Read an Excerpt from TAKE A BREATH OLIVE TRAN by Phuong Truong (Illustrated by Christine Wei)

We're very excited to feature an excerpt from the second entry in an acclaimed series for young readers with Take a Breath Olive Tran by Phuong Truong! 

The school’s biggest event of the year is around the corner, and Olive Tran has her sights set on victory. The prize? A pizza party for the whole class—and eternal glory as the kid who made it happen. The only catch? Olive has no clue what her talent actually is.

While her brother Ben dazzles on the piano, Olive cycles through magic tricks, dance moves, and one disastrous comedy routine after another, her nerves growing louder than the applause she dreams of. But winning isn’t just about the pizza—or even the show. As Olive wrestles with stage fright, self-doubt, and the pressure to shine, she starts to discover that maybe “having talent” isn’t about perfection at all.

Bursting with humor, heart, and plenty of sibling rivalry, Take a Breath, Olive Tran is a funny and tender story about finding your own rhythm—and remembering to breathe along the way. Brought to life with beautiful illustrations by Christine Wei!

Check it out right here on Open Book!

An Excerpt from Take a Breath Olive Tran by Phuong Truong (Illustrated by Christine Wei):

Chapter 4

“Mom! I’m home!” I drop my backpack by the door and kick off my shoes. I slide my house slippers on and head to the kitchen for my after-school snack.

“Hi, sweetie,” she calls out from her studio. “I’m just finishing up this last bit. Be out in a minute!”

Mom is an artist. She works with all kinds of stuff—paint, yarn, and most recently, clay. But just like with Ben, none of her abilities have rubbed off on me. I guess I’m just not destined for a life in the arts.

“Hi, Bà Nội.”

Bà Nội is putting groceries away, so I help unpack the bags. This scores me points for being helpful and also gives me a chance to scope out what goodies we have before Ben gets to them.

“Hi, Con. You want grill cheese?”

“Ooh, yes please.”

My grandma doesn’t usually make non-Vietnamese food, but she does make an amazing grilled cheese sandwich. She always makes sure to spread the butter right to the edges of the bread so that every bite is crispy and delicious.

“Okay, you put food away. I cook.”

She gets the cheese from the fridge—sharp cheddar for taste, mozzarella for the pull—and cuts some slices off the loaf of sourdough bread.

“I make one for your mom too. She not eat enough.”

The groceries are taken care of and the sandwiches are sizzling in the pan when Mom finds her way to the kitchen.

“Mmm, that smells good.”

“Bà Nội’s making grilled cheese sandwiches, and she’s making one for you too!” I say as Mom pulls up a seat at the counter.

“Thanks, Má.”

The sandwiches are placed in front of us, but before Mom can take a bite, I blurt out, “Can we get a dog?” I’ve been burning to ask her since lunch.

“What? Why?” Mom gives me a funny look. “No, but still why?”

Then she takes a bite and shuts her eyes, sighing. “You’ve never asked for a pet before, and correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you scared of dogs?”

“Maybe I’ve grown out of that?” I suggest hopefully. But who am I kidding? One of my earliest memories is being chased by a neighbor’s cockapoo. It was terrifying. Buttons doesn’t seem nearly as big to me as she did when I was three year

s old, but I still flinch whenever she comes to say hello.

“The talent show is in three weeks, and I need to come up with an idea. Last year, Liam did tricks with his dog and won, so I thought I could do the same thing.”

“Olive!” Mom laughs. “It takes a long time to train a dog. You couldn’t possibly have an act ready in three weeks. Besides, don’t you want to do something more original?”

“I would do something original if I could think of something,” I moan. “I think I was passed over when all the artistic talents were handed out to this family. Or maybe you and Ben are so good at stuff that you sucked up more than your fair share of artsy-ness. You two are artsy-ness hoggers!”

“Eh, don’t forget Bà Nội sing real good,” chimes in Grandma.

Bà Nội has been known to perform some cải lương songs at the community center on Vietnamese karaoke night. It’s a type of Vietnamese opera or folk music. I find it kinda screechy, which I would never admit to her in a million years, but her friends seem to enjoy her singing.

Mom tries—and fails—to smother her laughter. “Olive, you’re good at lots of things. I can’t think of what you might be able to do in front of an audience, but I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

“Well, putting groceries away is not going to win me any prizes,” I mumble. “Hey, where’s Ben? Maybe he can give me some ideas.”

“He said he had something to do after school today so he’ll be a little late.”

Blurgh. Nothing is going my way today. It looks like, as usual, I’ll only be able to count on one person to come up with an idea. Me.

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Phuong Truong grew up in Ottawa and dreamed of being a rock star, a lawyer, or an author. She happily achieved one of these goals with her picture book Everyone is Welcome and her chapter book Every Little Bit Olive Tran, the first of the Olive Tran series. She works in book publishing and lives with her family in Toronto, Ontario.

Christine Wei is a Taiwanese Canadian artist living on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations in Vancouver, BC. Christine’s work often draws inspiration from sentiment, life stories, and nature-inspired mark-makings. She loves creating art with a variety of mediums to convey relatable narratives in dynamic perspectives. You can find her at www.christineweiart.com