Parachutes

Front Cover
HarperCollins Publishers, 2020 - Young Adult Fiction - 476 pages

Speak enters the world of Gossip Girl in this modern immigrant story from New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang about two girls navigating wealth, power, friendship, and trauma.

They're called parachutes: teenagers dropped off to live in private homes and study in the United States while their wealthy parents remain in Asia. Claire Wang never thought she'd be one of them, until her parents pluck her from her privileged life in Shanghai and enroll her at a high school in California.

Suddenly she finds herself living in a stranger's house, with no one to tell her what to do for the first time in her life. She soon embraces her newfound freedom, especially when the hottest and most eligible parachute, Jay, asks her out.

Dani De La Cruz, Claire's new host sister, couldn't be less thrilled that her mom rented out a room to Claire. An academic and debate team star, Dani is determined to earn her way into Yale, even if it means competing with privileged kids who are buying their way to the top. But Dani's game plan veers unexpectedly off course when her debate coach starts working with her privately.

As they steer their own distinct paths, Dani and Claire keep crashing into one another, setting a course that will change their lives forever.


As both girls find themselves in impossible situations, they have to make a choice: stay silent or speak up?


  • Dual POV: Told from the perspectives of Claire, a wealthy parachute from Shanghai, and Dani, her determined host sister who dreams of Yale.
  • Class Differences: A powerful look at the lives of the super-wealthy and the working-class families in their orbit, exploring privilege, power, and the things money can't buy.
  • A Gripping YA Social Thriller: As Claire is drawn into a toxic relationship and Dani faces a dangerous situation with her debate coach, both girls must confront the trauma hiding in plain sight.
  • A Story About Consent: A timely and unflinching #MeToo story for teens that explores what it means to speak your truth, even when the world wants you to stay silent.

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About the author (2020)

Kelly Yang is the New York Times bestselling author of Front Desk, Three Keys, and Room to Dream and is the winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature. She went to college at age thirteen and is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard Law School. She is the founder of the Kelly Yang Project, a leading writing and debating program for children in Asia. She lived in Hong Kong for fifteen years, where she taught many parachutes and was a columnist for the South China Morning Post. Her writing has also been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Atlantic. Kelly currently lives in Los Angeles with her family. Please find her online at www.kellyyang.com. Parachutes is her YA debut.