For the young adult navigating cultural expectations and finding their voice, this book offers a heartfelt journey of self-discovery and first love amidst a magical lantern festival.
A parent might reach for this book when their teen is struggling to balance personal passions with family expectations, particularly around their future career. 'When You Wish Upon a Lantern' follows Liya, a Chinese American teen whose love for art clashes with her parents' dream of her pursuing a stable STEM career. During a magical Lantern Festival, she reconnects with her childhood friend, Kai, and together they secretly grant wishes for their community. This heartwarming story explores themes of self-discovery, cultural pride, and first love. It's a wonderful choice for young adults, offering a gentle and hopeful way to open conversations about finding your voice and honoring both your heritage and your dreams.
Features specific Chinese cultural traditions and foods that may be unfamiliar to some readers.
Sensitive Topics
The core conflict revolves around intergenerational cultural differences and the pressure of parental expectations. The approach is direct but handled with warmth and empathy, not intense angst. The resolution is hopeful and realistic, emphasizing communication, understanding, and compromise rather than outright rebellion or parental capitulation. The story is secular, focusing on cultural traditions rather than religious doctrine.
Ideal Reader
A teen aged 14-17, especially one in an immigrant family, who feels the weight of academic or career expectations from their parents. This is for the creative kid who is being pushed toward a more 'stable' path and needs to see a hopeful model for advocating for themselves while still maintaining family harmony.
Parent Prep
No specific preparation is needed; the book can be read cold. The content is wholesome. Parents might find it helpful to be prepared for a conversation about their own hopes for their child's future and to be open to discussing the value of artistic and non-traditional career paths. The book itself provides a great, gentle launchpad for this discussion. A parent has a tense conversation with their teen about college majors or future plans and hears, "You just want me to be someone I'm not." Or, they discover their teen is hiding a creative passion (like a portfolio, a secret blog, or musical instrument) for fear of disapproval.
Age Experience
A younger teen (13-15) will likely connect most with the charming romance, the fun of the wish-granting premise, and the magical atmosphere of the festival. An older teen (16-18), who is likely facing similar college and career pressures, will resonate more deeply with Liya's internal conflict and her journey toward self-advocacy.
What Makes It Special
Unlike many YA books about parental pressure that lean into heavy angst or outright rebellion, this novel frames the conflict within a joyful celebration of Chinese culture. The element of magical realism through the wish-granting lanterns offers a whimsical and uniquely gentle approach to resolving a serious and common real-world problem, making the story feel more hopeful and constructive.
Read plot summary
Liya, a talented artist, feels immense pressure from her Chinese American parents to pursue a more 'practical' career in STEM. When she returns to her old neighborhood for the annual Lantern Festival, she reconnects with Kai, her estranged childhood best friend. Together, they decide to collect the wishes people attach to lanterns and secretly try to make them come true. This act of anonymous kindness helps them mend their own friendship and sparks a romance, all while giving Liya the confidence to confront her parents and forge a path that honors both her passion and her family.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
Liya feels torn between her passion for art and her parents' desire for her to have a stable STEM career. How did Liya find a compromise, and do you think it was a good one for her?
2
Liya and Kai grant anonymous wishes for others at the festival. Why do you think helping others with their small dreams helped them figure out their own big problems?
3
The Lantern Festival and the specific foods and traditions are very important to the characters. What family or cultural traditions are important to you? How do they connect you to your family or community?
4
A lot of the conflict in the book comes from miscommunication or a lack of communication. What stops Liya from being honest with her parents at first, and what finally gives her the courage to speak up?
