"Middle-grade readers will find many ways to connect with Anna and her friends in this warm family and school story."
—Kirkus

"This book deals deftly with a range of thorny adoption- and ethnic-stereotyping issues, such as the abandonment of female Chinese infants and the assumption that all Asians are gifted students, and it has special meaning for families touched by adoption."
—School Library Journal, starred review

"The science-fair and adoption angles make this useful in a number of settings, and readers who have followed Anna since fourth grade will hope Cheng goes on to keep tabs on her as she reaches sixth grade."
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books