A glasshouse of stars by Shirley Marr

Stepping inside  the story of Meixing, the young Chinese migrant, we are drawn into the reality of her circumstances and her sadness, as well as in her magical imagination, as she copes in the half-light of living as a new migrant. This is both a story of coping and resilience, but also an opportunity to develop empathy for those who struggle with the weight of expectation as the hopes of their non-English speaking family are placed on their young shoulders. Meixing’s life in her new home is almost immediately turned upside down by tragedy, but she is able to escape into the imagination-charged magic of the glasshouse in her unruly garden and into the arms of the magically ‘alive’ house (that she names ‘Big Scary’). Her next-door neighbours, also new migrants, but from Vietnam and therefore still foreign to her, are the warmest and most welcoming neighbours and their son Kevin becomes a friend despite some fraught moments.

This is a very different migrant story, with cultural background woven within fantasy elements, but with the most poignant voice and melancholy of the young main character. The book is written as a second person narrative, inviting the reader to step inside the shoes and the pain of the migrant’s experience. It is hard to imagine the experience of migration and the unkindnesses and isolation that must be endured because of language and cultural barriers, but this story gives a real insight into how difficult it might be, and also the incredible resilience required by the young children who must adjust quickly to their new circumstances and also often take on ‘adult’ responsibilities in their ‘new-world’. This book will bring tears to your eyes. It is almost too heart-rending for young readers, but its power is in the opportunity to promote empathy and to see the value of imagination.

Themes: Migration, Grief and loss, Imagination, Migrant experience, Chinese and Buddhist culture.

Carolyn Hull