In the Beautiful Country

Kuo debuts with a pensive novel in verse centering a Taiwanese girl grappling with a new life in America. On the cusp of her 11th birthday in 1980, Zhang Ai Shi leaves behind the only place she’s ever known—along with all the people, places, and food that she loves—to move with her mother from Taipei to Duarte, California, and join her father to co-run a small fast-food restaurant. Their new home is in “the beautiful country,” as America is translated in Chinese, but it doesn’t feel beautiful, and it definitely doesn’t feel like home. As she works to familiarize herself with unfamiliar language, surroundings, and traditions, Ai Shi grapples for joy and comfort amid increasingly upsetting changes, including instances of classism, school bullies, and vandals attacking the family’s struggling new business as well as leveling racist slurs. Together, Ai Shi’s family must find a way to adjust while holding on to their memories and to each other. Employing a reflective tone and sincere lines that capture the heartbreak of leaving home alongside a clear portrayal of the family’s varied experiences, Kuo paints a vivid story of interpersonal bonds and persistence that also touches on nuances of navigating shared Taiwanese and Chinese ancestry. Ages 8–up. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (June)