L ellingw

Apple 🍎, a middle schooler living in New Orleans, LA is originally from the Philippines. Her name is a nickname given to her as a baby, which is common in the Philippines. They use nicknames more often than their formal names. Apple is having trouble in school. She is thought to be Chinese, and accused of eating dogs by bullies. Kids also put her on a secret list called the Dog List for ugly girls. Life is very disheartening. One solace she has is an old cassette tape from her dead father. One of two items her family brought from the Philippines, along with a Catholic bible. Apple 🍎surrounds herself with the sounds of the songs from the album, Abbey Road. She listens to other Beatles albums and an album by George Harrison, her favorite Beatle. Finally Apple gets a chance to learn the guitar and play her favorite songs, Blackbird and Here Comes the Sun. A new student named Evan befriends her and shows interest in her Filipino culture , her mother, and learning Cebuano, their native language. He even eats their food. This gives Apple 🍎confidence and desire to learn guitar 🎸and play her favorite songs. Lovely novel.