The Downstairs Girl
The Downstairs Girl is chosen for One Book One Valley 2023
December 28, 2022
PEOPLE Picks The Best Children’s Books of 2021: The Downstairs Girl
December 20, 2021
Media Mentions
REESE’S BOOK CLUB—Stacey Lee Stops By to Answer Some Questions. Sep 8, 2021. [Read article…]
REESE’S BOOK CLUB—Sugar, Spice, and a Little Advice. Aug 20, 2021. [Read article…]
REESE’S BOOK CLUB—5 Books with Strong Female Leads Recommended by Stacey Lee. Aug 11, 2021. [Read article…]
REESE’S BOOK CLUB—Step Into the Light: Stacey Lee, author of The Downstairs Girl, shares how writing and advice columns played a role in helping her find her voice. July 20, 2021. [Read article…]
THE NEW YORK TIMES SUNDAY BOOK REVIEW—“The Downstairs Girl holds a mirror to our present issues while giving us a detailed and vibrant picture of life in the past…Lee’s superpower is the way she adds shadow and contour to the picture.” Aug 25, 2019. [Read full review…]
NBC NEWS—Novels set from the South to Shanghai detail unexpected dimensions of Asian American history. Asian Americans have always been part of the American story. These authors are making sure they have a place in historical fiction. “… emphasized the importance of historical fiction as a catalyst for readers to then learn more about marginalized identities, particularly those from the past.” Nov 19, 2019. [Read full review…]
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW – Elizabeth Wein writes “The Downstairs Girl holds a mirror to our present issues while giving us a detailed and vibrant picture of life in the past. There are two sides to every story — or more than two — and it’s easy to focus on the heroes, or the villains, when we look back at our history. Lee’s superpower is the way she adds shadow and contour to the picture.” [Read full online article…]
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY—published a Q&A with Stacey Lee on Aug. 16th, discussing Lee’s road to publication, her research process for THE DOWNSTAIRS GIRL, and her next project! [Read full interview…]
NPR BOOK REVIEW—“The DOWNSTAIRS GIRL doesn’t shy away from the discrimination and unfairness that [Jo – a Chinese girl living in late 19th century Atlanta, GA] faces at every turn because of her race and gender. It also manages to be intersectional, as the story is populated with diverse character of color and it takes the time to acknowledge the many permutations of injustice that all of them face….I honestly didn’t know it was possible for a work of historical fiction to seriously take on the racism and sexim of the 19th century South while still being such a joyful read.” [Read full review…]
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY—selected THE DOWNSTAIRS GIRL as a “ PW Pick: Books of the Week, August 12, 2019” [View here…]
PASTE MAGAZINE—included THE DOWNSTAIRS GIRL in their “The Best Young Adult Novels of August 2019” roundup! [View here…]
CULTURESS— “A charming, unique tale about a Chinese American girl struggling to survive in Reconstruction-era Atlanta, this book has so many things going for it. A strong, capable heroine. A setting that feels utterly original. A twist that feels oh so fresh. And a charming romance that doesn’t overpower the rest of the story.” [Read full review…]
WOMAN’S WORLD MAGAZINE included THE DOWNSTAIRS GIRL in their Book Club feature in the August 15th issue!
BOOKISH selected THE DOWNSTAIRS GIRL as an August Book Club Pick, saying “The Downstairs Girl is one of our must-read YA books of the summer, and your group won’t want to miss it.” [View here…]
HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW reviewed in their August 2019 issue, calling it “A masterful novel from an exceptional storyteller. Highly recommended.” [Read full review…]
Musings – author interview – 8/13
ParnassusNext – August Book Box – 8/13
YA Café Podcast – August 2019 Episode – 8/8
BookPage – author interview – August issue
The Mary Sue – August book club – 8/2
Character Media – mention – 8/1
Book of the Month – August selection – 8/1
BookRiot – August Horoscope Reads – 8/1
The International Examiner – mention – 7/23
School Library Journal – author interview – 7/16
GoodReads – Most Anticipated – 7/15
Bookish – Summer Reading roundup – 7/10
BookRiot – Summer TBR roundup – 7/7
BookRiot – Summer Must-Reads – 7/5
BookRiot – Summer Preview – 7/1
BookRiot – Read, Set, Hold – 6/26
Hypable – release date radar – 6/3
BookRiot – What’s Up in YA – 5/30
Buzzfeed – APAH Month roundup – 5/18
Bookish – Asian American YA – 5/16
Kirkus – author feature – 5/1
NBC News – APAH Month Roundup – 5/1
BookRiot – YA Historical Fiction – 2/6
BookRiot – Chinese New Year Roundup – 2/4