Paper Daughter by Jeanette Ingold (A Review)

In the summer before her senior year, Maggie Chen decides to take advantage of her opportunity at an internship with the Seattle Herald. Her father, a journalist, has been recently killed by a hit-and-run driver, and Maggie knows how proud he was that she was selected for the internship. She is fortunate enough after only a few days on the job to be involved in a potentially huge story about corruption at city hall involving a local builder.


In addition to her summer job, Maggie is doing her best to help her mother, an English professor, with duties around the house. While cleaning out her father’s office, she finds mysterious notes which, along with clues from his past, lead her to believe that her father may not have been who he said. The mystery of her father and the corruption at city hall seem to be related. Could he have been involved in illegal activities? Did that cause his death?

A secondary story about Fai-yi Li and his sister begins slowly, with their illegal immigration to America, but builds as he begins to become part of the new culture and falls in love. The reader is left to puzzle about how his tale relates to the main story of Maggie. All of the pieces come together nicely, however, in the end.

Maggie is a well-developed character and many teens will relate to her search for her own identity. Fascinating details about Chinese culture also enliven the story. This book will be a hit for readers who enjoy a good mystery.