Scan Emily Out Of Focus Fabricated By Miriam Spitzer Franklin Readable In Audio Books

story of found family and lasting friendship, Emily is traveling to China with her parents to adopt a baby sister, At, Emily doesnt really understand why her family still needs another member, and shes full of worries over the trip and the changes in her life.
She secretly brought along her Grandmothers camera, hoping to become the next great photojournalist, and now, her new friend Katherine has given her an idea of the perfect piece.
But things come crashing down and it seems like all of her fears might be justified,

I enjoyed Emilys story and the information about adoption in China, While it was easy to get caught up in her feelings, the writing style was a bit dry and even the firstperson POV seemed distant at times.
Overall an engaging story with a lackluster execution, An excellent book on the process of adopting a little girl from China told from the perspective of theyo sister.
We see everything through the eyes of Emily, We see her excitement to visit a new place, her fears how will this change things, what if the new sister doesn't like her, why can't they do the things she wants to.


I liked this book:, it's a theme that is near and dear to my heart,, it's interesting and wellwritten,
and, insight into the emotions and struggles ayo must go through when the family unit changes this much, Interesting and informative based on a reallife experience,
Strong, realistic main character who has to adjust to life as a big sister afteryears of being an only child.
The trip to China and the tired parents are all part of the experience,
Would make a good read aloud, I enjoyed Emily as a point of view character and her worries were age appropriate for middle grade, I also liked the strong family relationships and peek into adopting a foreign child through the eyes of the older sibling as well as a child who was adopted herself.
Told through the lens ofyearold Emily, an aspiring photojournalist, this story honestly relates the joy and struggle of a family as they pick up their longawaited daughter, Mei Lin, from an orphanage in YiYang City in China.
Readers will cheer Emily on as she transforms from a reluctant big sister and trepidatious traveler who is harboring a few secrets to a welcoming big sister.
The book also explores what is means to be a friend, as well as the importance of reassessing core goals.
This is a story that adoptive families will relish and share with their friends it offers an important snapshot of what it means to become a family and is written by an author who has experienced the adoption process first hand.
An interesting look at international adoption, from the point of view of ayear old about to become a big sister for the first time.
. Recommended for gradesamp up, Stunning book.

Amazing writing and storytelling, Such a great voice and crafted novel, I'm amazed at all the detailed information and emotion from this story in such a fast pace middlegrade novel.
One of the best I've read in the past five years,
This novel is rich in so many ways: the story of the adoption, the cultural shock, dealing with becoming a big sister in such circumstances, wanting to know where you come from.
. . Fantastic. Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of

this book,

When Emilys parents travel to China to adopt her little sister, they learn about Chinese culture and transracial/continental adoption.
Emily also meets Katherine, a girl her age who was adopted from China and is unbeknownst to anyone but Emily looking for her birth mother.


The entire book is a remarkable immersion into Chinese culture for anyone whos never visited, I loved reading about the new food and city life Emily experiences, Its also an honest exploration of the behindthescenes of adoption from China, from the perspective of adoptive parents, I learned a great deal about why theres a spike in Chinese adoptions as well as what the process is like.
Emily Out of Focus is in that sense a reminder of whats so wonderful about childrens books a variety of subjects tackled as compassionately as possible.


My only real complaint is that I found this book more educative than enjoyable, I see the need for books like this, but I also believe books can teach without making the reader feel like they're taking a course on the subject matter.


Full review here sitelink com/emily From the opening pages of the book the reader gets a glimpse into what Emily wants:

to be a photojournalist like her grandmother,

and what she fears:

not liking or being liked by her new little sister Mei Lin,

and what she wonders:

why did her parents need another child and why wasn't she enough

In order to follow her grandmother's career as a photojournalist, Emily decides to,

a bring along her grandmother's camera to China without her parents' permission so that,

b she can take pictures and win a scholarship to the best photojournalism camp in the country.


These threads weave throughout the book andyou guessed itget her into trouble,

Right off the plane, she meets a Chinese girl named Katherine who was adopted as a baby.
Katherine's family are a part of Emily's group and have come to China to adopt another child, Although Emily has her doubts about Katherine, the two end up bonding over Katherine's secret: she plans to contact her birth mother while in China and needs Emily's help.


Emily's days are filled with boring meetings over finalizing Mei Lin's adoption, secret adventures with Katherine, and learning to love and be loved by Mei Lin.


Halfway through the book Mei Lin gets sick and Emily begins to realize how much she cares for her little sister.
Another crucial scene is when the group visits Mei Lin's orphanage, Suddenly, Emily begins to see what it was like for Mei Lin and Katherine to be abandoned as babies.
When the girls visit the park where Katherine's mother left her a common practice, Emily watches her friend,
She sunk on the ground, running her hand over the grass, "This is where she left me," she said quietly.

I just stood there, not knowing what to say, I reached for Nana's camera, but I froze as I looked at Katherine through the lens, the way she was staring down at the grass, a look in her eyes I'd never seen before.
Despair. Overwhelming sadness,. Loss. Her eyes were filled with a kind of pain I would never know, the kind that comes from realizing your motherthe person who was supposed to love you and keep you safehad abandoned you in the exact spot where you were standing.

I put my camera down, pp.

Emily Out of Focus is a realistic portrayal of ayearold girl's coming to grips with a new adopted sibling.
Combining Mei Lin's story with Katherine's brings a richness to the novel and will open middle grade reader's eyes to a world they might never have known.

Just finished fellow kidliterati author, Miriam Spitzer Franklins Emily Out of Focus, mgbookshelf I loved this truetolife story of one familys overseas adoption, Emily discovers what it means to be a big sister and have a family, Adventure and secrets unfold. This book made me want to take the first plane to China to hang out with Emily and her family.
The author does such a good job of bringing the setting and the struggles to life that you feel like you're there with them from the first page to the last.
I will post a full review on my website soon,.stars. This was an interesting adoption story, Made me think often of friends who adopted from China, Emily grew on me over time, I am a characterdriven reader, so I would have liked this more if I had connected better with some of the characters.
My favorites were the girls the two families were adopting, Lots to think about in this story especially things about family, My favorite passages were those where Emily really started to understand life for her sister in China, Reading this on the plane reminded me of why I dont read books on the plane anymoreSHINING STARS

Budding photojournalist Emily is flying to China to adopt her baby sister after twelve years as an only child.
Also on the trip shell meet Katherine, adopted from China as a baby also meeting a new baby sister.
Emily happily agrees to help Katherines secret plan to find her birth mother, even though it means lying and sneaking around.
What could possibly go wrong

From the first page to the last, EMILY OUT OF FOCUS drew me in and kept me interested on the journey of adoption, changing families and friendship.
I loved Emilys passion for photography and her connection to her grandmothers memory,

Miriam Spitzer Franklin, who herself adopted a daughter from China, did a great job contrasting familys different paths toward adoption without ever sounding like she was teaching readers.
She showed the difference between changing the names of adoptees vs retaining their Chinese names, the sad reality of understaffed orphanages seamlessly within the plot.


Id love to see a follow up to EMILY OUT OF FOCUS,

Emily cant wait to fly with her parents to China and adopt her baby sister, but that doesnt stop her from being nervous.
What about if she doesnt like the food What about if her parents find out shes sneaking Nanas camera on the trip Most importantly, what about if her new sister doesnt like her But with her parents focused on the impending adoption, Emily finds herself spending time with Katherine, whose parents are also adopting a second child.
However, Katherine has her own mission, and she wants Emilys help to find her birth mother,

Author Miriam Spitzer Franklin obviously has a closeness to the subject matter something thats clarified in an insightful authors note at the back of the book.
Before briefly explaining her own experiences, though, she carefully expresses each step of adoption in China in a fictionalized account of the process.
And while lesser authors might make this seem more like a guide with a flimsy throughline, Franklin ends up with a compelling narrative that also happens to offer a unique perspective on one form of international adoption.


What makes this work rests mostly on the strength of Emily, Focused on a budding photojournalism career and having a bit of a rebellious streak, Emily encapsulates the hesitation most would experience with a changing family unit.
She feels real as she deals with the dawning realization that a baby sister will indeed change everything, Franklin never paints her as selfish in these feelings, Rather, Emilys just trying to work through what it means to be a big sister, and its incredibly effective.


Yet this book is not just about Emilys journey, and the addition of Katherine allows for a deeper understanding of how international adoption affects children once their older.
Her story of wanting to find her birth mother and enlisting the help of Emily in an amusing and winding plot is heartwarming and heartbreaking.
Mei Lin, Emilys new sister, is too young to express what her adoption means to her, but Katherine provides a deeper understanding of how complicated adoption can and will be.


Touching with plenty of fun, Emily Out of Focus is a beautiful story of family,

Note: I received an ARC of this book through Edelweiss, This book felt very real, I think it covered a comprehensive emotional rollercoaster that a preteen could experience when her family adopts a new child.


Emily is a happy, upbeat, but typical preteen, which comes through very clearly in her narration, After many years of waiting, her parents finally get what they wished for a chance to adopt a Chinese baby girl.
Emily gets to travel to China with her parents to pick up the baby and to finalize the adoption.
But it's not easy to go from being a single child to a big sister, There are lots of new adjustments, both emotional and physical, and not all of them are good ones, To top it off, her parents are even more restrictive and over protective at this time, and hardly let Emily even leave the hotel room on her own.
When Emily stretches the truth a bit too get around these rules, . . things get complicated.

The adoption process and orphanage scenes shed a light on how the system works, and what these children go through the lucky ones who get adopted, and a hint of what happens to the others.
We also get to see though the eyes of an older adoptee who wishes to connect with her birth family.
It's very emotional and well written,

Emily is an engaging and complex character, I really enjoyed reading this book, Family and friendship is an important theme here, which is becoming exceedingly rare in modern books where parents are taken out of the equation in order to make the plot more exciting.
This was written very realistically, and I loved every minute of it except for the parts where Emily has to face the music.


I highly recommend this book for all ages,

I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review, .