I picked these up because we're reading American Born Chinese for a local bookclub, and I wondered if there were any recent books that would address a lot of those concerns for a younger set.
The Year of the Book
Andrea Cheng, illustrated by Abigail Halpin
ISBN: 9780547684635
The Year of the Baby
Andrea Cheng, illustrated by Patrice Barton
ISBN: 9780547910673
The Year of the Fortune Cookie
Andrea Cheng, illustrated by Patrice Barton
ISBN: 9780544105195
The Year of the Three Sisters
Andrea Cheng, illustrated by Patrice Barton
ISBN: 9780544344273
I like how well these flow together (read all of them in two afternoons) and how they include sub-plots for each character that is introduced. Our lead is Anna, who is an American-Born Chinese girl living in Cincinnati with her parents and her younger brother. As the stories progress, she matures from an impulsive bookaholic who is slightly embarassed by her heritage into a graceful. literate, (still impulsive, but working on it) young lady who visits China and hosts exchange students.
In addition, the supporting cast is lovely. There are other girls who come and go through the series: best friend Laura, new friends Camille and Andee, and Chinese friend Fan. All of the girls are sketched out in interesting shades: Laura has to deal with an overbearing mother and her parents' separation/divorce. Camille has a learning disorder. Andee's family is wealthy, and she tries too hard to help people sometimes. Fan is a migrant worker from Beijing, and is determined to study and work her hardest in America while she has the opportunity. All of these girls interact with each other and revolve around each other (each one becoming more or less important depending on the individual storyline) in a very realistic manner.
I still think that I like the Violet Mackerel books better than these, but for a slightly older audience who wants to read easy chapter books about interesting and diverse characters, this is a solid sell.
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