Very warm, cozy family book. ( )

Liked the book, but Lou is constantly disregarding her Mom's explicit directions to stop sneaking off and building things in an isolated rural location, and there's not much in the way of consequences until her cousin is injured. The folk dancing is cool. The decision at the end to not move away feels mostly like honoring family, but also like rewarding bratty behavior, so is weirdly unsatisfying.

That said, it's an excellent first book, and I hope to read more by this author. The depiction of the vibrant Bay area Filipino community, the kindness and love in Lou's extended, somewhat unusual family, her wonderful talent and passion for building -- all of these things shine and are a great pleasure to read. ( )

diverse children's middlegrade fiction. Filipinx-American 13 y.o. living in San Francisco with her single mom (deceased dad) and grandmother decides to build her own Tiny House with help from friends, cousins, and her shop teacher (who happens to be gay).
Sweet story about friendship and family, and about not giving up on one's dreams. ( )

Lou is hoping that by building a tiny house on Marin County land that her father left her, she will encourage her mom to stay in the Bay Area and not move away to WA state where they could live for much cheaper. This small novel gives a view into Filipino family & culture. ( )

Lou Bulosan-Nelson has the ultimate summer DIY project. She's going to build her own "tiny house," 100 square feet all her own. She shares a room with her mom in her grandmother's house, and longs for a place where she can escape her crazy but lovable extended Filipino family. Lou enjoys her woodshop class and creating projects, and she plans to build the house on land she inherited from her dad, who died before she was born. But then she finds out that the land may not be hers for much longer. Lou discovers it's not easy to save her land, or to build a house. But she won't give up; with the help of friends and relatives, her dream begins to take shape, and she learns the deeper meaning of home and family.