Alone Like Me is the story of a young girl in China who, due to the húkŏu system, is unable to attend school and must go to work with her parents. She is teased at the playground because of the stigma attached to those unable to pay for school, and is lonely. The illustrations are beautiful watercolors in shades of blue, except for Lìlíng, who has a vibrant red coat. When she spots a girl in a yellow coat, she’s intrigued and through some ingenuity they begin to communicate from the balconies of their apartments. While Alone Like Me can be read as a story of loneliness and eventual friendship, it also describes the situation for many families who are experiencing inequalities due to being shut out of social services. Written by an American who traveled and researched China while adopting her son, this book provides excellent insight of this particular social registration structure and its effect on many children.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath