Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Twins get ready for Lunar New Year in fun early reader.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
LING & TING'S LUNAR NEW YEAR: TWO TIMES LUCKY begins with Ling telling her twin sister, Ting, "We have to prepare for the new year!" Ting responds, "We already celebrated the new year." Then Ting reminds her that they celebrate two new years, and the first one (on January 1, but she doesn't mention that) is over. "Our other new year is coming. Lunar New Year is coming." The rest of the story shows the things they do to prepare for its arrival, like cleaning the house and sweeping out the dust, which Ting mistakenly throws out the front door. Ling explains, "That dust is our bad luck. ... The New Year will come through the front door ... Now it will go through our bad luck! It will bring our bad luck back to us. We will not have a lucky year!" They devise a way to trick the new year into thinking their side door is the front door. They decorate it with two banners, make two lion costumes (like Chinese lion dancers wear), and put oranges (symbols of luck) on a table, because the New Year likes to eat them. Once the New Year arrives, they open the side door, put on their lion costumes and stomp their feet. Ling yells, "WELCOME, NEW YEAR!" and Ting shouts, "NEW YEAR, COME HERE!" Two fireworks explode in the sky, a burst of wind closes the door, and Ting says, "It worked! The New Year went in the side door! We did it!" And they agree they are "two times lucky."
Is It Any Good?
This fun addition to a beloved series celebrates Chinese culture and shows the "not exactly alike" twins working together to celebrate. Ling & Ting's Lunar New Year: Two Times Lucky seamlessly imparts a lot of cultural details about the traditions and superstitions surrounding Lunar New Year as the sweet story unfolds. It also shows how kids with different levels of enthusiasm for a project can figure things out on their own (no adults involved!) and come up with creative solutions. Grace Lin has done it again!
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the Chinese American sisters get ready for Lunar New Year in Ling & Ting's Lunar New Year: Two Times Lucky. What did you learn about the holiday's traditions and what did you know already know?
What do you think about how how the twins get along? Does it seem like how sisters talk to each other in real life? Why is good communication important when talking to friends and siblings?
How would you describe the difference between Ling and Ting? Are you more like one or the other? How so?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Grace Lin
- Genre : For Beginning Readers
- Topics : Family Stories , Holidays
- Character Strengths : Communication , Curiosity , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : January 6, 2026
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 6 - 9
- Number of pages : 48
- Available on : Paperback, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : January 16, 2026
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