I Hate English
Written by Ellen Levine
Illustrated by Steve Bjorkman
Reviewed by Jesse M. (age 9) & Mike L. (age 9)
Did you ever get mad because you didn't want to move somewhere new? Was it because you were afraid of change? In this book, the character, Mei Mei felt this way. She was moving to New York from Hong Kong. (Hong Kong is in China). Mei Mei did not want to move to the United States. She said that to her dad in Chinese. (She spoke only in Chinese and refused to speak in English). She didn't speak a lot in school. She would never raise her hand because she was afraid to speak in English. One night Mei Mei told her mom she was afraid. She said, "She felt like she might lose something. She felt she had lost something." She didn't want to forget Chinese. Would you feel the same way Mei Mei did if you had to move somewhere new and learn a new language? If you want to see what happens with Mei Mei, read this book.
This story reminds Jesse when he was three years old. His family moved to Closter because they needed a bigger house.
We both think that the illustrator made great pictures out of paint and worked really hard on them.
We think this book teaches you that you shouldn't be afraid to move just because of the way people talk. You also should not be afraid to learn a new language. The more languages you know, the more places you can visit!
We recommend this book to people who just moved to the United States from another country or if you have a classmate that just moved to the United States from somewhere else. This book will help you understand what each of you is going through.