It also is a great window into experiences from an Asian family living through COVID and the scary times it brought. The main character has ADHD and a family has to live apart from their dad to survive. It is funny and pulls at emotions. It was a good book by Kelly Yang. Front Desk is still my favorite.


Thank you to the publisher and author for the DRC.

Wow! Could not put this one down! This story highlights a family living in Hong Kong at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, who move to California seeking safety. The family faces racism, financial instability, and the challenge of single parenting, as their dad remains in Hong Kong for his work. The main character, Knox, is a middle child grappling with ADHD, and his impulsive actions often get him into trouble, but can also serve as an invisible superpower at times, as he truly has a heart of gold and usually means well, even when things go awry. Reading about the beginning of the pandemic was actually more emotional than I realized it would be, and it brought back SO many memories of my own lockdown experiences. I appreciate Kelly Yang’s sensitive and realistic portrayal of the experience, particularly as it relates to Asian Americans.

I really enjoy Kelly Yang's writing. Yang does a wonderful job bringing in difficult topics for kids to read. I believe reading about these things in stories helps them develop a sense of their own understanding and awareness.

Reading this with my kids, they felt so understood as they're Asian-American. It was important to find books where they felt heard.

Kelly Yang is an AMAZING author/writer.

Her stories are so true and realistic, yet so magical all at the same time.
Her books have made me laugh, cry and feel for the characters. They also inspire and encourage kids (and adults) to speak out against racism.

I love Yang's Front Desk series and this stand alone story that is completely separate from that world gives a good look at how Covid-19 complicated everyone's lives, especially the lives of Asian Americans.

Knox is the child of an American father and Chinese mother who, along with his older brother and sister, have to adjust to life right as the Coronavirus pandemic begins. Since they live in Hong Kong they decide to go to San Francisco to be safe, but Knox's father has to stay to work. When they get to the U.S. they enroll in school and face racism there. This part of the story offers much to be discussed with young readers who can weigh in on issues such as prejudice, racism, and bullying.
As news reports spread that the Coronavirus is sweeping the globe, the siblings become determined to raise money so that their father can return to the family. This also is a good discussion point to have with young readers who may have experience with trying to solve an adult's problem in their own way.
When their mother loses her job it becomes even more urgent to form a strong bond as a family and community. The siblings use their neighborhood to help others and this is another example of readers thinking about who they know in their community outside of their family.
Knox's ADHD is well-written and since it is from his point of view, the reader gets a first hand look at what goes on in the mind of someone with that condition. This is great for teachers, parents of other ADHD. children, and pre-service teachers to read in order to better empathize with the effects of ADHD.
Yang writes this story with a tenderness that is needed in this world where the nation is facing rising hate crimes against immigrants and people of Asian ancestry. I would definitely add this book to my school and home library since it is a powerful story about one family's determination to stay united in time of uncertainty.

I started reading this one and just wasn't getting into it like I had with Kelly Yang's past books, so set it aside. But then when I was later able to get an audiobook version, I was hooked. The reader gave it life and really enjoyed a different viewpoint other than my own of dealing with covid-19. The characters had a lot to adapt to, and enjoyed seeing how they got through it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC of this book.

So many people have been impacted by Covid-19 but this story tells of how one boy’s family was impacted when the pandemic began. Knox, his older brother, younger sister, and mom leave Hong Kong for San Francisco, figuring it would be safer. Dad has to stay behind because of work. In this excellent work, based on the author’s own experiences, not only do they not escape coronavirus, but they also face difficulties stemming from the family being split, job loss, new schools, and extreme racism.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this honest portrayal of what it was like to be Asian American as so many people were scared of what was to come. It was incredibly hard to see so many experiences of racism and hate but hopefully love will overcome hate in the end.

I had heard much about Yang's writing, but I hadn't read anything by her until this book. I truly enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and I felt for the changes in their lives. It is the first book that I've read that shows the story of COVID. It was interesting to remember the fear of not knowing what was going to happen and how bad it was. It was a wonderful story!

This was a great book! Kelly Yang did such an excellent job giving the reader a look inside the mind and behavior of a 10 year old child with ADHD. Knox, his mother, older brother and younger sister hurriedly leave their home in Hong Kong in January 2020 as restrictions tighten up in Asia as COVID makes its appearance there. Their father stays in Hong Kong for his job while Knox's mother who has a very well paying job in banking in Hong Kong flies to California where they have a house they go to in the summer that was left to them from a member of their family. At first they all believe that having to stay in the United States will be in the short term because COVID would never make its way to the US, but over the next couple of months the family is forced to deal with many unexpected situations. Loss and downsizing of jobs, loss of health insurance, sibling rivalry, school bullying, racism, and missing their dad all take its toll on the family. While dealing with these hardships, this family realizes they are stronger when they work together rather than when they work alone. The children realize they need each other to cope with all the changes happening in their lives. The main character Knox, is such a cool kid. HIs ADHD often gets him into trouble but he comes up with brilliant ideas and is so caring that it's easy to overlook some of the crazy things he gets himself into. Based on Kelly Yang's own experiences with the COVID pandemic and her children, the reader gets a first hand look at how Asian Americans have been treated during the pandemic and it's very sad. This is a book that should be read aloud to students especially in grades 4-6. There's so much young readers can get out of this book-empathy, understanding of AHD, and the effects of racism on others. Highly recommend this book.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.