Finally Heard - by Kelly Yang (Hardcover)

About the Book

Ten-year-old Lina wants to create a viral video to help her mom's business, but as she navigates the world of likes and views with her two best friends, Lina must find the courage to stay true to her authentic self.

Book Synopsis

From the New York Times bestselling author of Front Desk comes the sequel to Finally Seen "that tackles tweenhood and technology woes head-on" (School Library Journal, starred review) when Lina tries to navigate social media, only to discover not everything online is what it seems.

When ten-year-old Lina Gao sees her mom's video on social media take off, she's captivated by the potential to be seen and heard! Maybe online she can finally find the confidence she craves. Whereas in real life she's growing so fast, she feels like microwave popcorn, bursting out of her skin!

With the help of her two best friends, Carla and Finn, and her little sister, Millie, Lina sets off to go viral. Except there's a lot more to social media than Lina ever imagined, like:

1. Seeing inside her classmates' lives! Is she really the only person on the planet who doesn't have a walk-in closet?
2. Group chats! Disappearing videos! What is everyone talking about in the secret chats? And how can she join?
3. A bazillion stories about what to eat, wear, and put on her face. Could they all be telling the truth? Everyone sounds so sure of what they're saying!

As Lina descends deeper and deeper into social media, it will take all her strength to break free from the likes and find the courage to be her authentic self in this fast-paced world.

Review Quotes

In this cautionary tale, the sequel to Finally Seen (rev. 1/23), the perks and perils of social media play a pivotal--and educational--role. The Gaos still struggle with bills, and Lina's mom joins Instagram to sell more bath bombs. Fifth-grader Lina gets her first smartphone, and while technology offers some positives (videochatting with her Beijing grandma, promoting her neighbors' small businesses), they are outweighed by the negatives. She envies her classmates' fancy homes, worries about her physical appearance, and experiences cyberbullying (as both a target and a bully); and her best friend gets catfished by an adult. Everything converges when the school holds a "Dangers of Social Media" event and a "Justice Session" to discuss student online behavior. Yang integrates facts about how social media is addictive and detrimental to people's mental health into the story and back matter. She helpfully shows readers a way to cut through social media's downsides--by having honest conversations "brainstorming how to break the dopamine loop. How to not be played by the algorithm." MICHELLE LEE--Horn Book "March/April 2024 Issue"

In this sequel to Finally Seen (2023), Lina becomes self-conscious when she realizes that she's showing signs of puberty earlier than her fifth-grade classmates. Her mother encourages her to become active on social media platforms, and to some extent, Lina is successful. But when she learns that some of her schoolmates are criticizing others online, and their personal attacks become increasingly hurtful, she eventually unleashes her pent-up anger online. Later, she realizes that she can't undo the damage she's done. After she reflects on her actions and candidly expresses her feelings to those she has hurt, help arrives swiftly, sometimes from unexpected sources. Yang writes well, but in this novel, she also has a practical purpose, as explained in the informative author's note about her experiences as a parent researching social media and dealing with its consequences. While some readers will find the didacticism heavy-handed, others might consider that aspect of the narrative secondary to the importance of making the downside of social media apparent to middle-grade readers and dissuading them from using it--Booklist "01/01/2024"

Lina Gao of Finally Seen is back in Yang's latest novel, learning to find her voice amid new technology and pubescent self-esteem struggles. Lina's mom is hoping to grow her small bath bomb business with the help of a social media influencer--until she discovers the cost. Encouraged by her daughters, Mrs. Gao creates her own simple, heartfelt video, which quickly garners a wave of positive attention. Lina, despite feeling uncomfortable in her changing body, flexes her creative muscles and, with the help of her best buds, begins creating social media promotion videos for her mom and other struggling small businesses. Things are going great until Lina's mom hands over her phone (and unfettered social media access) to Lina permanently. Yang's novel posits the Internet as the great equalizer, in ways both good and bad. On the plus side, it allows small businesses to spread the word about their products freely, and one's creative visions can be realized with a few taps on a screen. Conversely, kids and grown-ups alike struggle with misinformation, trolls, insecurity, addiction, and scams. In addition to offering plenty of food for thought in her characters' choices, Yang smartly employs Lina's teacher as a conduit for sharing information about the effects of social media on the brain. The lesson learned is how to make healthier technology choices rather than abstaining from it entirely. VERDICT A recommended first purchase that tackles tweenhood and technology woes head-on--School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW "2/1/24"

About the Author

Kelly Yang is the New York Times bestselling author of Front Desk (winner of the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Children's Literature), Three Keys, Room to Dream, Key Player, Top Story, Parachutes, Private Label, Yes We Will, New from Here, Finally Seen, and Finally Heard. Front Desk also won the Parents' Choice Gold Medal, was the 2019 Global Read Aloud, and has earned numerous other honors including being named a best book of the year by The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and NPR. Learn more at KellyYang.com.