New From Here
- Downloads：5985
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-13 06:52:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kelly Yang
- ISBN：1398505005
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
An Asian American boy fights to keep his family together and stand up to racism during the initial outbreak of the coronavirus。
When the coronavirus hits Hong Kong， ten-year-old Knox Wei-Evans’s mom makes the last-minute decision to move him and his siblings back to California， where they think they will be safe。 Suddenly， Knox has two days to prepare for an international move—and for leaving his dad， who has to stay for work。
At his new school in California， Knox struggles with being the new kid。 His classmates think that because he’s from Asia， he must have brought over the virus。 At home， Mom just got fired and is panicking over the loss of health insurance， and Dad doesn’t even know when he’ll see them again， since the flights have been cancelled。 And everyone struggles with Knox’s blurting-things-out problem。
As racism skyrockets during COVID-19， Knox tries to stand up to hate， while finding his place in his new country。 Can you belong if you’re feared; can you protect if you’re new？ And how do you keep a family together when you’re oceans apart？ Sometimes when the world is spinning out of control， the best way to get through it is to embrace our own lovable uniqueness。
When the coronavirus hits Hong Kong， ten-year-old Knox Wei-Evans’s mom makes the last-minute decision to move him and his siblings back to California， where they think they will be safe。 Suddenly， Knox has two days to prepare for an international move—and for leaving his dad， who has to stay for work。
At his new school in California， Knox struggles with being the new kid。 His classmates think that because he’s from Asia， he must have brought over the virus。 At home， Mom just got fired and is panicking over the loss of health insurance， and Dad doesn’t even know when he’ll see them again， since the flights have been cancelled。 And everyone struggles with Knox’s blurting-things-out problem。
As racism skyrockets during COVID-19， Knox tries to stand up to hate， while finding his place in his new country。 Can you belong if you’re feared; can you protect if you’re new？ And how do you keep a family together when you’re oceans apart？ Sometimes when the world is spinning out of control， the best way to get through it is to embrace our own lovable uniqueness。
Reviews
Eli
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I have mixed feelings about this book as a librarian。 It is way too long unfortunately。 It felt like that meme that pokes fun at people fumbling in infomercials and an after school story。 Too many kind of dumb things happen and the fact that the parents just don’t even notice or correct the kids is kind of unbelievable！ The kids were quite spoiled and unaware of their privilege or how it comes across， even when the mom tries to explain former circumstances。 Which is contrary to the authors actua I have mixed feelings about this book as a librarian。 It is way too long unfortunately。 It felt like that meme that pokes fun at people fumbling in infomercials and an after school story。 Too many kind of dumb things happen and the fact that the parents just don’t even notice or correct the kids is kind of unbelievable！ The kids were quite spoiled and unaware of their privilege or how it comes across， even when the mom tries to explain former circumstances。 Which is contrary to the authors actual real life so it was hard to connect the two things for me。 They owned a home in the US and could afford to fly four people to the US and order lots of takeout and Ubers， they worried about money but never made any actual strides to save or be spendthrift。 So the disconnect to privilege， especially when trying to make a statement about racism， was really odd。 The writing is smooth in spite of its shortcomings， which made it easier to read。 But all characters had the same voice and manners， they felt one dimensional and interchangeable。 The mom spoke and acted just like the children， if that makes sense。 The little sister was like an afterthought with no real depth other than to chime in quips here and there， and make cute statements。 All of this is to say， Covid is still raw for a lot of people。 Maybe pass if you’re not ready for that。 （Which just reminded me to wonder how plausible it is that a child gets left in the hospital for 3 days with the flu？！） Maybe in the rush to publish this timely novel， some editing and fine tuning was skipped。 。。。more
Jill Ramig
，
Knox moves with his mom and siblings from Hong Kong to CA when the coronavirus is just beginning。 His dad remains behind。 Knox misses his dad terribly and has to deal with the spreading disease， racism and ADHD。 He has a good heart but doesn't always think things through。 #bookexcursion @kellyyanghk Knox moves with his mom and siblings from Hong Kong to CA when the coronavirus is just beginning。 His dad remains behind。 Knox misses his dad terribly and has to deal with the spreading disease， racism and ADHD。 He has a good heart but doesn't always think things through。 #bookexcursion @kellyyanghk 。。。more
Eva
，
Kelly Yang has written a heartwarming story in "New From Here。" During the beginning of Covid， the family left Hong Kong （Mom and the 3 children） while the Father stayed behind for work。 Yang shows a realistic portrayal of the challenges faced by the children as they return to California after many years living abroad as ex-pats in HK。 I loved the creativity of the kids in raising money to pay for their father's air fare home。 At the same time， they take the initiative to send out resumes on his Kelly Yang has written a heartwarming story in "New From Here。" During the beginning of Covid， the family left Hong Kong （Mom and the 3 children） while the Father stayed behind for work。 Yang shows a realistic portrayal of the challenges faced by the children as they return to California after many years living abroad as ex-pats in HK。 I loved the creativity of the kids in raising money to pay for their father's air fare home。 At the same time， they take the initiative to send out resumes on his behalf。 Surprisingly， they were not as successful during the phone interviews。 Kelly Yang does a wonderful job in weaving the issue of racism faced by the children and their Mother。Thankyou Goodreads for the book。 。。。more
Marathon County Public Library
，
When COVID-19 hits Hong Kong， one family is forced to separate and span two countries in an effort to protect each other。 Based on the author’s own experience during the start of our current COVID-19 pandemic， the author tells the story of Knox and his siblings when they’re forced to travel from Hong Kong to California in a matter of days。 Thinking California will be safer for their kids， the parents are forced to live on different continents while struggling to maintain their jobs and their saf When COVID-19 hits Hong Kong， one family is forced to separate and span two countries in an effort to protect each other。 Based on the author’s own experience during the start of our current COVID-19 pandemic， the author tells the story of Knox and his siblings when they’re forced to travel from Hong Kong to California in a matter of days。 Thinking California will be safer for their kids， the parents are forced to live on different continents while struggling to maintain their jobs and their safety， and dealing with the rising racism that grew exponentially during our current pandemic。For the children， it’s a journey of self-discovery， friendship， and new experiences， with wonderful life lessons for readers along the way。 I loved how Knox told his brother Bowen that “Being the man doesn’t mean being harsh。 It means you’re kind to those you love （339）"。 I also loved how the characters grew in their relationships with each other especially。 In their own way， each family member struggled in the beginning with loneliness。 As Knox tells readers， “…just because you have a lot of people around you doesn’t make you less lonely。 It just makes your loneliness more squished （26）。" Along the way they realize the power of family and friendship， of how family accepts you for who you are， and in the end， how everyone is connected。 As Knox so wonderfully puts it， “If we’ve learned one thing this year， it’s that we’re all connected to each other。 We all breathe the same air into our lungs。 None of us are immune to each other’s problems。 That’s why we have to care about each other （328）。"I think every reader can relate to parts of this story after the last few years。 For those like myself who have the privilege not to experience racism like the characters in this book， my hope is that empathy， compassion， and a desire for change bloom in the face of these characters’ （and so many others’） experience with racism。 As the author so powerfully puts it， racism is “…a pandemic just as terrifying” （343） as our current pandemic。 This is a must read， along with the author’s other fantastic Front Desk series！Sarah M。 / Marathon County Public Library Find this book in our library catalog。 。。。more
Lorie
，
This was our May book club selection。 I would rate this as 3。5 stars if I could give it another half star in the rating field。 I will add a more complete review after our meeting on Wednesday。
Fatma
，
There’s a reason why Kelly Yang’s books are popular with kids。 She’s honest， engaging and is the voice for so many kids。 Great story！
Sandi
，
If something comes out of a pandemic， it might as well be a great story！ 😍 Not just the scariness of it， but finding some good and this book did that。 Not to mention tackling other big issues in society such as racism， friendship and the power of love。
Mrs。MakesReadingFun
，
LOVED！Great story， and amazing themes to explore。
Emily
，
I loved this book because of all the very powerful messages， because of the characters， and the heart-warming moments。 New From Here is a really powerful book， and I highly recommend reading it！
Pearl Bass
，
This book made me stressed。 It was just bad decision after bad decision。 I guess that's how it is with kids sometimes。 Overall， I found this to be a very valuable story， even if it made me want to tear my hair out。 This book made me stressed。 It was just bad decision after bad decision。 I guess that's how it is with kids sometimes。 Overall， I found this to be a very valuable story， even if it made me want to tear my hair out。 。。。more
Bethany Johnson
，
A heartwarming and poignant tale of perseverance in the midst of the world turning upside down。 Kelly Yang takes us on another adventure full of immigration， racism， family， and ADHD。 May we all try to be continually courageous and make the world a better place。
Kimberly
，
*4
John Yingling
，
An interesting book， but I thought the message got a bit heavy-handed at the end。
Tweller83
，
I received this from for free as part Libro。fm as part of the Educator Advance Listening program。
Emma
，
Kelly Yang has become my favorite middle grade author。 She does such an amazing job of bringing challenging topics to light in a way that is relatable to middle grade readers。 New From Here is set at the beginning of the pandemic where there were so many unknowns and fears。
Zia Sharma
，
This book is the first one that I've read that takes place during the pandemic （yes i'm late i know） ， and it was pretty good。 I love the family-ness， the dynamics and character development （i love myself a good character path） ， over-all pretty good。 It's a little story-y， by which I mean that *lil spoiler* they find the earrings / actually get them back， the dad comes overseas anyways， the mom gets the job， Knox's teacher is nice， Lea and Bowen end up making friends， but Kelly Yang does a good This book is the first one that I've read that takes place during the pandemic （yes i'm late i know） ， and it was pretty good。 I love the family-ness， the dynamics and character development （i love myself a good character path） ， over-all pretty good。 It's a little story-y， by which I mean that *lil spoiler* they find the earrings / actually get them back， the dad comes overseas anyways， the mom gets the job， Knox's teacher is nice， Lea and Bowen end up making friends， but Kelly Yang does a good job of also keeping in with the reality check - The racist people don't apologize， the Uber driver was rude。。。 It was a good book。 I'm satisfied with it。 。。。more
Bibi
，
This is the first book I've read by this author and I love her writing style。 It is narrated through the perspective of young Knox， the middle child in a multi-racial family with mom being Asian， dad is white， and the three children （Knox， Bowen， and Lea） each having varying physical features of their parents。 This novel is dubbed fiction; however the author's note seem to indicate that it mirrors the real life experience of the author and her three children as they move back to the USA at the s This is the first book I've read by this author and I love her writing style。 It is narrated through the perspective of young Knox， the middle child in a multi-racial family with mom being Asian， dad is white， and the three children （Knox， Bowen， and Lea） each having varying physical features of their parents。 This novel is dubbed fiction; however the author's note seem to indicate that it mirrors the real life experience of the author and her three children as they move back to the USA at the start of the pandemic leaving behind her spouse/father who remains in Hong Kong because of his job。Everyone seems to suffer from this estranged arrangement。 Mom is overwhelmed with handling three children on her own; She is not exactly competent in that area as she cannot cook a decent meal， or deal with the children but rather is very focused on her job and career。 Needless to say， she stumbles along and is surprisingly patient and tolerant of the shenanigans of the children。 Knox is most affected and misses his dad ardently as it was always his dad who shows up for his soccer matches and who helps him。 Knox struggles with ADHD， an affliction he is not aware that he has。 Bowen is the oldest child， more reserved， more matured， and highly competitive; he is keen on academia， excelling， high grades， and a possible scholarship。 Lea is the youngest and the only girl; she is more gregarious with many friends and an interest in fashion etc。 The father， of course， misses his family being far away in Hong Kong with only the family dog for company。This novel is primarily of family ties and love， but is liberally sprinkled with racism。 The hate and racism become more pronounced for people of Asian descent at the height of the pandemic。 In the beginning， Lea is forced to sit on the "friendship bench" at school hoping to make new friends; other Asian kids are forced to play a hurtful game of "coronavirus" tag with Asian kids ear-marked as "it"。 The children also experience a hateful encounter with a man and his dog at the park; the family finds people prefers distance to them while at the store; the neighborhood chat contains many racial slurs etc。 Recognizing that "ultimately， love is the only vaccine for hate。 It's love that gets us through the hard times。 And it's love that will bind us back together as a community， nation， and world。"， the family assumes an admirable stance of helping others to cope （e。g。 a lonely neighbour across the street; Knox' friend family restaurant） while discovering that solidarity with others and speaking up can be instrumental for change。The novel also touches on financial struggles - money is so weird。 It's there， like a balloon， but no one talk about it until it pops - and selfish behaviours of people （the Taradippin brothers） hoarding and re-selling masks， and the crazy tendency of people to hoard toilet paper and groceries as if the apocalypse is near。 I enjoyed reading this book although there are some aspects that border on disbelief （the crazy schemes of the kids） and the mother's desperation to leave the children on their own while she jets off to New York for a job interview）。Instead of deducting a star， I am rounding this up to 5 stars because of the stellar writing and the way the author captures Knox' world as a young boy。Lastly， here's one of my favourite passages:“We're all connected to each other。 We all breathe the same air into our lungs。 None of us are immune to each other's problems， that's why we have to care about each other。” 。。。more
Emilee （emileereadsbooks）
，
Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook。"Love is the only vaccine for hate。 It's love that gets us through the hard times and it's love that will bind us back together as community， nation and world。"It's interesting reading a Covid-19 books while we are still living in the pandemic。 But it was a fascinating look at this Asian American family's realities during the early days of the pandemic reaching the US （this is based on the author's own life）。 It broke my heart reading about how the Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook。"Love is the only vaccine for hate。 It's love that gets us through the hard times and it's love that will bind us back together as community， nation and world。"It's interesting reading a Covid-19 books while we are still living in the pandemic。 But it was a fascinating look at this Asian American family's realities during the early days of the pandemic reaching the US （this is based on the author's own life）。 It broke my heart reading about how the characters had to grapple with the hate and prejudice they encountered just for their race。 But Knox， the main character， is also dealing with a new school， new friends， a new family dynamic， and his newly named ADHD。 I loved how the author handled all of the pieces of this puzzle so deftly。 I did find Knox a bit much at times， but that fits with his character so I think it was appropriate。 This book would make a great flight for #AAPIHeritageMonth with Front Desk （also by this author）， A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser， and Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee。 。。。more
Natalie Aguirre
，
This is another fantastic story by Kelly Yang that tugged at my heart strings and made me laugh at times。 I highly recommend it。
Riah W
，
I loved this book， I stay up at night just to read it I would 100% recommend it to you， people are already asking me to read it。
Courtney
，
Loved the story and relationship between the siblings。 Great story and I wanted to keep reading
Joanne Kelleher
，
I think it was too soon for me to read a recounting of early days， weeks， and months of the pandemic
Shelby
，
Such a great novel about asian-hate and the COVID-19 pandemic unfolding。 Takeaway: the only vaccine for hate is love <3
Emily
，
A unique perspective of the start of the pandemic from a 10 year old boy who's moved back to America from Hong Kong in January 2020。 There was a lot of depth and nuance in the story， from Chinese-American siblings who present more or less Asian and experience racism in different ways， to parenting and gender roles， a thoughtful depiction of ADHD and the difference an understanding teacher and new-found friend can make， pandemic profiteering， honoring elders， the ridiculous way LinkedIn works， an A unique perspective of the start of the pandemic from a 10 year old boy who's moved back to America from Hong Kong in January 2020。 There was a lot of depth and nuance in the story， from Chinese-American siblings who present more or less Asian and experience racism in different ways， to parenting and gender roles， a thoughtful depiction of ADHD and the difference an understanding teacher and new-found friend can make， pandemic profiteering， honoring elders， the ridiculous way LinkedIn works， and more。 It still felt a little too fresh for me， reading in April 2022， reliving that early pandemic mindset， so that might be why I didn't fall as completely in love with the story and characters as I did with Yang's Front Desk series。 However， it is a great look at the times we live in， full of social justice and modelling anti-racism， respect and understanding for disability and difference。 。。。more
Geri
，
A heartwarming story about our world right now。 Although it is written for young adults， I do think adults can learn the message this story is trying to tell。
Mrs Heidrich
，
4。5 rounded up to 5
Crystal Cahill
，
This story- set right at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic- is fiction， but very much based on the experiences of author Kelly Yang and her family。 Moving from Hong Kong to California right as the pandemic started was not easy for the Wei-Evans family- they were separated from their father， their friends， their family。 They had to start at new schools， their mom had to find a new job， and they struggled financially。 They worried about health insurance， getting sick， and their schools closin This story- set right at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic- is fiction， but very much based on the experiences of author Kelly Yang and her family。 Moving from Hong Kong to California right as the pandemic started was not easy for the Wei-Evans family- they were separated from their father， their friends， their family。 They had to start at new schools， their mom had to find a new job， and they struggled financially。 They worried about health insurance， getting sick， and their schools closing。 Most of all， racism and prejudice was rampant， and they faced terrible experiences every day。 BUT… despite all of that （and more）， the children Bowen， Knox and Lea were resilient。 They found out the importance of family & sticking together。 They overcame challenges， and sought out ways to help others in their community。 They saw the good in others。 And they BROUGHT the good to others。 This book reminds us of the beginning of the pandemic: all that was happening， and all that we didn’t know was to come。 And it reminds us that we still have a long way to go when it comes to racism， hate， and injustice。 This book is a must read- and would be well suited for grades 5-7。 The stories of racism and their family’s struggles are challenging and upsetting to read- but it’s also filled with so many ways of combating racism， standing up to bullies， helping people in your community， being a contributor to your family， being confident in yourself， persistence， and love。 。。。more
Claire
，
I loved this book！ I was rooting for Knox and his family the entire way。 Kelly Yang is one of the best middle grade authors out there。 Like her other books， the characters were all three dimensional， the pacing and chapter length was perfect， and the story was relatable。 I can’t wait to share this book with kids - I’m especially looking forward to the discussions it can lead to about how they experienced （and are still experiencing） COVID-times。
Aviann
，
My 3rd book from this author， but Front Desk will remain my favorite。 Even so， fascinating to read about COVID beginnings in Hong Kong and SF Bay Area。 As well as the racism Asian families there endured。 I especially appreciated that parts of the story were based on personal experience。 And yet， reading this book still felt a bit too recent to me。
Megan
，
I love everything Kelly Yang writes， and this was no exception。 My kids and I listened to this on audiobook （thanks libro。fm for the educator audio-ARC！） and we all enjoyed it for different reasons。 My 10 year old is the same age as the protagonist and could imagine himself in Knox's shoes。 The humor hit my 7 year old in all the right places。 I appreciated the sensitivity with which Kelly Yang treated issues of racism connected to the COVID-19 pandemic， especially considering we are still very m I love everything Kelly Yang writes， and this was no exception。 My kids and I listened to this on audiobook （thanks libro。fm for the educator audio-ARC！） and we all enjoyed it for different reasons。 My 10 year old is the same age as the protagonist and could imagine himself in Knox's shoes。 The humor hit my 7 year old in all the right places。 I appreciated the sensitivity with which Kelly Yang treated issues of racism connected to the COVID-19 pandemic， especially considering we are still very much coping with the pandemic today。 Listening to this book with my kids led to great post-listening discussions， for which I am very grateful。 At moments it did feel a bit "too soon，" but the love and care with which this story was told quickly rectified those concerns。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=New From Here
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=New From Here&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,New From Here&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0