Lily Xiao Speaks Out by Nicole Chen: A Book Review
Renée Rogers, Independent Educational Consultant, Portland, OR, USA
Over the last year and some change, I have had the absolute pleasure of reading with a 6th, then 5th grader five to six days per week. We have read some absolutely beautiful books together. They are all middle grade books, but I wouldn’t start most of them below 5th grade (10 years old) without a lot of adult guidance. One book that has stuck out, especially in this political climate of anti-immigration and anti-education is Lily Xiao Speaks Out by Nicole Chen.
Figure 1: Book cover of “Lily Xiao Speaks Out”
This book is about a middle school girl named Lily Xiao. She and her cousin Vivian are the best of friends. Vivian has moved to California from Taiwan and is struggling to learn English and to complete her English Lit assignments. This has major consequences for the girls’ summer plans, specifically Lily’s plans. Vivian must improve her scores if the two sets of parents will allow them to go to Camp Rock Out! this summer.
Why is this relevant? Lily takes on her school board and her outwardly racist principal. Lily fights against the model minority expectations of being Asian. She does it against her family’s wishes and cultural expectations, but she doesn’t do it alone. She has a couple of new friends who work together to get ESOL services back into the school.
This book was amazing to read. If you’re a Gen X or elder Millennial, you’re going to adore all of the Pearl Jam and Nirvana and flannel references. If you love the 90s references and you’re into political justice? This is the book for you and your students! There are themes of self empowerment, fighting the establishment, and finding the courage even when you’re sweating through your shirt, bile is rising in your throat, and you know your grandmother may never forgive you for your actions.
An empowering book for allies and ESOL students alike, I would highly recommend this book as a teaching tool. They also talk about Prop 63 that passed English only education in California in 1986. This opens up social studies topics along with ELA topics. There is representation for Latinos, Koreans, and Taiwanese students specifically. There is discussion to be had on prejudice and racism (the Latino kid is immediately assumed to be bad and lazy because he is Latino).
This book could be an entire semester of study. Need some current events or social studies material? Look up English only policies for social studies/current events. You and your students can research injustices in your school or school district and help students put together their own petition (as Lily and her friends did, assuming it is safe in the country you’re in). Lily Xiao can also be used for teaching the vocabulary and skills to organize and fight back against hate-based comments. Students could study the persuasive speech at the end of the book as a mentor text to write their own. The speech can be dissected and analyzed before students write their own.
My tutee and I have read 23 books together. Lily Xiao is her favorite. Though my student herself is not in ESOL, she really connected with the themes in this book. We have read mainly Asian middle grade books together as that is her interest. It has been an amazing experience as a white woman who grew up in the 90s in very white schools to see how diverse middle grade books have gotten. The books are beautiful windows into other cultures, and for my student, some of them have been mirrors into their own life. They are also full of inspiration for future lesson plans, more inclusive classrooms, and joyful classroom spaces.
Reference
Chen, N. (2024). Lily Xiao speaks out. Quill Tree Books. [ISBN: 978-0063329454]
Renée is a licensed elementary teacher in Portland, OR. She has spent the last 9 years specializing in working with students with disabilities, specifically neurodivergent students with behavioral and regulation needs. She believes in accessibility as a pillar in not just classroom success but success in life and works to bring accessibility to each student she works with.