Subway Girl

Gr 10 Up—Simon is failing English, which means he'll get kicked out of his Hong Kong high school, and his parents don't care. His father's attitude is, "School is for rich people and doctors!" After Amy's parents separate, her mother moves them to Hong Kong. The boys at Simon's school all know Subway Girl, listening to her music with blue streaks in her hair. One day, Simon works up the nerve to talk to her, only to discover that Amy is Chinese-American and doesn't speak Chinese. Despite the language barrier, the two become friends and depend on one another for support. Simon wants to see the world, but is working as a busboy in a restaurant with no hope of advancement. After Amy's boyfriend tricks her into unprotected sex, she ends up pregnant and needs Simon's translation help to get an abortion. In brief scenes, short chapters, and direct prose, Converse paints the story of their growing friendship and relationship that's ultimately hopeful. In the background is Hong Kong, and readers get a sense of geography, the bustle, and class divisions while the focus remains solely on these two students trying to find themselves and instead find each other.—Jennifer Rothschild, Prince George's County Memorial Library System, Oxon Hill, MD