CHINGLISH
About The Book
"How do you explain you don’t speak Chinese when your parents are Chinese, you look Chinese and you live in a Chinese takeaway?!"
Winner of the Diverse Book Award 2020, this book is based on the real life events of author Sue Cheung. It follows Jo Kwan, a teenager growing up in 1980s Coventry with her annoying little sister, too-cool older brother, a series of unlucky pets and utterly bonkers parents. Jo lives above her parents’ Chinese takeaway and things can be tough – whether it’s unruly customers or the snotty popular girls who bully Jo for being different. Even when she does find a BFF who actually likes Jo for herself, she still has to contend with her erratic dad’s behaviour. All Jo dreams of is breaking free and forging a career as an artist. Told in diary entries and doodles, Jo’s brilliantly funny observations about life, family and char siu make for a searingly honest portrayal of life on the other side of the takeaway counter.
Themes/Warnings: Racial Equality, Domestic Abuse, Neglect, Bullying, Animal Cruelty
Check out the Author
Sue Cheung was born in the Midlands and spent her early years clowning about and busily scribbling and drawing. At the age of 16 she seized her chance to become an artist by winning a scholarship to the London College of Fashion. Later, Sue went into advertising and worked her way up to Art Director. She now freelances as a designer from her home in Bournemouth, where she writes and illustrates children’s books. She also writes under the name of Sue Pickford. Find out more at her website, Instagram or on Twitter.
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