My only downfall for this story that it was a little too slow-moving for my liking, as many of the dramatic elements happen in the latter part of the book and I'm a little too impatient for so much context and background building. But like I said before, everywhere you go, you see takeaways everywhere, sometimes at the end of quite a residential street.

Yes, indifference is sometimes very powerful - like “We’re not going to talk about you because you don't even matter. There's a debate as to whether the takeaway can survive as it's no longer run by that generation of Hong Kongers, but now perhaps by immigrants from Mainland China. Julie Ma was born and raised in Carmarthen, after her grandfather arrived in Wales from China in the 1920s. I found the book pretty unexceptional, didn’t find the characters particularly relatable or likeable and admit to being confused by the intricacies of the family relationships but didn’t really care enough about them to go back and seek clarification. The author brings the characters in the family and the town to life with her well-observed depictions and humour.It might be the hardest question that you will have been asked throughout your entire career: rice or noodles? They would say, “Well, we showed our love by making the money so that you could go on that school trip, or have that book, or have that video game or whatever”.

Based on the classic 'Happy Families' card game, this highly entertaining series is ideal for reading and sharing at home or at school. With wisdom and practical insights, the author skilfully navigates the challenges and joys of raising children in the modern world, particularly when they are struggling with anxiety or low mood. Amy moves her life from the big city, leaving her career as a doctor behind her, and heads back home to her small, sleepy hometown to live with her grandfather, and work in the family’s Chinese takeaway. Janet sadly died in 1994, but Allan has gone on to work with other illustrators and is still producing lots of new books.Were there any points where you thought this was bringing back some memories from when you were younger? Feeling nostalgic reading these as an adult, and really wish there was a full 20 book set to purchase. Miss Josie Jump the jockey can't wait to gallop in a race like her mum, her brother and even her grandma, but everyone says she's too young.

Their feud and Amy's reason for leaving Cardiff are simmering secrets that soon come to fruition in the climax of the story. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Also the big family secret as to why her grandfather Ah Goong and father TC Li haven't spoken to each other in thirty years. By the time I'd won the competition the publishers had decided that the book was good to go out and I didn't have any kickback about the switching.

Julie Ma's descriptions of the Li family relationships are moving and comedic at times, and there's an ooze of charm and relatability to small village life found in the interactions with those around them. Happy Families is your definitive guide to understanding your child's mental health, so they can survive and thrive. While much of the small Welsh community was welcoming of Ah Goong and his family, and they certainly enjoyed eating their food, the family did experience some racism. We read about their emigration to the UK, how they settle into village life, and the struggle to adapt to a new area and new languages. But there is grit here too, with rascism and cruelty to the vulnerable, witnessed by the very likeable main characters at their Chinese takeaway base.