Lily Xiao Speaks Out

Gr 3-7–Lily Xiao, Pacific Middle Student of the Year, finds her voice in Chen’s latest. This story is set in the early 1990s and features many references to Pearl Jam and grunge music. Lily channels her inner rocker to challenge authority and fight for what she believes in. Her family immigrated to the United States from Taiwan before she was born, while her cousin Vivian’s family has arrived more recently. Vivian’s grades aren’t stellar because of the added difficulty of navigating classes in a school that has an immersive English-only policy. What begins as a simple wish to attend Camp Rock Out with Vivian becomes a fight for getting ESL classes at school to help students whose native language is not English. At first, Lily’s family discourages her from trying to bring about change because of what happened when Ah Gong (grandfather) spoke out in Taiwan. Despite this, Lily persists; she learns to speak up, channel her inner Eddie Vedder, and be a force for change to help others. Lily’s family grows to become supportive, as does the community of Pacific Middle School, as Lily speaks to the school board and advocates for ESL classes.