Indonesia
Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream
Clara Lee knew well of what she likes: her best friends, her grandpa, kimchi, candy necklace and her dream of becoming Little Miss Apple Pie. Clara Lee was also well aware of what she didn’t like; when her little sister is bugging, mom’s fish soup, nightmare (but grandpa always told her that nightmare was always a sign of luck), and to speak for public (something she couldn’t avoid to be the Little Miss Apple Pie).
But just who was this Clara Lee, Superkids? She was a third grade student in a small town, Bramley. This little girl came from Korean-American family who lived in a multigeneration house (with grandpa, dad, mom and her six years old sister, Emmeline). Clara Lee’s only number one desire was to win the town’s annual Apple Pie festival. That means she would dress up pretty wearing red gown and beautiful tiara in the parade.
However, her classmate Georgina always tried to knock her off the esteem. She would say that there’s no way Clara Lee could win because she was not a true American. Clara Lee couldn’t compare to the other Little Miss Apple Pies because she was half Korean. Clara Lee’s self confident was damaged even worse when she had a nightmare. Her grandpa, who was the closest person she had, convinced Clara that nightmare was usually a sign of the opposite. Clara was certain that her grandpa could not possibly had lied to her.
“Oh, Clara, of course you are American. You are so Korean-American, 100 percent from both sides. That doesn’t make you less valued than the others. Instead, it makes you more than they are,” grandpa cheered her up. Winning or loosing, that’s another entirely different thing. Jenny Han wrote “Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream” in simple language, easy to understand and equipped with eye catching illustration by Julia Kuo.
HAFIDA INDRAWATI
PHOTOS: HAFIDA INDRAWATI
