This is a charming epistolary middle-grade novel about a girl recently arrived in America with her family from Congo, where her father was persecuted for some slight to the government. Her letters to her Oma are filled with details about her new life, including the titular "one good thing about America today," and for a 10-year-old girl, these can range from ice cream and pizza to her first snowfall to the thought of a new apartment that will allow her and her mother and brother to settle more securely than the shelter where they live. Unlike other novels I've read about the African emigrant experience, ones that are by and about adults, this is a feel-good story in which, aside from other children who make fun of her accent and her difficult French name (Anais) and generally give her a hard time at first, most of the people she encounters are working to help her. The author has a history as an ELA teacher, so unsurprisingly, one of the most important people in Anais' new life is her ELA teacher. Anais' letters also include repeated entreaties to her grandmother, asking whether she has heard from her father and older brother, who are in hiding, and seemingly in constant danger. It is a subtle yet powerful way to fill out the story. Anais' primary preoccupation is with adjusting to her new life, but she is clearly attached to her family and her community in Africa, and the narrative illustrates that dichotomy with wonderful simplicity. This is a lovely, accessible immigrant story for readers young and old. ( )

Told from the perspective of a middle school refugee, this novel allows readers to see the challenges immigrants face as well as accentuating the similarities and differences between cultures. Includes For More Information, Author’s Note, English Words Anaïs is Learning.

For advanced readers. This is a series of letters a child sends to her grandmother in Africa. She and her mom and brother head to America for a better life, but she misses her family back home. Anais begins to form friendships and appreciate American culture. Over time, she is able to find one good thing about America every day (just like her grandma asked her to). Throughout the book, her English spelling and grammar improves. A cute and heartwarming story. ( )

Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: Great
Recommended: Yes
Reading Level: Grades 4th grade and up

. This often funny middle-grade novel explores the differences and common ground across cultures. It is the story of a refugee child who writes letters home to her grandmother that must contain “one good thing about America”. She describes “Crazy Americans” who eat chicken fingers. In the midst of the prevailing climate of fear and doubt of immigrants and immigration in America, it restores hope and reminds us that America is, in fact, a nation of immigrants. It is a sensitive message that we must accept our differences in order to survive and that’s one very good thing. Great for family discussions.