Yang's (Front Desk, rev. 7/18; Three Keys, rev. 11/20) pandemic-set tale, based partly on her own experiences, focuses on a biracial Chinese American expat family in January 2020. Impulsive middle-child Knox Wei-Evans, ten, is filled with dread when he, his siblings, and their high-powered banker mother relocate to the Bay Area while his best friend -- his father -- stays in Hong Kong. Drama ensues as the kids struggle to fit in at school, Knox is diagnosed with ADHD, and the family's finances become precarious when Mom loses her job. The Wei-Evanses also experience several instances of racism, such as bullying in the form of "coronavirus tag" and accusations of being "virus carriers." Yang presents these incidents in a realistic way and defuses them by emphasizing the importance of educating others and speaking up. Despite the serious subject matter, Yang includes plenty of humor, with wry observations about Zoom schooling and the kids' efforts to "help out" with a garage sale and LinkedIn job hunt. Knox's experience with ADHD is portrayed with nuance and empathy. Some quibbles aside (the plot can feel a bit forced, and Yang largely skirts the mainland China-Hong Kong political conflict), this is a strong and timely novel about a family weathering adversity. An author's note is appended. Michelle Lee

A family flees Hong Kong for the U.S. to escape Covid-19 only to face many complex obstacles.Ten-year-old Knox, the middle child of three, is constantly in motion and creating messes. When he's not annoying his older brother, Bowen, or playing with his younger sister, Lea, he's kicking around his soccer ball. When reports of a novel coronavirus in China surface in January 2020, his family makes a drastic decision: Knox, his siblings, and their Chinese mom will relocate to their house in the Bay Area for a month while their White American dad stays behind for work. Initially their mother paints a vision of an ideal America filled with opportunities and the best health care in the world, but the kids find the reality at times unsavory. Gradually, Knox and his siblings encounter complications in their new lives, among them, their mother's job loss, racism, and an ADHD diagnosis for Knox. Undeterred, they decide to collaborate on Operation Dad Come Over, hoping to earn enough money to bring their father to the U.S. The siblings embark on several haphazard moneymaking schemes that result in chaos-and definite growth. The coincidental timing of some plot points feels like a bit of a stretch, but Yang deftly touches on complex issues including China–Hong Kong relations, racism, the grief of separation and dislocation, and the pandemic, all while maintaining a hopeful tone.A timely and compelling family journey. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)