February: Love is in the Air

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Mrs.N

I’m not a big Valentine’s Day person, but I always looking for an excuse to read a good love story.  This February, love is in the air as I report back on the content of all sorts of young romances.  Until the first post, you can begin making your Valentine’s reading list by checking my prior love story reviews.

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Yang the Eldest and His Odd Jobs

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Mrs.N

Yang the Eldest and His Odd Jobs by Lensey Namioka

This is the final installment in the series about the Yang family.

Eldest Brother may be the most talented member of the family string quartet but when his violin needs repair, the news is bad.  The repairs would be so costly that it may be better to just buy a new instrument.  But Eldest Brother has never held a job, never really had time for anything other than his music.  He tries many different ways to make money, in the process making friends and seeming more American that he ever has before.  But Third Sister is worried.  Is Eldest Brother becoming so American that he is now valuing money over his music? It will take the whole family to help Eldest Brother find balance in his life.

Since the Yang series chronicles an immigrant family, it is very interesting to read the comparisons between America and China. Namioka points out how in China any student with the talent of Eldest brother would receive an instrument and lessons from the government, a stark contrast to the limited support for the arts we have here in the US.  She also explains why the family had to leave China and the political consequences they faced for breaking the one family, one child mandate.  It’s all done in a very age appropriate manner.  Namioka also points out that while some Americans can’t tell or don’t know the difference between the Chinese and Japanese, that there is in fact some animosity historically between these groups.

While this is certainly an easy enough book for many third graders, the focus on Eldest Brother, who is a teenager, may make it less appealing to students so young, and perhaps a better fit for middle grades students.  I will say though that students with a cultural connection to Eldest Brother may have a greater understanding of the issues presented in the book and therefore be interested in it at a younger age.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – Second Sister goes on dates with a boy.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – Elder Brother injures himself at work and there is quite a bit of blood.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

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Revolution is Not a Dinner Party

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Mrs.N

Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party by Ying Chang Compestine

This book was recommended to me by commenter Ali B. and was reviewed on her blog Literary Lunchbox recently.

The daughter of two highly respected doctors, Ling is doted on and petted.  She excels in school and learns English at home, tutored by her beloved father.  The book is set in Maoist China and Ling’s life swiftly changes as the revolution comes to her home.  At first she is irritated at the party official who moves into a room downstairs, but she is naive, not understanding the power he wields.  As the workers gain strength and the intelligentsia are sent to labor camps, Ling begins to know suffering and loss.  People close to her are denounced, sent away or re-educated.  She must learn to face the bullies at school who harass her for her elite position.  When her mother begins to buckle under the stress of trying to feed the family and keep them out of prison, Ling has to grow up even more.

Revolution is Not a Dinner Party does not do much sugar-coating, but it does provide a look at communist China that is appropriate for teens and tweens.  The story is harsh without being relentless and some hope is preserved at the end.  Two author’s notes at the end serve to clarify, although the deposition of certain officials at the end of the book is quite confusing.

Great for: A fictional look at the rise of communism in China.  This would be great for middle school or high school classes that want a teen friendly text on the subject.  If I were teaching to multiple reading levels in high school, I might have advanced readers take on the non-fiction Wild Swans : Three Daughters of China which is fairly complex, and provide Revolution is Not a Dinner Party for readers that were at a lower reading level.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – None.
Profanity –None.
Death, Violence and Gore – People at the hospital have injuries.  A man nearly drowns.  Revolutionaries threaten people and are very rough as they take them into custody.  A doctor is injured and bleeding.  Foot binding is referenced. We learn the father of a neighbor died of cancer.  A character commits suicide.  A man is beaten savagely for questioning the communists.  People need to physically fight for food.  Ling is beaten by classmates; they threaten to kill her.  The revolutionaries beat people (including each other) with their metal belt buckles.  A man coughs up blood and requires surgery.  Hospital scenes feature lots of wounded and blood, including a man with a knife stuck in his leg.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Old men smoke cigarettes.  Comrade Li smokes cigarettes.  The comrades go drinking.
Frightening or Intense Things – Arrests are made; people are taken from their homes with pillowcases over their heads.  People disappear or are sent to labor camps.  Food and fabric are rationed.  People’s belongings are seized and destroyed.  Public shamings are a part of life in China.

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Yang the Second and Her Secret Admirers

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Mrs.N

Yang the Second and Her Secret Admirers by Lensey Namioka

This is the third book in the Yang series.

Of all the Yangs, Second Sister is having the hardest time with the move to America.  In China she had lots of friends and was always socializing. Here in America, she is inflexible and angry.  Rather than try to fit in, she clings to things that remind her of China: her long braids, her cloth slippers, her high collar jacket.  When the Yangs meet the Eng family, her younger siblings hope this will the opportunity she needs to make friends.  Surely Second Sister will be excited to meet other people with Chinese heritage.  But everything is wrong.  The Engs are not newly arrived, in fact, the Eng children were born in America. To Second Sister, they are not nearly Chinese enough.

Her younger siblings decide to take matters into their own hands and hatch a plan to get Second Sister a boyfriend.  Obviously, things go wrong, but in the process they succeed in bringing Second Sister out of her shell.

Good for: This one is tricky.  While it’s narrated by Fourth Brother (the littlest Yang), it’s primarily about Second Sister.  I would say that it would be of interest more to middle grades girls despite the narrator.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – Using Much Ado About Nothing for inspiration, the younger Yangs plot to get their sister a boyfriend.  Of course, things always go awry when you make plans like that!  While trying to track people in the woods without getting lost the children joke about using their clothes to mark the path.
Profanity – “stupid”, “idiot,”
Death, Violence and Gore – Paul has seen the movie The Birds and is a afraid of birds after watching them attack people in the movie.  Fourth brother wants to see cowboys and Indians and wonders if they’ll be shooting at each other.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Mrs.N

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Minli and her parents live in the shadow of the Fruitless Mountain.  Their village is poor and they work hard for the little rice they have.  Minli’s father fills her head with folktales about the Fruitless Mountain and the all-knowing Old Man of the Moon.  Her mother is more practical and is disapproving of Ba as he fills Minli’s head with dreams.

Saddened by her family’s suffering, Minli sets out on a quest to meet the Old Man of the Moon and find a way to restore prosperity to her village.  With directions from a talking goldfish she heads off on her journey.  Soon she encounters a dragon who has been tied up by monkeys.  In freeing the dragon she has made a true friend who continues with Minli on her quest.  He is not the last one who will help her though. Minli encounters may others whose kindness and generosity help guide her.  The chapters are enhanced by beautiful illustrations and folktales which serve both to guide Minli and share lessons with the reader.

Age Recommendation: Grades 3 and up.  Many third grade students of mine have read and enjoyed this book.  The vocabulary can be quite advanced however:  magistrate, coveted, pitiless, subordinates, conceited, emissary.

Great for: Anyone looking for a strong female character. Minli’s faith, bravery and concern for others are what propel her on her quest.  While she certainly receives help from those she meets, she most certainly does not require any type of rescuing.

This will be a huge hit with any fans of Mulan, as both feature a strong girl, a loveable dragon and a mission.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – In the tales told within this book, marriages are foreordained.  At one point a boy sees seven girls swimming in a lake, they scream and grab their robes when they see him.  His buffalo is sitting on the robe of one girl, but he looks away so that she might get it in privacy.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – There is violence and death in this book, but it is on a fairytale level and generally not scary.  At the beginning we learn about a place where there is famine and the plants and animals are dying.  In a story, the magistrate orders a baby girl stabbed (she does not die however).  There are a few stories where parents die, leaving their children as orphans.  One man defies fate and lives past his appointed death.  A dangerous tiger features in the story.  He injures many and his claws have poison making him even more deadly.  Children are sent as a sacrifice to him.  The tiger has killed all the livestock in town just for the sake of killing.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

Posted in Middle Grades, Tween | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Yang the Third and Her Impossible Family

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Mrs.N

Yang the Third and Her Impossible Family by Lensey Namioka

This is the second book in the Yang series.

It is hard coming moving to a new country and Yang the Third does a wonderful job of showing cultural differences.  This is sometimes hilarious and sometimes cringe inducing.  You can’t help but laugh as poor Mrs. Yang upon learning Mrs. Hanson is 36 reassures her, “You look much older!” In China, it is considered an honor to be old. Obviously, things are quite different in America.

Yingmei is incredibly determined to fit in.  She picks an American name so that the kids will be able to pronounce it.  She keeps lists of new words, especially slang words so that she’ll speak properly.  But things are difficult.  Despite her efforts, the girls in her class make jokes about Chinese people eating pets and exclude her from their games.  But Yingmei is determined.  She learns how to fit in, but also when to stand up for herself and her family.

Great for: This book has some really important lessons about friendship, particularly for upper elementary school girls.  The dynamic where many girls try to please one ringleader who is not particularly concerned with how others feel is a very real and common thing.  To have a character perceptive enough to understand how the group of girls is working and then be able to go along enough to still be friends with the group, but independent enough to choose a better friend within the group is an excellent model for young girls.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – Kittens are nursing, so cat nipples are mentioned once.
Profanity – “shut up”  Mr. Sylvester starts to swear, but all that comes out is “d-”
Death, Violence and Gore – In China sometimes they drown unwanted kittens.  A neighbor used to have a dog but it died.  A Chinese storybook hero kills a tiger with his bare hands.  The children worry that the neighbors will get another dog and the dog will tear the kitten to bits.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

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Year of the Rat

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Mrs.N

The Year of the Rat by Grace Lin

This is the sequel to The Year of the Dog, although it does not pick up exactly where The Year of the Dog leaves off.  There has been another year in between, during which Pacy and Melody have become even better friends.  But the Year of the Rat is a time for change and both girls are devastated to learn that the biggest change in store is a hard one, Melody is moving across the country.  Pacy struggles with friendships after Melody has gone.  She also worries about her career choice after attending a birthday party for her young cousin.  At the party she overhears relatives saying that being an artist is choosing a “cold door” and will mean that she won’t make much money.

Again, the book is an excellent pick for third and fourth grades, or as a read aloud for slightly younger children.  The wonderful descriptions of Chinese celebrations are enhanced by Grace Lin’s illustrations.   The narrative is also broken up with stories shared by Pacy’s parents, either tales from her mother’s childhood or traditional stories.  Despite being about a Taiwanese-American family, this book is about friendship and being true to yourself, themes that will interest children regardless of their own heritage.

Great for:  Similes and descriptive language.  For anyone who wants to show students how to use similes to great effect, this is a wonderful choice.  How can you beat this?… “All too soon, like a cherry popsicle on a hot day, the summer melted away.”

Sex, Nudity, Dating – An older cousin gets married and kisses his bride at the wedding.  There is some talk about who likes whom.  The white girls tell Pacy that it’s hard to match her as part of a cute couple because she is Chinese.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – At an historical site a man dressed as a soldier carries a gun.  Some boys fight on the playground.  When Pacy’s mother was young in Taiwan the teacher would beat their hands with a stick if they got an answer wrong. She also ordered them to slap their own faces for errors made on a test.  The Nian monster destroyed entire villages on the New Year until they started using red banners and firecrackers to welcome the new year and scare off the monster.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – The adults toast with glasses of wine.
Frightening or Intense Things – There is some bullying of the newly arrived Chinese boy.  It is racist in nature.  It also causes Pacy to examine her own feelings about being Chinese/Taiwanese, especially as she fears being associated with the new boy.

Posted in Middle Grades, Primary Grades | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

American Born Chinese

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Mrs.N

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Gene Luen Yang weaves together three stories in this graphic novel: there is the tale of the Monkey King who yearns for acceptance and his deserved place as a God; the story of Jin, a Chinese-American student who is trying to reconcile his cultural identity with the logistics of being a teenager and finally, the story of Danny who is overcome by shame and embarrassment when his cousin Chin-Kee (an embodiment of just about every Chinese stereotype) visits.

The three stories are all of interest on their own, but the way they tie together at the end is where the true value lies.  This book is best read by those who are old enough to understand what Yang is trying to share with us about prejudice, stereotypes and self-acceptance.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – A man compliments a woman on her “peaches” but as she is holding actual peaches, you can pretend there’s nothing to the remark.  Classmates claim that Jin is going to marry the only other Asian student in his class on her thirteenth birthday. A complete non-sexual game involves use of a bra (pictured).  Chin-Kee compliments a girl on her “bountiful American bosom” and says she should bear his children.  There is dating and kissing.  A boy tells a girl she can “pet my lizard anytime.”  A naked baby is shown in one picture, with essential bits covered.
Profanity – “hell”, “pansy-boy,” “friggin'”, “suck,” “gook,” “crap,”
Death, Violence and Gore – The Monkey King does a fair amount of cartoon fighting, with kicking, hitting punching and accompanying cartoon words like BONK, CRACK, BOOM.  At one point he yells “die” and beats up a room full of people. Jin is bullied physically.  Monkey King is decapitated more than one, but it doesn’t really bother him.  He is also sentenced to death.  Chin-Kee brings crispy fried cat gizzards to lunch; the accompanying illustration is of a dead cat in a Chinese take-out container.  A monk bandages the arm of a injured man.  Demons impale a man and roast him on a spit.  A girl punches a boy who kisses her.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – A character is shown smoking a cigarette.
Frightening or Intense Things – There are lots of racially ignorant comments made by white characters.  A bully forces Jin to play “Jews”.

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The Great Wall of Lucy Wu

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Mrs.N

The Great Wall Of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang

“In Chinese if you want to say that something good may turn into something bad or vice versa, you say ‘Sai weng shi ma,’ or ‘The old man at the frontier has lost his horse.’ ”

Lucy Wu wishes that she had never said she thought this year would be perfect.  Because as we all know, things rarely go as you plan.  Instead of having a bedroom all to herself, Lucy finds she’ll have to share with her long-lost great-aunt, Yi Po.  And she doesn’t plan on liking Yi Po at all.  No one can replace her beloved grandmother who has passed away.  Not to mention her whole life is going to be wrecked now that her parents want her to go to Chinese school instead of play basketball.  But no year is either completely perfect or completely ruined, and Lucy makes her way through many ups and downs during her sixth grade year.

This is a really excellent book and I can’t recommend it highly enough.  Lucy is a nuanced character with varied interests and obligations.  It’s great to see a depiction of a girl that loves sports and has academic strengths and interests as well as family commitments.  So many actual girls have this richness and complexity of character, it’s always nice to see it happen in print as well.

Age Recommendation: Grades 4 and up, although some very advanced third graders might be able to master it.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – The girls have crushes on boys and “like” them.  Older brother Kenny has a girlfriend.  A coach and his wife are expecting a child and go to child-birth classes. Lucy and her friends know that it has taken them awhile and have overheard the grown-ups whispering about IVF and hormone injections.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – In a cautionary tale a boy breaks his legs and people are killed in battle.  A girl arranges it so a chair collapses under another student.  There is historical information about how the Japanese killed millions of Chinese.  The Red Army is also mentioned, including details about their ruthless treatment of people during the revolution.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Lucy finds a picture of her father when he was in college and he is smoking in the photograph.
Frightening or Intense Things – There is a lot of bullying here.  The end result is positive, but I think the sheer nastiness of middle-school girls really comes across in this book.  What may seem overblown to people who have forgotten what it is to be that age will seem very real to kids who live through it every day.  It especially rings true (in an incredibly sad way) when the children who are experiencing the bullying choose not to tell adults because they worry about retaliation from their bullies.  In this case, while the bullying is not purely racist in motive, it becomes racist in tone.

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Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Mrs.N

Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear by Lensey Namioka

Despite what the cover art and link suggest, this book is readily available. I am unsure why Amazon has the price so escalated and has an outdated copy for sale. Hopefully they’ll fix that soon.

This is the first book in a four book series about the Yang family.  They have recently moved to Seattle from Shanghai. Mr. Yang has a job with the Seattle Philharmonic, but he does not earn enough money.  He is taking on students to help bring in extra income, but it is his own family, a string quartet that he must showcase to try to bring in business.  The only problem is, Fourth Brother is terrible.  His two oldest siblings think that he isn’t working hard enough and that he simply doesn’t care about music, but Third Sister is sympathetic.  She knows that Fourth Brother just can’t hear what he needs to do.  He’s tone-deaf, which in his musically inclined family is a major problem.

Music isn’t Fourth Brother’s only problem.  Newly arrived from China, he doesn’t speak much English, doesn’t know the American way of doing things and is worried about making friends.  He definitely has trouble fitting in and making friends at first.  Things improve for him when Matthew reaches out to him.  It turns out that their differences might compliment each other in a way that can help both boys.

This book is on a reading level appropriate for third-graders, but it may be advanced for many of them until the middle to end of the year.  Also, because of it’s focus on music and self-discovery it will not go over well for seekers of action.  The students I’ve known to enjoy it most are students who have family backgrounds that involve a fair amount of pressure; these students associate more with Fourth Brother’s experience (and to some degree, Matthew’s).

Sex, Nudity, Dating – None.
Profanity – “nerd,” “wimp,” “sissy,”
Death, Violence and Gore – None.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

Posted in Middle Grades, Primary Grades | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment