Last year, Anna learned how to be a good friend. Now that her family has adopted a baby girl from China, she wants to learn how to be a good sister. But the new year proves challenging when the doctor warns that the baby isn’t thriving. Can Anna and her best friends, Laura and Camille, create a science project that saves the day? In this heartwarming sequel to The Year of the Book, readers will be just as moved by Anna's devotion to her new sister as they will be inspired by her loving family and lasting friendships. "Middle-grade readers will find many ways to connect with Anna and her friends in this warm family and school story."
—Kirkus

"This book deals deftly with a range of thorny adoption- and ethnic-stereotyping issues, such as the abandonment of female Chinese infants and the assumption that all Asians are gifted students, and it has special meaning for families touched by adoption."
—School Library Journal, starred review

"The science-fair and adoption angles make this useful in a number of settings, and readers who have followed Anna since fourth grade will hope Cheng goes on to keep tabs on her as she reaches sixth grade."
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books