Emily Out of Focus by Miriam Spitzer Franklin

Publisher: Sky Pony
Publication Date: February 5th 2019
Pages: 240
Review copy from publisher

Twelve year old Emily is flying with her parents from the USA to China. In China, someone is waiting for them; Emily's new baby sister Mei Lin! Altough she is excited, she is also nervous, especially for the long flight, what if something goes wrong? And how much will a new baby sister change her life? 

When they have arrived in China, Emily doesn't want anything more then explore the country and to make pictures with the camera of her grandmother to win a photo contest. But her parent's aren't that into exploring and rather stay i the hotel room, where also the other adopting parent's in their group are staying. One of the parents is traveling with their daughter Katherine.whose family has returned to China to adopt a second child. Emily and Katherine become friends, and in during the story Katherine starts to trust Emily enough to confide her a secret plan; she wants to start a search for her Chinese birth mother, and the two take of on afternoon on themselves without their parents on a travel to Katherine's birth town..


In this sweet but moving book, the author shows adoption through the eyes of a big sister and a Chinese-American girl, and also gives a look in an adoption travel to China, and everything that comes with it, and does this in a way that makes it understandable for young readers.
From a reluctant and scared ten year old, Emily transform in a true big hearted and welcoming sister for her new baby sister Mei Lin. Altough her parent's have set up strict rules to makes sure nothing goes wrong in a for them foreign country where they don't speak the language, Emily is quite adventurous and secretly goes off on her own for an hour in to the streets around the hotel when her parents are asleep.

The adoption process was portrayed so well! It reminded me a bit of the Gotcha-day video's that are on youtube, where adoptive parents take the viewers with them when they go on travel to pick up their new baby in China. I also liked the character of Katherine who wants to find her birth mother, altough this part had some loose ends and I wonder what this added to the story as it wasn't solved in the end, it was fun and entertaining that Emily and Katherine took off on their own to a little travel to find answers.

Overall this is an entertaining, original and fun read, especially if you are interested in China!