The Horn Book Guide

YOUNGER FICTION

Cheng, Andrea

The Key Collection

117 pp. | Holt | June, 2003 | Trade ISBN 0-8050-7153-9 $$15.95

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Yangsook Choi. Chinese-born Ni Ni is Jimmy's next-door grandmother and best friend. Her jar of keys, literally keys to her past and present, are just one of the many links between them. When it's decided that the frail Ni Ni must move across country to live with her daughter, the boy is devastated. It's predictable that the change benefits both, but there's unusual warmth and depth in the story. Realistic drawings enhance the open, inviting format.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2003