Sometimes Plans Change
If you enjoyed Angela Ahn’s debut Krista Kim-Bap you will fall in love with Peter Lee and his whole family in her new middle grade novel Peter Lee’s Notes From the Field.
In this story, Peter is OBSESSED with dinosaurs, a preschool passion morphed and grew into a potential career in paleontology for the fifth grader. He is very close to his whole Korean family: mom, dad, little sister L.B, Hammy (grandmother) and Haji (grandfather). He deals with the usual fifth grader stuff, a mean and obnoxious bully in Ryan and a great friend in Joe. When an opportunity comes up for a family vacation to Drumheller to participate in an actual dinosaur dig, the whole family, Hammy and Haji included, heads out on a road trip from Vancouver. Peter meticulously takes notes and his scientific mind is telling him there is something up with Hammy. It’s a beautiful, intergenerational story of love, growth and discovery.
I ADORE Peter and L.B. in this story. Peter is so, so relatable and his voice is so clear. I love how Angela Ahn weaves in his scientific interest throughout the story and how she teaches the reader so many new concepts throughout adding elements for the non-fiction fan wrapped up in a fantastic fictional story. L.B. is a typical little sister who probably knows a little too much for her own good. Extremely intelligent and so spunky, she’s a perfect companion character to Peter. The story line with Hammy and Haji will be so familiar to many families who hold their Elders close to them. We live in an area where it is extremely common to see grandmothers and grandfathers picking children up from school and acting as caregivers. When Hammy starts forgetting things it’s cause for concern for Peter and a reminder to adults that as much as we may try to hide the hard things from our children, they are so observant.
Angela Ahn writes an incredibly relatable character in Peter. At one point he fails and fails hard which makes him start to question life. What a common experience for children this age and a lovely reminder to middle grade readers that your life isn’t set in stone when you are ten or eleven. Plans can change, ideas will morph into other ideas and skills are transferable from one interest or goal to another. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t want to tell Ryan to take a long hike! Angela Ahn writes the schoolyard bully to perfection in Ryan. Readers will feel empowered by Peter and his dealings with Ryan. All of the characters in this story are so wonderful, except of course Ryan, readers will want to pick them all up and invite them over for dinner.
I really loved this story and was totally hooked from page one. It’s a fantastic middle grade novel that will appeal to so many readers.
