Laurence Yep: Bravo Mia!

Bravo Mia! (2008)
written by Laurence Yep

I was surprised to see this American Girl collection book written by Laurence Yep. Many of the other titles I wanted to read revolved around Chinese culture. When I went to my public library to check out a book by Laurence Yep, I was shocked to see all his books were checked out except for this one!

This title was an easy read, but it was not my favorite title I have read during this project. It was somewhat predictable, and did not have as many surprises or twists-and-turns as some of the other chapter books I have read for this blog. I do believe that many students would enjoy this title, and Yep does a wonderful job of showing how family troubles effect all the members of the family.

Mia is a competitive ice skater whose family is experiencing financial problems. They cannot afford new skates (hers are too small) or a new outfit (hers is to small) for her routine. One of her older brothers has a tournament to compete in, so they have to choose who gets the extra money. After a coin toss, Mia's brother wins and  receives the money to go to his tournament. Mia is devastated. Community members hear that Mia will not be able to compete at the ice skating tournament, and they rally together to provide a new uniform and new skates.

Although she does not win at the tournament, she does place 4th. She meets new people and begins to understand why her rival is so mean.

I want to read other title by Laurence Yep because I think I did not get a complete view of his writing style. Below are more titles by Yep I want to read:

• The Dragon's Child (the original title I wanted to read)
• Lady of Ch'iao Kuo: Warrior of the South, Southern China, A.D. 531
• When the Circus Came to Town
•  The Dragon's Child: A Story of Angel Island
• The Man Who Tricked a Ghost