Finally Heard
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.
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.
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Community Reviews
"Sometimes those who don't deserve our kindness need it the most"
Kelly Yang does it again! I really hope there is more to this series just like her Front Desk series! She just writes such great middle grade novels that bring about issues and conversations that need to be had in a way that is approachable and interesting.
Quick summary: This book follows Finally Seen. Lina and her family are now doing well with their bath bomb business and she is beginning school with her two best friends. Lina still loves to read, is dedicated to her friends and family, and is always willing to lend a helping hand. However, now her body is changing and she is hyperfocused on hiding these changes. In addition to this, she begins to help her mother make videos for their business and gets sucked into the social media cloud - one that comes with conflicting videos of how to handle something, cyberbullying, and peer pressure. Can Lina find a way out of all of this pressure and get back to the amazing, creative person she always was?
I absolutely love that even though we know these characters from the previous book, we do get quite a bit of character development. Lina is changing and so are her friends and classmates; family dynamics are changing with the introduction of her mother's videos and booming business. We also see just how intense social media can be. I am on many different social media sites myself so I already know some of these things but for younger readers who may not have delved into it quite yet, this book could be a really important warning on just how dangerous it can be. Social media can be used to share things like Lina helping make videos to promote businesses. It can be a place to share your favorite things and find other people that enjoy similar things.
But it can very quickly turn negative. As some of her classmates explain, saying something on social media sometimes feels easier because you aren't seeing the other person's reaction. You are just typing words. But it is important to remember that there is another person on the other end reading that and getting hurt. I also really appreciate how Yang integrates one of the teachers, Mrs. Carter, as a way to also explain why social media is so addicting. Even being in my thirties and having social media for over 15 years, I learned a lot from this character on why we get caught in the infinite scroll and why certain videos get shown to us versus others. There are just so many outstanding messages of Internet safety, effects of too much screen time with emphasis on the negative influence of social media, as well as wise lessons on handling conflict face to face rather than through text or chat rooms. These are issues that young readers are dealing with now and this is a novel that can be both entertaining and informative for them.
I cannot wait to see what Yang writes next! I think Yang has continued to do a phenomenal job bringing forth important topics without making the books too adult or too babyish. She also does so in a way that has wonderful characters and character development that you just don't want to put the book down. Definitely my fav author for sure!!
Quotes I love
"Carla stops walking and, with all her enthusiasm, pitches me a new movie she’s cooked up over break. ‘It’s called You’ve Got a Package. It’s like You’ve Got Mail but about two people who fall in love when an Amazon package get delivered to the wrong house’” pg. 11
“I just want to do my job, work hard, be a good mom, and give people great products. So I guess I’m just hoping … that if there’s anyone out there who wants to hear from just a mama. Not an influencer. Or a celebrity. Or a big famous person. Let me know.’ My heart explodes with pride when Mom finishes her video. I hope the whole world is watching this, because it took guts for my mom to put it out there! I feel the power of her inspiring words. She’s right. I just need to get over this fear of my new body and be my true self!” Pg. 21
“You’ve heard the term use it or lose it? That applies to our brain as well. They did a study at Princeton - they divided people into two groups. Both groups watched an engaging talk. Turns out, the group that took a photo or a video of the talk remembered fewer details than the people who did not. It’s called transactive memory. By taking that video, you’re taking yourself out of the moment and transferring part of your memory to a device. If something cool happens, just take it in. Let your eyes and your skin and your ears remember it. Ditch you external memory drive” pg. 118
“Never one to resist a good dance-off, Millie throws her arms up, grinning. As we give my grandmother the dance party she deserves, I think about how nice it would be to feel this way all the time. To not care what anyone thinks and just move. I wish I could bottle up the magic in that tiny bathroom, and slather that all over my face” pg. 133
“Sometimes those who don’t deserve our kindness need it the most” pg. 153
“Social kindness. That’s what I really want, more than videos telling what I need to be wearing, eating, and doing. I want a world in which we’re kind to each other online, all the time. Where we think before we speak. Where we cheer each other on. Where we spread joy, not meanness” pg. 213
“I think about how good it feels to be honest and brave with my sister about what I’m going through even though I don’t have everything all figured out just yet” pg. 237
“My fingers fly as I type my response. You, lame? The boy who gave me the confidence to speak English? Who taught me to draw graphic novels? Who told me I could make videos? Who stood up for me on that Discord thread? You’re not lame. You’re the opposite of lame” pg. 246
“Cyberbullying is despicable because you know what it takes away? The feeling of safety. Every child deserves to feel safe in their school and their home. Make no mistake: words hurt. They hurt offline. They hurt online. Sometimes online, they hurt even more, because they can be forwarded and liked a bunch of times. And every time that happens, not only does it hurt the individual, but it hurts all of us, as a community” pg. 261
“Being strong doesn’t mean you suffer silently. It doesn’t mean you sweep things under the rug. It doesn’t mean you put up with abuse online. And it really doesn’t mean you keep your mother out!” pg. 293
“I may not have everything figured out yet. Or know what the world’s going to throw at me next. There may be lots of times when I mess up on this rocky, scary ride called growing up. But I am confident that I can get through it just being me. For I am enough just the way I am” pg. 324
Kelly Yang does it again! I really hope there is more to this series just like her Front Desk series! She just writes such great middle grade novels that bring about issues and conversations that need to be had in a way that is approachable and interesting.
Quick summary: This book follows Finally Seen. Lina and her family are now doing well with their bath bomb business and she is beginning school with her two best friends. Lina still loves to read, is dedicated to her friends and family, and is always willing to lend a helping hand. However, now her body is changing and she is hyperfocused on hiding these changes. In addition to this, she begins to help her mother make videos for their business and gets sucked into the social media cloud - one that comes with conflicting videos of how to handle something, cyberbullying, and peer pressure. Can Lina find a way out of all of this pressure and get back to the amazing, creative person she always was?
I absolutely love that even though we know these characters from the previous book, we do get quite a bit of character development. Lina is changing and so are her friends and classmates; family dynamics are changing with the introduction of her mother's videos and booming business. We also see just how intense social media can be. I am on many different social media sites myself so I already know some of these things but for younger readers who may not have delved into it quite yet, this book could be a really important warning on just how dangerous it can be. Social media can be used to share things like Lina helping make videos to promote businesses. It can be a place to share your favorite things and find other people that enjoy similar things.
But it can very quickly turn negative. As some of her classmates explain, saying something on social media sometimes feels easier because you aren't seeing the other person's reaction. You are just typing words. But it is important to remember that there is another person on the other end reading that and getting hurt. I also really appreciate how Yang integrates one of the teachers, Mrs. Carter, as a way to also explain why social media is so addicting. Even being in my thirties and having social media for over 15 years, I learned a lot from this character on why we get caught in the infinite scroll and why certain videos get shown to us versus others. There are just so many outstanding messages of Internet safety, effects of too much screen time with emphasis on the negative influence of social media, as well as wise lessons on handling conflict face to face rather than through text or chat rooms. These are issues that young readers are dealing with now and this is a novel that can be both entertaining and informative for them.
I cannot wait to see what Yang writes next! I think Yang has continued to do a phenomenal job bringing forth important topics without making the books too adult or too babyish. She also does so in a way that has wonderful characters and character development that you just don't want to put the book down. Definitely my fav author for sure!!
Quotes I love
"Carla stops walking and, with all her enthusiasm, pitches me a new movie she’s cooked up over break. ‘It’s called You’ve Got a Package. It’s like You’ve Got Mail but about two people who fall in love when an Amazon package get delivered to the wrong house’” pg. 11
“I just want to do my job, work hard, be a good mom, and give people great products. So I guess I’m just hoping … that if there’s anyone out there who wants to hear from just a mama. Not an influencer. Or a celebrity. Or a big famous person. Let me know.’ My heart explodes with pride when Mom finishes her video. I hope the whole world is watching this, because it took guts for my mom to put it out there! I feel the power of her inspiring words. She’s right. I just need to get over this fear of my new body and be my true self!” Pg. 21
“You’ve heard the term use it or lose it? That applies to our brain as well. They did a study at Princeton - they divided people into two groups. Both groups watched an engaging talk. Turns out, the group that took a photo or a video of the talk remembered fewer details than the people who did not. It’s called transactive memory. By taking that video, you’re taking yourself out of the moment and transferring part of your memory to a device. If something cool happens, just take it in. Let your eyes and your skin and your ears remember it. Ditch you external memory drive” pg. 118
“Never one to resist a good dance-off, Millie throws her arms up, grinning. As we give my grandmother the dance party she deserves, I think about how nice it would be to feel this way all the time. To not care what anyone thinks and just move. I wish I could bottle up the magic in that tiny bathroom, and slather that all over my face” pg. 133
“Sometimes those who don’t deserve our kindness need it the most” pg. 153
“Social kindness. That’s what I really want, more than videos telling what I need to be wearing, eating, and doing. I want a world in which we’re kind to each other online, all the time. Where we think before we speak. Where we cheer each other on. Where we spread joy, not meanness” pg. 213
“I think about how good it feels to be honest and brave with my sister about what I’m going through even though I don’t have everything all figured out just yet” pg. 237
“My fingers fly as I type my response. You, lame? The boy who gave me the confidence to speak English? Who taught me to draw graphic novels? Who told me I could make videos? Who stood up for me on that Discord thread? You’re not lame. You’re the opposite of lame” pg. 246
“Cyberbullying is despicable because you know what it takes away? The feeling of safety. Every child deserves to feel safe in their school and their home. Make no mistake: words hurt. They hurt offline. They hurt online. Sometimes online, they hurt even more, because they can be forwarded and liked a bunch of times. And every time that happens, not only does it hurt the individual, but it hurts all of us, as a community” pg. 261
“Being strong doesn’t mean you suffer silently. It doesn’t mean you sweep things under the rug. It doesn’t mean you put up with abuse online. And it really doesn’t mean you keep your mother out!” pg. 293
“I may not have everything figured out yet. Or know what the world’s going to throw at me next. There may be lots of times when I mess up on this rocky, scary ride called growing up. But I am confident that I can get through it just being me. For I am enough just the way I am” pg. 324
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