Dream, Annie, Dream

In this empowering deconstruction of the so-called American Dream, a twelve-year-old Japanese American girl grapples with, and ultimately rises above, the racism and trials of middle school she experiences while chasing her dreams. As the daughter of immigrants who came to America for a better life, Annie Inoue was raised to dream big. And at the start of seventh grade, shes channeling that irrepressible hope into becoming the lead in her school play. So when Annie lands an impressive role in the production of The King and I, shes thrilled . . . until she starts to hear grumbles from her mostly white classmates that she only got the part because its an Asian play with Asian characters. Is this all people see when they see her? Is this the only kind of success theyll let her haveone that they can tear down or use race to belittle? Disheartened but determined, Annie channels her hurt into a new dream: showing everyone what shes made of. Waka T. Brown, author of While I Was Away, delivers an uplifting coming-of-age story about a Japanese American girls fight to make space for herself in a world that claims to celebrate everyones differences but doesnt always follow through.