Prairie Lotus

 Prairie Lotus

By Linda Sue Park

I think this book is wonderful! It is a compelling, interesting story, and also tackles some big issues that were relevant in 1880 and are still very relevant today.

Hanna and her father move across the West from Los Angeles, landing in a tiny town called LaForge, in Dakota Territory. Hanna's mother, who died a few years prior, was half Chinese and half Korean, while her dad is white. In LaForge in 1880 there are no other Asians, and Hanna faces racism from the white townspeople. She notices American Indians facing similar injustices.

But Hanna is determined and strong, standing up for herself and committed to helping her dad establish a successful dress-making shop in town.

This story counters Laura Ingalls Wilder's popular "Little House" books, contributing a rich new perspective in historical fiction.

Pie in the Sky

Pie in the Sky 

By Remy Lai

I really enjoyed this interesting story of a boy who moves with his mom and little brother to a new country, where he doesn't know the language or have any friends.
Jingwen (age 12) loves to bake, and by planning and secretly baking elaborate cakes he copes with all of the strangeness of his new home. Making cakes also allows him to grieve for his father, who died before he could open the bakery of his dreams.
This story is told partly through cartoons and other pictures, which comically illustrate how Jingwen feels like he is living on another planet!

Listen, Slowly

Listen, Slowly
By Thanhha Lai

Thanhha Lai also wrote Inside Out & Back Again, a novel in verse (poetry) which I loved. This story Listen, Slowly is not in verse but touches on similar themes of family, adjusting to a new culture, and friendship.
The main character is Mai, a twelve-year-old Vietnamese American girl from Laguna Beach, California. Instead of hanging out at the beach with her best friend and new crush, Mai is sent to Vietnam with her grandmother to spend the whole summer in a tiny village--where she can't even communicate very well with the locals. Despite her misgivings about Vietnam, Mai makes some new friends (and rethinks her old ones) and learns some important stuff about her family's past. This novel is really funny!

Flying Lessons

Flying Lessons and Other Stories
Edited by Ellen Oh
(Cofounder of We Need Diverse Books)

This is a fabulous book of short stories, by a group of very diverse authors. One of the great things about reading short stories is that they can introduce you to a new author, someone who may have other books you'd want to check out; another thing about short story collections is that you don't have to read them all, or even read them in any particular order...and they may be different styles and genres. Some you may like more than others.

I love the variety of the stories in this collection. Basketball, crushes, dreams, new neighborhoods, family craziness, school stuff...a little something for everyone!

Inside Out & Back Again

Inside Out & Back Again
By Thanhha Lai

This is a beautiful story, in verse, of coming to the United States from Vietnam just at the end of the war, in 1975.
Ten-year-old Ha, along with her mom and three brothers, flees Saigon and survives a harrowing boat ride--eventually ending up in Alabama. There, she struggles to be included in school and learn English while suffering the intolerance and racism of many neighbors and schoolmates.
Stepping into Ha's shoes, we can understand how it feels to have to start over from scratch, leave one home behind and build another, and the power of kindness and compassion.

The Sun is Also a Star

The Sun is Also a Star
By Nicola Yoon

If you're in the mood for a love story, this may be it.
Told from many perspectives, about lives that intertwine in surprising ways, this story takes place all in one day in New York City.
Natasha, a teenager originally from Jamaica, loves facts and is determined to be a scientist. She is also living undocumented with her family in the U.S...and about to be deported. So when she meets Daniel on the street, it's not really a great time to start up a romance.
Daniel, however, is love-struck. He doesn't know the whole story about Natasha and even when he does, he won't give up. His own challenges with his Korean-American family and their expectations of him propel him to pursue a relationship with Natasha despite all odds...
Are Natasha and Daniel meant for each other? What is the Universe trying to do??!

Outrun the Moon

Outrun the Moon
By Stacey Lee

Fifteen-year-old Mercy Wong will win you over with her spunky attitude, strength, sense of humor, and determination. And she will need all of that and more to survive San Francisco's 1906 earthquake; not only does Mercy face the destruction of her city and beloved Chinatown neighborhood, but she faces discrimination at being a girl AND as a Chinese American.
Against all odds, Mercy talks her way into a private, elite girls school because she's convinced it is her only ticket to becoming the businesswoman she wants to be...but the Great Quake shakes up her plans and brings many unexpected connections, along with devastation and tragedy.
I could not put this book down!

The Great Wall of Lucy Wu

The Great Wall of Lucy Wu
By Wendy Wan-Long Shang

Sixth-grader Lucy would much rather play basketball than go to Chinese School. She knows she will hate it--and besides, why does she need to learn to speak Chinese anyway? She wants to be a basketball star!
When her great aunt comes from China to visit for an extended stay (months!) Lucy is even more horrified that she will have to share her room with Yi Po...who doesn't speak any English.
Lucy is sure her year is doomed. But she is in for some surprises, to help her deal with the challenges of family and school stuff!

Counting by 7s

Counting by 7s
By Holly Goldberg Sloan

I believe this is one of my favorite books, ever.
It is hard to imagine a novel that begins with a tragedy, is all about the agonizing process of grief, and somehow also makes the reader laugh out loud.
That is what Holly Goldberg Sloan has created--a beautiful, heart-wrenching and humorous story of a genius middle school girl dealing with the worst thing that has ever happened.
The quirky, eventually-lovable characters in this book are full of spirit but have real-life flaws and problems...they work together to make the impossible happen!
I love that the setting is Bakersfield, California, too.

Tokyo Heist

Tokyo Heist
By Diana Renn

Nothing like a good mystery for summer reading!
I enjoyed the twists and turns in Tokyo Heist, and I liked the teenage characters a lot. Violet, especially, is creative and smart; I loved her ideas for her own super-hero manga story about Kimono Girl...
The plot in this novel is clever, and includes cool manga-related details and background, along with the art-theft-Japanese-mafia theme!
And since I spent a few hours in the Tokyo airport earlier this summer, I especially enjoyed the reference to some interesting, unusual toilets...
A fun story!

Eleanor & Park

Eleanor & Park
By Rainbow Rowell

For Valentine's Day I thought I'd treat myself to a love story; my librarian friend Chalida told me, "this one will tear you apart!" so I picked it up...and couldn't put it down! And she was so right.

The alternating voices of high school juniors Eleanor and Park tell a magnificent love story. Eleanor, proud and stoic, puts up with bullying at school and at home, while Park appears to have it all. Who would have thought they would fall in love with each other on the school bus--a true, deep love--and who would have thought there would be such a beautiful book that captures every single feeling?

Sigh....

Bridge of Time

Bridge of Time
By Lewis Buzbee

This is a fun time travel story, mostly because it's set right here in San Francisco!
Middle schoolers Lee Jones and Joan Lee are best friends, and both have just heard that their parents are planning to divorce...the next morning, while on a boring school field trip to Fort Point, they are suddenly transported back in time to 1864. And who do they run into? Mark Twain (who introduces himself as Sam Clemens).
They have many crazy adventures while learning some unpleasant history lessons, especially with regard to how Chinese immigrants were first treated in San Francisco. And they travel to some other time periods in the City, too, including the future.

Operation Redwood

Operation Redwood
By S. Terrell French

After sneaking a peek at his rich and powerful Uncle Sibley's email, 12-year-old Julian realizes his uncle is planning to destroy a giant redwood tree grove as part of an investment deal.  Julian starts corresponding by email with a girl named Robin, who lives near the redwood forest.  With the help of his loyal friend Danny, Julian decides to join Robin in the struggle to save the trees.  He also wants to get away from his cruel uncle and aunt in San Francisco.  He has to sneak out of their house (his mom is away in China) and get to northern California on his own.  Will he be able to do anything to help the desperate situation?  Julian and Robin and Danny are determined to make their plan work.  But the redwoods are part of a million dollar deal...

Fred Korematsu

Fred Korematsu: All American Hero
By Anupam Chander and Madhavi Sunder
Illustrated by Angelia Loi


This informative graphic novel tells the story of Fred Korematsu, who spoke up and fought for justice for his Japanese American community despite great challenges. During WWII, Fred and his family and 120,000 other Japanese Americans living on the West coast were forced to live in internment camps for no reason but that they were of Japanese ancestry. Fred Korematsu took his case to the Supreme Court--twice--before the U.S. officially apologized to him, and to the entire Japanese American community. He continued to fight for justice for all people in the United States until his death at age 86, in 2005.
The story also mentions similar unfair treatment of Muslims after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001.

  

California now commemorates this impressive civil rights activist each January 30th (this began in 2011) with Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberaties and the Constitution.

American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese
By Gene Luen Yang

A funny, poignant, true-to-life-mixed-with-some-fantasy graphic novel about a Chinese American teenage boy coming to terms with who he is.  Along the way he encounters racism, friendship, first crushes, and an annoying "cousin" who embodies every negative Chinese stereotype anyone has ever heard of.
After Jin Wang's family moves from San Francisco's Chinatown to a more suburban neighborhood, he is the only Chinese American in the school.  There is one Japanese American girl in his class, however, with whom everyone thinks Jin has an arranged marriage...Eventually a new boy arrives "off the boat" from China, and after some initial avoidance, Jin decides to be friends with the newcomer.  Good thing, because Wei-Chen tells Jin's crush, Amelia, how great Jin is and Amelia agrees to go on a (hilarious) movie date with Jin.
Meanwhile, a Chinese fable is interspersed with Jin's American high school drama; in the fable a Monkey King is struggling with his own identity and power, wanting to be a god instead of a king.  The Monkey King becomes aware of and begins to dislike his own monkey-ness.  He suddenly insists all monkeys wear shoes, among other changes in his kingdom.
The stories of Jin, his friend Wei-Chen, and the Monkey King are woven together in a clever way at the end of the novel.  Acceptance of oneself is a clear but complicated theme in Yang's graphic novel, which specifically highlights how cruel kids can be to each other in school.  Though his story focuses on a Chinese American teen trying to fit in, this is a story any middle school student can probably relate to.  
(ISBN: 978-1-415-68878-6)

Kira-Kira

Kira-Kira
By Cynthia Kadohata

A beautiful, beautiful story of two Japanese-American sisters growing up in Georgia in the 1950's.  Their parents work long hours in a chicken processing plant (there are hints of union organizing activities), and they all struggle with racism at work and school.  When the older sister, Lynn, becomes very sick, the family dynamics are strained.  Ultimately hopeful, this sweet and sad novel grapples with all of the important things in life.

(ISBN: 0-689-856-39-3)

Biker Girl

Biker Girl
By Misako Rocks

 I was intrigued by this manga-style graphic novel, and enjoyed reading it.  It's about Aki, a regular high school girl who discovers a magic bicycle while cleaning out her garage one day.  Aki's grandfather helps her understand that it's her destiny to become "Biker Girl", a superhero who must avenge her cousin's death.  Aki is hesitant to take on the role but learns to trust herself, and her bike (complete with a giant snake that comes alive in difficult situations).  Her friend-turning-boyfriend supports her, and the surprise twist at the end revealing the identity of the villain is great.  If you want a fast-paced, fun alternative superhero story, try this one out.
(ISBN: 078683676-8)