Morning Sun in Wuhan by Ying Chang Compestine
Published by Clarion Books on November 8, 2022
ISBN: 0358572053
Pages: 208
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

It’s January 2020, and Mei lives in Wuhan with her father. Mei loves to cook, and she often cooks for her father, a doctor who works long hours at the local hospital. When her friend’s grandmother falls ill, Mei reaches out to her father only to find that he’s now stuck at an overflowing hospital and won’t be able to come home for several days. He knew what was coming, so he stocked their kitchen with essentials and favorites. When the eventual mandatory lockdown occurs, Mei finds herself helping others by volunteering to help distribute meals and cooking for those in her building without enough food for themselves.

This book provides some insight into what the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic was like for those at the very epicenter of it all. It is a well written and engaging story about community and the strength we can find from trusting and working together. I would not recommend this book for anyone who has pandemic anxiety or trauma. For those who are ready to read about the pandemic, this is a wonderful way to bring about empathy and understanding from an often underrepresented perspective in youth literature. Recommended for readers 9 and up and for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, E