Subway Girl

by P. J. Converse

Overview

In this brilliant debut by P. J. Converse, two unlikely teenagers discover that love has a language all its own.

He is shy. Unassuming. Inexperienced.

She is Subway Girl. Cool. Unattainable.

From the moment he sees her on a Hong Kong subway, Simon falls in love with the girl with purple streaks in her hair, but he doesn't have the nerve to talk to her. When he finally works up the courage, he realizes he can't. Because Amy doesn't speak Chinese, and Simon is failing English.

But somehow, Amy and Simon connect, and they find that they understand each other. Enough for Simon to admit that he is dropping out of school. Enough for Amy to confess that she is pregnant with her ex-boyfriend's baby. Amy and Simon feel lost in a world so much bigger than they are, and yet they still have each other.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062069818
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/15/2011
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	245 KB
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

P. J. Converse taught English in Hong Kong for two years, which inspired him to write Subway Girl, his first novel.

Editorial Reviews

Amy Lee stands out in Hong Kong with her purple-streaked hair and fiery personality, but when mellow yet ambitious Simon Chan finally gathers the confidence to approach her in the subway station, they develop a surprising relationship, balanced between friendship and romance. Simon's parents run a small odds-and-ends shop and have high hopes for him to be the first high school graduate in the family, but he struggles with learning English, and is in danger of failing out of school. Originally from San Francisco, Chinese-American Amy attempts to tutor him, but their bond is threatened when she discovers that she is pregnant by her now ex-boyfriend and needs Simon's help to get an abortion without her mother finding out. The frequently alternating points of view highlight the teens' unique problems as well as the struggles they share, which involve the academic and social pressures associated with Chinese culture and adult life. Debut author Converse writes straightforward and sometimes lyrical prose, well suited to this story of wanderlust, dreams, and the forces that both bring people together and pull them apart. Ages 14–up. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

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

School Library Journal

Chan Tze Man, aka Simon Chan, is falling behind in English classes at his Hong Kong high school, and he decides to leave school, even though he knows that he won't graduate without passing the final exam. Riding the subway home, he ponders the fate of dropouts: "Maybe they were rounded up by their families and deposited in landfills. Or maybe they were just taken away and shot after answering one final grammar question incorrectly." Simon finds the nerve to strike up a conversation with the mysterious Subway Girl, who so far has ignored him and his friends. She turns out to be a Chinese-American girl named Amy who only speaks English. Simon's interest in Amy and her need for someone to confide in help them overcome the language barrier, and through halting conversations and e-mails, they find ways to support each other. Amy's last encounter with her ex-boyfriend ended with his lying to her about using a condom, and the story takes a serious turn as Simon helps Amy obtain a cheap abortion in neighboring China. The light narrative tone in much of the book is often just the right touch; other times there's enough of a hint of the author's purpose—writing a novel in English for his students in Hong Kong—to interrupt the flow of what is otherwise a story with depth. (Fiction. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews

Chan Tze Man, aka Simon Chan, is falling behind in English classes at his Hong Kong high school, and he decides to leave school, even though he knows that he won't graduate without passing the final exam. Riding the subway home, he ponders the fate of dropouts: "Maybe they were rounded up by their families and deposited in landfills. Or maybe they were just taken away and shot after answering one final grammar question incorrectly." Simon finds the nerve to strike up a conversation with the mysterious Subway Girl, who so far has ignored him and his friends. She turns out to be a Chinese-American girl named Amy who only speaks English. Simon's interest in Amy and her need for someone to confide in help them overcome the language barrier, and through halting conversations and e-mails, they find ways to support each other. Amy's last encounter with her ex-boyfriend ended with his lying to her about using a condom, and the story takes a serious turn as Simon helps Amy obtain a cheap abortion in neighboring China. The light narrative tone in much of the book is often just the right touch; other times there's enough of a hint of the author's purpose—writing a novel in English for his students in Hong Kong—to interrupt the flow of what is otherwise a story with depth. (Fiction. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews - Kikus Reviews