Cloudwish

August 22, 2016
Van Uoc Phan’s hardworking parents, refugees from Vietnam, have a dream for her in Australia: they want her to become a doctor and expect her to focus on her studies at her prestigious Melbourne school. She
wants to be an artist, however, and spends a great deal of time fantasizing about her crush, athletic ladies’ man Billy Gardiner. When her wish to be noticed by him mysteriously comes true, she suspects that magic is afoot, especially after Billy seems to want more than friendship. The question of whether Billy is actually spellbound or truly falling in love creates suspense throughout the novel, as Van Uoc begins to enjoy being swept off her feet. Besides tracing the excitement and anxiety associated with first love (real or imagined), Wood (Six Impossible Things) offers insight into conflicts emerging from the clash of old and new values, the traumas refugees face, and the struggles of the children of first-generation immigrants. It’s an inspiring story with a sympathetic heroine, who will especially appeal to those who feel pressured to follow paths they don’t want to travel. Ages 12–up. Agent: Cheryl Pientka, Jill Grinberg Literary Management.

A Vietnamese-Australian teen grapples with her family expectations.Sixteen-year-old Van Uoc, a child of Vietnamese refugees, is the perfect daughter and student. As a scholarship student in private school, she is under immense pressure to earn straight A's, play the oboe, and participate in her school's community life. During a creative-writing master class, she makes an offhanded wish that Billy, a popular white boy, would like her. Her wish becomes a reality when he suddenly pays attention to her. Although Van Uoc is initially suspicious of Billy's wish-fueled intentions, she allows herself to date him--but she'll never know for sure. Wood's attempt to walk in a Vietnamese-Aussie teen's shoes feels removed, as if she's translating. Van Uoc's character comes across as simultaneously self-loathing and indifferent even when she is supposed to be angry or sad. Missing cultural nuances, such as her failure to call an adult the respectful Ong or Ba, will stand out for Asian-American readers. Some characters, such as privileged Billy and "lesbian-in-waiting" best friend Jess, seem to exist merely as elements on a hidden diversity checklist. The text's inconsistent italicization of Vietnamese words is distracting; many foods are not italicized, yet terms for father, mother, and daughter are. Van Uoc's struggle to reconcile her parents' wishes and her passion for art is a tired conflict, especially for Asian characters. Misguided. (Fiction. 13-17) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Van Uoc Phan is a student at Crowthorne Grammar. She's a "scholarship kid" from Vietnam whose parents came to Melbourne, Australia, by boat after the fall of Saigon. Her observations about being privileged are sharp but not critical. She's also more concerned with her mother's chronic depression than she is with her own assimilation, and together mother and daughter offer a more complete picture of what it's like to live-and succeed-in an unfamiliar culture. Van Uoc works hard and earns excellent grades, but socially she's supposed to disappear, a message she gets from both ends: her peers feel their turf is crowded enough, and her parents dictate a strict schedule that leaves her no time off. They pin their hopes on Van Uoc's future. She's a good girl who nonetheless sees through her parents. Enter Billy Gardiner, who is Van Uoc's secret crush. When he notices her, she thinks she's been found out, and, even more confusing, he seems so nice. It turns out they share a rebellious streak; she wants to be an art major but has so far kept this from her parents, who expect her to go to med school. And the Gardiner men have rowed crew for three generations, but Billy's pranks may cost him his position as team coach. He's also entitled and a bit mischievous: Will Van Uoc lose her head? If they suspend disbelief that two teens from very different worlds can fall in love, readers will enjoy this culminating book in Wood's trilogy. VERDICT A strong choice for YA collections, especially where the author's previous novels are popular.-Georgia Christgau, Middle College High School, Long Island City, NY

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2016
Grades 9-12 Van U?c, daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, is a first-generation Australian, and apart from chafing under intense academic pressures and the expectations of her parents, she's nursing a crush on the golden boy of her grade, Billy Gardiner. When a wish that Billy found her . . . fascinating impossibly comes true, the popular, athletic Billy can't leave her alone. At first, she's sure it's a trick, especially when in-crowd mean girls start spreading cruel rumors about her. Soon, there's no denying his interest, but is his love for real or is it just the wish? Though Wood's description of the immigrant experience often feels fairly paint-by-numbers and the romance comes across a bit half-baked, Wood is perhaps best at capturing the rich, sometimes contradictory teenage emotional landscape, and that's what's most powerful here. Brainy, mostly self-assured Van U?c waffles between confidence, desire, insecurity, guilt, and loyalty, and Wood coolly unspools it all. Fans of her earlier novels will be pleased to see some familiar faces, and others might find solidarity in Van U?c's moving coming-of-age.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2017
Vietnamese Australian teen Vbn U's'c Phan (Wildlife) is an artist; her Vietnamese-immigrant parents expect her to become a doctor. Her longtime crush, popular and privileged white guy Billy, also feels smothered by parental expectations. The exploration of Vbn U's'c's mixed feelings toward her parents is emotionally compelling in this satisfying teen love story enhanced by a bit of magical realism involving a wish.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2016
The Australian author's third novel focuses on two minor characters from Wildlife (rev. 11/14). Van U'o'c Phan is a hardworking scholarship student, an artist, and the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants who expect her to become a doctor. Van U'o'c's longtime secret crush, the ridiculously good-looking Billy Gardiner, is a popular athlete, a carefree prankster, and a privileged white guy. When Billy suddenly shows an interest in her, Van U'o'c is sure it's part of an elaborate joke but soon finds he has a serious side and, like her, feels smothered by parental expectations. As satisfying and accurate as the teen love story feels, the exploration of Van U'o'c's mixed feelings toward her parents is even more emotionally compelling. Her mother suffers from PTSD, and her parents refuse to talk about their horrific refugee experience, the details of which Van U'o'c both does and does not want to know. The pressure on her to succeed is stifling but, at the same time, her parents are her heroes. Her other hero is Jane Eyrelike her, Jane is inconspicuousbut her presence is strong. A bit of magical realism involving a wish (Van U'o'c's name translates to Cloudwish ) helps enhance the plot and adds a touch of mystery. Wildlife fans will rejoice to see Michael, Sibylla, and Lou (who also appeared in Six Impossible Things, rev. 9/15) here, too, and will hope for more stories from this small universe of connected characters. jennifer m. brabander

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 15, 2016
A Vietnamese-Australian teen grapples with her family expectations.Sixteen-year-old Van Uoc, a child of Vietnamese refugees, is the perfect daughter and student. As a scholarship student in private school, she is under immense pressure to earn straight A's, play the oboe, and participate in her school's community life. During a creative-writing master class, she makes an offhanded wish that Billy, a popular white boy, would like her. Her wish becomes a reality when he suddenly pays attention to her. Although Van Uoc is initially suspicious of Billy's wish-fueled intentions, she allows herself to date him--but she'll never know for sure. Wood's attempt to walk in a Vietnamese-Aussie teen's shoes feels removed, as if she's translating. Van Uoc's character comes across as simultaneously self-loathing and indifferent even when she is supposed to be angry or sad. While Van Uoc respectfully uses "Bac" to address her father's boss, her failure to extend the use of honorifics to other adults in her neighborhood may stand out for Asian-American readers. Some characters, such as privileged Billy and "lesbian-in-waiting" best friend Jess, seem to exist merely as elements on a hidden diversity checklist. Van Uoc's struggle to reconcile her parents' wishes and her passion for art is a tired conflict, especially for Asian characters. [Note: this review has been revised from the one originally published to reflect changes made to the book since the printing of the advance review copy.] Misguided. (Fiction. 13-17)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2016
A Vietnamese-Australian teen grapples with her family expectations.Sixteen-year-old Vn Uoc, a child of Vietnamese refugees, is the perfect daughter and student. As a scholarship student in private school, she is under immense pressure to earn straight As, play the oboe, and participate in her schools community life. During a creative-writing master class, she makes an offhanded wish that Billy, a popular white boy, would like her. Her wish becomes a reality when he suddenly pays attention to her. Although Vn Uoc is initially suspicious of Billys wish-fueled intentions, she allows herself to date himbut shell never know for sure. Woods attempt to walk in a Vietnamese-Aussie teens shoes feels removed, as if shes translating. Vn Uocs character comes across as simultaneously self-loathing and indifferent even when she is supposed to be angry or sad. Missing cultural nuances, such as her failure to call an adult the respectful ng or B, will stand out for Asian-American readers. Some characters, such as privileged Billy and lesbian-in-waiting best friend Jess, seem to exist merely as elements on a hidden diversity checklist. The texts inconsistent italicization of Vietnamese words is distracting; many foods are not italicized, yet terms for father, mother, and daughter are. Vn Uocs struggle to reconcile her parents wishes and her passion for art is a tired conflict, especially for Asian characters. Misguided. (Fiction. 13-17)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 8, 2015
Vân Uoc doesn’t believe in magic wishes. So when her long-time crush Billy notices her for the first time after she makes a wish on a weird glass vial from her creative-writing class, she knows it is a total coincidence. Only … Vân Uoc can’t get it out of her head. And between trying to keep her parents from realising she’d much rather be an artist than a doctor, juggling the very different worlds of home and school, and surviving her International Baccalaureate, Vân Uoc does not need the distraction. Set in Melbourne and reflecting on class, race and following your heart, Cloudwish rings with an authentic teenage voice that captures the frustration of seeing the problems in your world and not being able to change them. Vân Uoc’s combination of shyness and passion is incredibly believable, and she broke my heart several times over the course of this book with her painfully accurate reflections on the way the world sees her. About bullying, friendship, first love, family drama and Jane Eyre, there isn’t a single person who is or was a teenager who won’t be able to identify with this beautiful, powerful new book from Fiona Wood. 

Meg Whelan is the children’s book buyer at the Hill of Content bookshop in Melbourne