Book 1: Cartoon GirlThe first book is a story for anyone who has ever worried about fitting in. Eleven-year-old Anna Mei Anderson is not only the new kid at school, she's the new kid who has a weird name, an adoptive family she doesn't remotely resemble, and an unknown birth mother somewhere back in China. She decides she'd better get busy changing into someone a little less...unusual. It may not be exactly honest but it seems a lot safer.
Soon Anna Mei is paying a high price for her deception. Then a school project about family heritage brings things to a head—what does "heritage" mean to someone like her? The answers only come when she stops long enough to listen to her own voice, and the voices of the people who've cared about her all along.
For ages 8-12
Pauline Kids (April 2010)
Book Trailer & Reviews here
Buying Info here
Discussion Questions here
Book 2: Escape ArtistWith sixth-grade graduation behind her, it's time for Anna Mei to spend her first summer in Michigan. Her plans include visits to the science museum and nature center, a week at volleyball camp, and plenty of time to just hang out. Not in the plan? All the hurdles that threaten to ruin her summer, including the ones that challenge her relationship with both family and friends. How will Anna Mei handle such an unexpected situation?
For ages 8-12
Pauline Kids (March 2011)
Book Trailer & reviews here
Buying info here
Discussion Questions here
Book 3: Blessing in DisguiseWinner of the 2012
Catholic Arts and Letters Award for Excellence in Children's Fiction
Seventh grade means another new school for Anna Mei. Only this time she's not the new kid—this time she has things all figured out. Then another family moves into town, including a boy named Kai Chen who Anna Mei seems to bump into at every turn. Suddenly things don't seem so clear anymore, and Anna Mei's feelings about her own identity and Chinese heritage—feelings she thought had been settled—just won't stay buried.
For ages 8-12
