Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Yuming, a contemporary Chinese girl enslaved by a greedy sweatshop owner, and Clara, an American girl whose adopted Chinese sister has recently died, are connected by Yuming's desperate note, stuffed inside a purse found by Clara. Inspired by a real news story, Polonsky sheds light on important issues in a story that is moving even as the characters' lives intertwine a little too coincidentally.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

China is a long way from Evanston, Ill., but perhaps not as far as Polonsky-s heroine, Clara, thinks. After all, Clara-s older sister, Lola, was born there, and the whole family visited Lola-s birthplace just a few years ago. Now, Clara is 12, and it-s has been two months since Lola died from leukemia. The family is deep in grief when China reenters Clara-s life via a note she finds in a purse-written by a 13-year-old girl kidnapped to work in the factory where it was produced. Desperate to save Yuming, Clara persuades her parents to travel to China once again; they agree, hoping the trip will help Clara find closure after Lola-s death. Meanwhile, Yuming doesn-t wait to be saved, and in increasingly tense chapters, she joins forces with others in the factory to escape. By letting Clara and Yuming tell their stories alternately and showing the risks both take, Polonsky (Gracefully Grayson) delivers an affecting story of connections that cross international lines: the objects we use, the geography we traverse, and the families we make. Ages 8-12. Agent: Wendy Schmalz, Wendy Schmalz Agency. (Nov.)

ALA Booklist (Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Twelve-year-old Clara is still reeling from the death of her adopted Chinese sister, Lola, when she stumbles into an unexpected situation: zipped into a purse at a mall store, she finds a desperate note from a 13-year-old girl named Yuming, a child laborer trapped in a factory outside Beijing. Certain that the note was destined for her, Clara talks her parents into traveling to China, where she plans, against all odds, to rescue Yuming. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Yuming has given up hope and is staging a breakout of her own. This powerful, emotionally wrenching story follows two paths that become surprisingly and delicately interwoven. Told in alternating voices from the viewpoints of Clara and Yuming, the story details a string of surprising and sometimes traumatic events. Although the ending is more abrupt and not quite as uplifting as one might expect, the girls' journeys of hope, loss, and longing make for a sad and ultimately satisfying read from the author of Gracefully Grayson (2014).

Kirkus Reviews

An urgent message for help and a family picture found in a department-store purse connect two girls, one in China, the other in the United States, and set in motion a life-saving journey.When Clara, a 12-year-old white girl grieving the death of her older sister, Lola, finds the note and picture, she instantly recognizes where the picture was taken: at Molihua Park in Shanghai, where Lola, adopted from China, was found as a baby. After being kidnapped and forced to work illegally in a purse factory, 13-year-old Yuming, a Chinese girl from Yemo Village, writes the note and hides it in a purse bound for America. She gives smart clues to her whereabouts: "pale pink factory" and "outside of Beijing." Inspired by these clues and ever present visions of Lola encouraging her, Clara feels compelled to help Yuming and convinces her parents to return to China. Meanwhile, after six weeks without a rescue, Yuming and fellow captives Jing, Kai, and Li attempt a daring escape. Told in alternating viewpoints, the two girls' connection to each other compels and intrigues, even though the note's discovery feels wholly arbitrary. Nonetheless, Clara and Yuming are strong, vulnerable girls whose two lives run in parallel: Clara searches for Yuming, while Yuming longs for Bolin, her estranged brother; Clara grieves Lola, while Yuming grieves for her grandparents and remembers their wisdom. A courageous story filled with hope. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)

School Library Journal (Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Gr 4-7 When Clara finds a note and photo from a kidnapped and enslaved Chinese orphan girl hidden in a department store purse in Evanston, IL, she is eager to help. This unusual discovery resonates strongly with Clara, since she and her parents are grieving for her slightly older adopted Chinese sister, Lola, who died of leukemia six weeks earlier. Though this plot device and the family's subsequent journey to China seem somewhat contrived, the story sheds unique light on the horrific plight of illegal child labor across the globe. Despite their being a world apart, both Clara and Yuming suffer from feelings of sadness and loss and are desperately driven to take action. The plot is quickly paced and told in alternating chapters from the points of view of both girls as they draw closer to each otherClara, as she hears the voice of Lola telling her what to do, and Yuming, who endures harsh factory conditions and attempts a harrowing escape with other enslaved children. The title simultaneously refers to sweatshop conditions in the garment industry and the invisible ties that bind us to one another as humans. VERDICT Based on a true incident, this is an engaging offering for readers who seek to broaden their global perspective. Especially good for teachers to use as a spark for classroom conversation. Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library