I find it very hard to pinpoint why this book didn't work for me. The subject is interesting. I actually really liked the beginning, where we follow Tien Fu and how she experience slavery. It was very well-written and impactful.

It was the later parts that I didn't enjoy quite as much, when we start following Dolly. Who is super amazing, and all the girls cling to her, and everyone wants her to lead the mission house despite her being literally the newest worker there. I think this is partly because we barely see any of the other workers. Two translators are mentioned by name, and while you'd think the girls would cling to the people who can actually speak their language, only Tien Fu seems to do so, as far as we know.

We also have a part where Dolly goes out of her way to hug all the girls, including Tien Fu, who doesn't like her, and I guess it's suposed to be a cute moment, but all I could think is why would you force abused girls to hug you? Especially the one who you know doesn't like you? Am I supposed to believe all the girls were just okay with that, even the ones who were new and barely spoke English? Because I really don't think that's something you should do. I know it's nitpicky but it bothered me a lot, as someone who doesn't like hugs from people I don't know.

The topic is a very important one, but I don't think it's always described very well. One of the most interesting and confusing parts was when the police arrested one of the girls. Dolly was her legal guardian, but somehow the girl got taken from prison and released to a random dude who paid the ransom, who then kidnapped the girl and forced her to marry him? Despite her being underage without a guardian? I can totally believe there were corrupt police officers, but nothing gets explained... And then there suddenly is a riot because of this incident despite this happening a lot.

I think that's my biggest issue with this book, it doesn't really feel like one story. It feels like a bunch of scenes that have the same characters, but don't really flow together as well as I would like, which makes the story feel a bit disjointed. Add to that the simple language to contrast with the heavy topics and it just feels a bit lost.

While I think this is an important topic to talk about, I don't really think this book works as well as I would have liked.

I'm going to have to read the adult version of this novel. I was very moved by the real life people written about here.. How they endured so much but still were able to have some happiness in their life in the end.
It just breaks my heart that these poor girls and women had to endure so much.
I think the subject matter of this is very important. However, I don't think it translates well into teen fiction. The language was a bit too naive and simplistic. It's hard to describe. I really thought I was reading a middle grade except for the mentions of prostitution.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

“The Paper Daughters of Chinatown” is a juvenile level adaptation of the historical novel of the same name by Heather B. Moore, written by the original author and Allison Hong Merrill. It retells the historical story of Tien Fu Wu a girl sold by her father to brokers in America and Dolly Cameron a teacher at a mission home in San Francisco who rescue orphaned Chinese girls from their “owners”. While I felt like the book sometimes moved at too fast a pace to include all of its plot points, I still thought the adaptation for a younger audience was well done. Difficult topics like abuse, prostitution, and slavery are described and discussed in age appropriate terms and with honesty. The book tries to center the experiences of the Chinese girls, especially Tien Fu and does not veer into praising Miss Cameron and her fellow mission workers as a white saviors. One of the minor character is shown to have this mentality and is condemned by the characters for her views. Tien Fu and Dolly’s relationship was very touching. Tien Fu overcomes the traumas of her past with Dolly’s kind and understanding mentorship and together they go on to save even more young Chinese women. I believe this book can be enjoyed by young and old readers and sheds light on a part of lesser known American history.

I've read the adult version of this book, and wondered how they were going to adapt it, since so much of the content is disturbing: trafficking, forced prostitution, and all kinds of unimaginable mistreatment. I think the authors did a good job. They concentrated on one 6 year old girl being sold by her father to pay gambling debts, and follow her to America where she is sold several times more to work as a cleaner, cook, and babysitter. (The original book was quite a bit more graphic describing some of the girls' situations.) They do mention prostitution and bordellos in passing, but most of the references to opium are left out. This is an aspect of history that is unfamiliar to many, and it will be a good addition to historical fiction collections for teen readers. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A fascinating read on a topic that I knew very little about. Even though pitched for a younger age group, I know some of my Sixth Forners would love to.immerse themselves in this