Common Sense Media Review
By Sally Engelfried
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Angsty tale of Chinese American teen questioning his roots.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
High school sophomore Vee wants to know more about his half-Chinese, half-Wite Texan family roots, but neither of his parents are forthcoming on the subject in THE COUNTERFEIT FAMILY TREE OF VEE CRAWFORD-WONG. When he's assigned to write a family history in school, he decides to make one up, as the title suggests. This starts him on a downward spiral that will seem tame to many, but Vee is filled with angst as one lie follows another in his attempts to find out more about his family, get together with the popular senior girl he has a crush on, find out the truth about his history teacher's relationship with that girl, and maintain his friendship with Madison, the Chinese-American girl who is as smart as Vee thinks he should be. When he finally tells the biggest lie of all, he's taken on a journey that may finally allow him to discover who he is -- and may force him to tell the truth.
Is It Any Good?
The Counterfeit Family Tree of Vee Crawford-Wong accurately captures the angst, anger, and confusion of adolescence, and Vee has an authentic voice that many teens will relate to. However, his constant complaining about his lack of knowledge of his multicultural family background starts to sound whiny and overly tortured, especially through the first half of the book, when not a lot happens. His criticisms of his fellow students and teachers also begins to grate, even though he cushions many of his negative observations in self-deprecating humor. Once Vee decides to take action to solve his problems, the pace picks up and the resolution is ultimately satisfying.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about multicultural teen literature. Have you noticed the lack of it in comparison to books about white kids? Does this seem like a problem? Who should solve it?
Although you can find books about multiethnic teens, there aren't many movies about them. Why do you think this is?
Take a shot at creating your own family tree. Ask parents, grandparents aunts and uncles to help fill in the blanks and you may hear stories you've never heard before.
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : Friendship , School ( High School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster
- Publication date : July 23, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 368
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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