With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei

May 1, 2024
A spirited girl processes challenging feelings around change, grief, identity, family, and adoption, all triggered by her family's move. Dessie Mei Breedlove has already experienced one momentous transition: from an orphanage in China to her white American adoptive home. Now she must transfer schools in the middle of sixth grade. She knows that they've moved to Seattle to help Grammy, who's struggling with dementia, but she'd still rather have stayed put. Dessie's first day in her new school starts off with kids confusing her with another Asian girl. But when Dessie gets a good look at Donna Lee, she realizes it's not just another microaggression--it's like looking in the mirror. Could the girls be twins separated at birth? As they navigate this unusual situation, Dessie and Donna quickly bond, but before long, cultural differences threaten their relationship (Donna's adoptive family is Taiwanese). On top of that, Dessie faces bullying friend drama, racism, and imposter syndrome, plus her mother's insecurities. Thankfully, connections with caring adults and her own introspection help her accept herself and use her voice to make "good trouble." The sheer number of issues packed into this volume could be overwhelming, but the storyline is clear, thanks to well-crafted writing. Many tweens will relate to Dessie's turbulent emotions and insecurities and her experimentation with various personalities. Readers will root for her as she grows. Universal themes of identity and belonging radiate in this exploration of international transracial adoption. (author's note, resources and further reading) (Fiction. 9-12)

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May 15, 2024
Grades 4-6 Uprooted from her home, school, and best friend, Dessie moves to Seattle with her parents to help Grammy, her grandmother, whose memory is declining. Dessie is now the new kid at school, and she's baffled but defensive when a sixth-grade classmate calls her "Donna Two Point Oh." Though she responds, "Just because we are Asian does not mean that we're identical," she's stunned when she realizes that Donna looks exactly like her. Forming a bond, they discover that they were both adopted from the same Chinese orphanage. Could they be twins? Dessie's relationship with her longtime best friend suffers, and her attempt to win over Amah, Donna's Taiwanese American grandmother, fails miserably. Still, after Amah is brutally attacked, Dessie rallies her community to protest racial injustice and violence. Dessie's detailed first-person narrative moves quickly from one concern to another, a complex and somewhat interconnected web of emotional longing for supportive relationships, a growing sense that families have different cultures and approaches to problems, and a strong-minded determination to carry on Grammy's legacy of working for social justice. An engaging middle-grade novel.

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Starred review from May 17, 2024

Gr 3-7-On her first day at her new school in Seattle, 11-year-old Dessie meets a girl named Donna who not only looks exactly like her but shares the same birthday. They were also adopted from the same orphanage in China; Dessie by a white family, and Donna by a Taiwanese American one. A secret DNA test reveals the shocking truth that they are actually twins, but Donna's grandmother Amah disapproves of outspoken Dessie and forbids their relationship. Feeling distant from her adoptive family, and ignorant of her biological family and culture, Dessie struggles to understand who she is and where she belongs. But when Amah is the victim of an anti-Asian hate crime, Dessie finds that the values she has learned from her adoptive family, especially her activist Granny, can help build a community where everyone belongs. Rich with emotional and cultural details, and complex characters, this novel is a poignant portrayal of an adoptive family's struggle to navigate issues of identity and belonging. Dessie loves her parents but is frustrated that they don't really understand her need to learn more about her roots, while worrying that they will regret adopting her. Set against the backdrop of a wave of anti-Asian hate crimes, the book captures the conflict Dessie's family faces between keeping their daughter safe, and allowing her speak out against discrimination and bigotry. VERDICT This moving novel carries a powerful message about the meaning of family and the importance of community. Highly recommended for all collections.-Ashley Larsen

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