Ash's Cabin Review
My second book from Jen Wang! The first book I read from her was The Prince and the Dressmaker, a long time ago. You can read that review here.
Ash's Cabin follows Ash, a transgender mixed-race teenager who wants to find and restore their eccentric grandfather's old cabin, which is very isolated from the world. Ash gets a bunch of books from the library and watches a bunch of YouTube videos to learn how to survive in the wild. They also raise money through dog walking so they can buy supplies for camping and food. They are finally able to go on the trip when the rest of their family goes to Disneyland. Ash stays with their aunt and uncle and cousin first (who have their own house out in the country) before going to the cabin. When the aunt, uncle and cousin go on their own trip later, Ash lies about staying in their house so they can go find their grandfather's cabin. Camping out and restoring an old cabin isn't easy! But Ash and their dog Chase find surprises along the way that make their little adventure more memorable.
This was so fascinating and heartwarming to read! It's also kind of educational, as there are some real-world tips about camping out in the wild sprinkled throughout the book. Also, my favorite character was a woman that was also camping out nearby Ash, named Suzanne. She contributes a lot to the lesson Ash learns about how we are all connected--no one can survive on their own.
I am giving it 4.5 stars though because sometimes Ash is deadnamed throughout the story. Luckily their deadname is censored throughout it so you don't actually have to read it, but it is still something to be aware of.
The story overall reminded me heavily of My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. In fact, in the back of the book the author writes that My Side of the Mountain was one of her inspirations for this story! I also read and reviewed that book a long time ago. You can check it out here.
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