Narrator Ferdelle Capistrano introduces 12-year-old Analyn “Apple” Yengko and her mother, who have moved from the Philippines to Louisiana. Listeners will hear their conversations and join Apple and her classmates at school. Apple is a huge Beatles fan who treasures a music tape that has her late father’s name printed on it. Capistrano vividly portrays those who bully Apple for being different and captures her mother’s resentment of Apple’s assimilation. As narrator, Capistrano especially shines in her depiction of Apple’s favorite teacher, who offers to teach her to play guitar, hoping to counter the bullying. Things look up as Apple makes new friends, independent Evan Temple, who helps her speak for herself, and timid Heleena Moffet. Together, the three show an unexpected side of themselves, which surprises the whole school. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

★ 03/16/2015
Despite having moved from the Philippines to Louisiana at age four, Analyn Pearl Yengko, nicknamed Apple, still doesn't feel at home, even now that she's in eighth grade. Dreaming of becoming a songwriter, Apple pours her emotion into music, obsessing over the Beatles (her late father left behind one of their cassette tapes) and trying to figure out how she can acquire a guitar. But Apple's mother wants her to focus on her education, adding tension to a relationship already being tested by Apple's embarrassment that their home life is not typically "American." Meanwhile at school, Apple's best friend deserts her after Apple lands on the "Dog Log," a list of the 10 ugliest girls at school. Writing with acute sensitivity and sometimes painful realism, debut novelist Kelly skillfully captures the betrayals, tentative first crushes, and fluctuating emotions of middle school, which are heightened by Apple's awareness of her cultural and ethnic difference. In the face of her classmates' casual racism and cruelty, Apple's efforts to make genuine friends and embrace the things that make her unique feel like a true triumph. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)

Each character in Kelly’s debut novel . . . is portrayed with remarkable authenticity. The awkwardness and intense feelings inherent to middle school are palpable. Children’s literature has been waiting for Apple Yengko—a strong, Asian-American girl whose ethnic identity simultaneously complicates and enriches her life.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Will resonate with any student in middle school who has felt different and ostracized. The author has skillfully captured the various characters that populate Apple’s . . . school.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“[A] delightful debut . . . What sets Kelly’s book apart is the combination of a quirky narrator and details about living in a first-generation Filipino American household. . . . Through her love of music . . . Apple starts to soar like the eponymous blackbird of her favorite Beatles song.” — Los Angeles Times Book Review

“A smart, sensitive, and resilient heroine who is authentic and relatable in her strengths and imperfections. This poignant novel would make for a particularly fine readaloud; expect visceral reactions . . . This is a must-read for those kids cringing at their own identities.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Writing with acute sensitivity and sometimes painful realism, debut novelist Kelly skillfully captures the betrayals, tentative first crushes, and fluctuating emotions of middle school ... a true triumph.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Kelly skillfully weaves together the story of misfit Apple, her love of music, and a budding romance with a new boy at school, while never losing focus on the central issue of what it is like to be the ‘other.’” — Booklist

Kelly skillfully weaves together the story of misfit Apple, her love of music, and a budding romance with a new boy at school, while never losing focus on the central issue of what it is like to be the ‘other.’

A smart, sensitive, and resilient heroine who is authentic and relatable in her strengths and imperfections. This poignant novel would make for a particularly fine readaloud; expect visceral reactions . . . This is a must-read for those kids cringing at their own identities.

[A] delightful debut . . . What sets Kelly’s book apart is the combination of a quirky narrator and details about living in a first-generation Filipino American household. . . . Through her love of music . . . Apple starts to soar like the eponymous blackbird of her favorite Beatles song.

A smart, sensitive, and resilient heroine who is authentic and relatable in her strengths and imperfections. This poignant novel would make for a particularly fine readaloud; expect visceral reactions . . . This is a must-read for those kids cringing at their own identities.

Kelly skillfully weaves together the story of misfit Apple, her love of music, and a budding romance with a new boy at school, while never losing focus on the central issue of what it is like to be the ‘other.’

A smart, sensitive, and resilient heroine who is authentic and relatable in her strengths and imperfections. This poignant novel would make for a particularly fine readaloud; expect visceral reactions . . . This is a must-read for those kids cringing at their own identities.

[A] delightful debut . . . What sets Kelly’s book apart is the combination of a quirky narrator and details about living in a first-generation Filipino American household. . . . Through her love of music . . . Apple starts to soar like the eponymous blackbird of her favorite Beatles song.

★ 12/01/2014
Gr 5–8—Eighth grader Apple and her mother moved from the Philippines to Louisiana several years ago after the death of her father. All Apple has left of her dad is a Beatles cassette with his name written on it. At school, her two best friends are trying to become part of the in-group and have become very critical of her, especially after it's discovered that she is on the unwritten Dog-Log and considered one of the ugliest girls in school. Apple is embarrassed by her mother, who doesn't speak English well. The protagonist is desperate to get a guitar so she can learn to play the Beatles songs that her dad loved, but her mother is adamant that she not waste her time on music. Soon, Apple makes friends with a new boy, Evan, who's not impressed with her former friends or their boyfriends. When the music teacher loans her a guitar, she discovers that she is something of a prodigy. The story will resonate with any student in middle school who has felt different and ostracized. The author has skillfully captured the various characters that populate Apple's middle school. Only Apple's mother remains two-dimensional until almost the end. The story is rather predictable until it ends with a twist. Apple mentions her favorite song "Blackbird" many times; readers unfamiliar with the song would benefit from listening to a recording or finding a YouTube clip.—Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC

Narrator Ferdelle Capistrano introduces 12-year-old Analyn “Apple” Yengko and her mother, who have moved from the Philippines to Louisiana. Listeners will hear their conversations and join Apple and her classmates at school. Apple is a huge Beatles fan who treasures a music tape that has her late father’s name printed on it. Capistrano vividly portrays those who bully Apple for being different and captures her mother’s resentment of Apple’s assimilation. As narrator, Capistrano especially shines in her depiction of Apple’s favorite teacher, who offers to teach her to play guitar, hoping to counter the bullying. Things look up as Apple makes new friends, independent Evan Temple, who helps her speak for herself, and timid Heleena Moffet. Together, the three show an unexpected side of themselves, which surprises the whole school. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

★ 2014-12-22
Apple Yengko has one possession from the Philippines—a Beatles cassette tape with her father's name written on it. She knows every song by heart. After her father's death when she was very young, Apple and her mother moved to the United States. There is not much diversity in Apple's small Louisiana town. Her classmates call her Chinese though she is Filipina and bully her with taunts of "dog-eater." Apple's self-esteem plummets when she learns she is on the Dog Log, the boys' list of the ugliest girls, and her friends abandon her. She hates her name, her mother's accent, the shape of her eyes, everything that makes her different. She takes refuge in music, becoming determined to get her own guitar, despite her mother's protests. Slowly, Apple develops new, healthy friendships. She comes to see through the cruelty of her classmates and to discover the unique characteristics that make her special. Each character in Kelly's debut novel—the mean kids, the misfits, the adults and Apple herself—is portrayed with remarkable authenticity. The awkwardness and intense feelings inherent to middle school are palpable. Children's literature has been waiting for Apple Yengko—a strong, Asian-American girl whose ethnic identity simultaneously complicates and enriches her life. (Fiction. 9-14)