Lunar New Year Love Story

 

Bibliography

Yang, G. L., & Pham, L. (2024). Lunar New Year Love Story. First Second.

Plot Summary

Val’s favorite holiday is Valentine’s Day. Until one day, a secret comes out about her family. Val is ready to give up on love; for her, it's nothing but secrets and heartbreak. She starts to believe that her family is cursed when it comes to love because no one has a good story to tell. But fate has other plans, and it all started freshman year when she gave someone a Valentine's. This book is written as a graphic novel that is heartwarming. It is a rom-com about fate, family, and falling in love.

Critical Analysis

This graphic novel interweaves folklore and realism in everyday life. It is a quick read that gives a detailed look into Asian American culture. It allows the reader to see that the Lunar New Year is more than a Chinese tradition. That they are different layers and more than one culture when celebrating it. 

In the pictures, we see the typical New Year's items like the red envelope, fireworks, zodiac animals, and a large feast. We are shown that it is ‌time that brings people together and the continuation of tradition. The story is not very long and took approximately 2 hours to read, after having to stop a lot. But like all graphic novels, the details are in the pictures. We see full picture color changes when emotions change. Whenever she is sad, it changes to dark blues and grays. Then, during Lunar New Year parts, there is red, gold, and orange, which in Asian culture is a symbol of luck, joy, and renewal. The pictures are great at showing when Val’s posture or facial expression changes. When Saint Valentine comes, the illustrations are more glowy and perfect-looking. This shows her fantasy versus reality.

Like most young adult books, Val is trying to figure out where she fits into life as she grows older and discovers the truth. She starts lion dancing, which brings her closer to becoming connected with a partner/love interest. She has to figure out her role and which path she wants to go down.

Overall, it was a great book and one that I could see my daughter reading in the future when she is older. It encompasses love between family, culture, friends, spirituality, and a romantic interest.

Review Excerpts

"Lunar New Year Love Story, gorgeously rendered in graphic novel form by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham, deftly grafts the symbolism of these two holidays to create a rich tapestry of complimentary worldviews." —NPR

"The text and colorful comics work beautifully together in a story that captures the vibrant Asian community in Oakland, Calif." —Washington Post, from "Five YA novels to Read this Summer"

Awards and Recognitions

• An NPR Best Book of the Year

• A Kirkus Best Book of the Year

• A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

• A Booklist Best Book of the Year

• A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year

• A Horn Book Best Book of the Year

• A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year

• A Bulletin of the Center of Children's Books' 2024 Blue Ribbon Awards Winner

Connections

• Have students discuss their own traditions on holidays. See if there is anything in common and talk about the differences. 

• Have students look into the differences in the ways Asian cultures celebrate Lunar New Year. We see two in the story and then see if they can find other ones in the story.