The Year of the Dog

Young Pacy, who is known as Grace outside her Taiwanese-American family, is navigating the challenges of growing up "different" in an upstate New York community. Nancy Wu brings this memoir alive, giving the listener insight into an unfamiliar culture. She gives an American accent to Pacy and Chinese accents to her parents, illustrating how quickly the children of immigrants become assimilated into their new culture. As Pacy tells stories of her mother's childhood experiences, which often parallel her own struggles, Wu's authoritative voice introduces listeners to Chinese culture, also letting them see the commonalities among families of all cultures. N.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

March 1, 2006
Gr 3-5 -A lighthearted coming-of-age novel with a cultural twist. Readers follow Grace, an American girl of Taiwanese heritage, through the course of one year -The Year of the Dog -as she struggles to integrate her two cultures. Throughout the story, her parents share their own experiences that parallel events in her life. These stories serve a dual purpose; they draw attention to Grace -s cultural background and allow her to make informed decisions. She and her two sisters are the only Taiwanese-American children at school until Melody arrives. The girls become friends and their common backgrounds illuminate further differences between the American and Taiwanese cultures. At the end of the year, the protagonist has grown substantially. Small, captioned, childlike black-and-white drawings are dotted throughout. This is an enjoyable chapter book with easily identifiable characters." -Diane Eddington, Los Angeles Public Library"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 2, 2006
Lin, best known for her picture books, here offers up a charming first novel, an autobiographical tale of an Asian-American girl's sweet and funny insights on family, identity and friendship. When her family celebrates Chinese New Year, ringing in the Year of the Dog, Pacy (Grace is her American name) wonders what the coming months will bring. Her relatives explain that the Year of the Dog is traditionally the year when people "find themselves," discovering their values and what they want to do with their lives. With big expectations and lots of questions, the narrator moves through the next 12 months trying to figure out what makes her unique and how she fits in with her family, friends and classmates. Pacy experiences some good luck along the way, too, winning a contest that will inspire her career (Lin's fans will recognize the prize submission, The Ugly Vegetables
, as her debut children's book). Lin creates an endearing protagonist, realistically dealing with universal emotions and situations. The well-structured story, divided into 29 brief chapters, introduces traditional customs (e.g., Hong Bao are special red envelopes with money in them, given as New Year's presents), culture and cuisine, and includes several apropos "flashback" anecdotes, mainly from Pacy's mother. The book's inviting design suggests a journal, and features childlike spot illustrations and a typeface with a hand-lettered quality. Girls everywhere, but especially those in the Asian-American community, will find much to embrace here. Ages 8-12.

Narrator Kim Mai Guest's tone and pitch in this autobiographical novel perfectly complement young Grace's account of an important year in her life. The story spans the Chinese Year of the Dog from family New Year celebration preparations through discovering friendship with another little girl who, with her own family, comes to celebrate the next New Year with Grace's. Listeners hear stories of Chinese and Chinese-American memories, universal realizations about belonging, the power of traditions, and the joy of making new friends. Guest judiciously paces each story carefully and provides finely crafted voices for the adult members of Grace's. family, both female and male. A lengthy epilogue includes a conversation with the real-life person Pacy's best friend in the audiobook is based on, who is now Lin's editor. F.M.R.G. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Starred review from January 1, 2006
Gr. 3-5. When Lin was a girl, she loved the Betsy books by Carolyn Hayward, a series about a quintessentially American girl whose days centered around friends and school. But Lin, a child of Taiwanese immigrants, didn't see herself in the pages. Now she has written the book she wished she had as a child. Told in a simple, direct voice, her story follows young Grace through the Year of the Dog, one that Grace hopes will prove lucky for her. And what a year it is! Grace meets a new friend, another Asian girl, and together they enter a science fair, share a crush on the same boy, and enjoy special aspects of their heritage (food!). Grace even wins fourth place in a national book-writing contest and finds her true purpose in life. Lin, who is known for her picture books, dots the text with charming ink drawings, some priceless, such as one picturing Grace dressed as a munchkin. Most of the chapters are bolstered by anecdotes from Grace's parents, which connect Grace (and the reader) to her Taiwanese heritage. Lin does a remarkable job capturing the soul and the spirit of books like those of Hayward or Maud Hart Lovelace, reimagining them through the lens of her own story, and transforming their special qualities into something new for today's young readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)