Ly-Lan is excited for third grade and even more excited to be in the same class as her BFF just like they have been each year before. On the first day of school, though, there is a mix-up and Ly-Lan and her BFF are not in the same class. Ly-Lan is placed with a new student with the hope of helping the new student feel comfortable. Ly-Lan tries to convince the principal to change their mind, but it doesn't work. In the end, Ly-Lan learns that she can have more than one BFF and that sometimes change is good!

Ly-Lan is sure that she and CeCe will be in the same class again, in 3rd grade. Ly-Lan even prayed about it. Unfortunately, it turns out they aren’t and her teacher wants her to help the new student, Quyen. Things will still be okay, because 3rd graders get to pick where they sit at lunch-only this year it changed and they can’t. Ly-Lan struggles through this problem, but in the end realizes it time to make new friends while keeping the old ones.

A good message and just right for a 2nd or 3rd grade girl. I think many students have had this problems and can understand all the Ly-Lan goes through.

When Ly-Lan and Cece discover they have been assigned to different third grade classrooms, they become frantic in their assertions that a mistake must have been made. Certainly, the principal and their teachers would not separate two best friends who have spent every moment together and been in the same classroom and shared the same teacher since the first day of kindergarten. However, even after writing a letter to principal Grant, Ly-Lan is informed that they will remain in their third-grade classrooms as assigned. This charming children's book about the challenges of growing up and attending school will have children entertained and amused. Valuable lessons instilled include acceptance, kindness, speaking one's mind, and ultimately learning that sometimes things work out differently than we wish but that it is typically always for a wonderful reason.

The characters are well written and believable. The narrative flows well and seems well suited for young readers. The dialogue is charming and engaging. The fact that the author adds a glossary at the end shows the magnitude of dedication toward this book and that children of all socioeconomic cultures can easily access and internalize the meanings of this delightful book.

Thank you for the advanced copy! This was a great story for young readers and very well written! The pictures were entertaining!

Cute story with an obvious "moral" for kids. A bit too obvious really. My 7yo quickly lost interest.
I'm sure parents will like this one, but kids probably won't be as into it. The "Woah, Moms are magical!" part seemed like such an adult-perspective, as did the majority of the book.

Also - I'd strongly advise taking out the "Dad says if I really want something to get on my knees."
Umm... I understand they're talking about prayer, but that does not come across well. At all. Maybe a rephrase at least.

In my elementary school, getting into the third grade was a big thing. We were upstairs, and we were learning how to do cursive, and multiplication as well as division. We also got to play on the larger lower level playground with the other big kids.

So, in this new picture book, Ly-Lan, and her best friend Cece are all so happy that they have made it to third grade, where they will have more privileges. That they will be able to sit anywhere in the cafeteria, in any seat they want. And to make sure that Cece is in her classroom, Ly-Lan does a quick prayer, because her parents have told her that will work wonders.

Needless to say, nothing works the way Ly-Lan thinks. Cece is in a different classroom, and the third graders no longer can pick where they sit.

This is a good book for kids of this age, because these sorts of disappointments happen so often with kids. I think it helps to see this is normal. I also liked how, because Ly-Lan was a second generation Vietnamese-American, that she had to learn Vietnamese, so she could talk to her grandparents.

This is the start of a new series, there will be others. Thanks to Netgalley for making tis book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 34d of June 2025.

Loved this story! Loved the illustrations scattered throughout. This was the cutesiest story of a a third grader learning about friendship. I loved the incorporation of her Vietnamese culture into the story. Beautifully written and illustrated

This is a super cute small chapter book with more books coming in the series. I could see 2nd and 3rd graders relating to this book, since they are getting older and want to have more choices at school. The main character was reflective in the way she responded to a situation at school. I could use this to teach many lessons, including writing and SEL. I also loved that the characters were from different backgrounds, just as my students are in my own classroom.