When eleven year old Kimberly Chang moves with her mother from their home in Hong Kong to New York, she expects tall skyscrapers, glistening department stores and an exciting new life. However the reality is very different. Girl in Translation opens with Kimberly and her mother arriving at their apartment in New York and discovering that it is not anything like what they had imagined. What they find is an apartment that has dead roaches all covering the floors, broken windows and a single old, stained mattress.

They soon find themselves living in complete poverty, staying in the extremely rundown apartment that is below freezing in the winter and too hot in the summer. Having spent all their money on the move to New York they are in debt to Kimberly’s Aunt Paula, whose kindness to them is actually not as kind as it seems. As Kimberly and her mother struggle to earn enough money to survive, they also have to adapt to the foreign culture. To pay back the debt they owe to Aunt Paula, Kimberly and her mother work in a factory in Chinatown, a factory run by their Aunt Paula. Most shocking about this story is that it is based on fact, from the experiences of the author; the conditions that Kimberly lives in are, at times, horrifying to read about.

This is the first book written by Jean Kwok and it is absolutely amazing – her writing has a way of making you feel involved in the story, wanting Kimberly and her mother to find a better life for themselves. The book is written in first person, portraying Kimberly’s point of view. As a reader you follow Kimberly as she learns to understand and speak English, as she starts at a new school where everyone expects her to speak perfect English, and as she struggles to fit in and make friends. You are with Kimberly as she hears a sentence in English and struggles to work out the translation. Kimberly, however, is a very smart and talented child and soon things start to turn around for her at school.

A mixture of triumph and defeat, love and absolute heartbreak, this is a truly inspirational book, it will make you really appreciate what you have. An unforgettable and emotional book, this story will stay with you for a long time after you read it.

Reviewed by Jade Cranwell

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