Dumpling Days

November 15, 2011
Pacy and her family travel to Taiwan for one month to celebrate her grandmother's 60th birthday, giving this Chinese-American girl another lens through which she can examine her identity. When Pacy's dad calls Taiwan an island of treasure, or bao dao, which sounds similar to the Chinese word for dumplings, she wonders--could Taiwan's treasure be food? In a companion novel to The Year of the Dog (2006) and The Year of the Rat (2008), gentle Pacy is back, brimming with questions of identity and self-discovery. At home in New York, Pacy is one of the few Asians in her class. She tries hard to fit in. In Taiwan, she looks similar to everyone else, but she doesn't speak Chinese or Taiwanese. So she doesn't fit in there either. Pacy's mom signs her up for a painting class, and Pacy is excited. She's a good artist; surely she'll make some friends. But painting with a bamboo brush on rice paper is difficult! The one talent that made her feel safe is suddenly gone; Pacy doesn't know who she is anymore or where she belongs. Luckily, there is a lot of loving family to surround her, and a lot of incredible food to eat (especially dumplings). This third outing is as warmhearted as the first two. Deftly weaving together historical anecdotes and simple line illustrations, Lin once again touches the heart of growing up in a multicultural family. (Fiction. 8-12)

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January 1, 2012

Gr 4-6-In this sequel to The Year of the Dog (2006) and The Year of the Rat (2007, both Little, Brown), Pacy Lin and her family visit relatives in Taiwan to celebrate her grandmother's 60th birthday. The crowded, noisy streets and markets of Taipei confuse and unsettle Pacy; she can't understand the language or the signs, and the art class she takes is much more difficult and frustrating than she expected, which is a disappointment for the artistic girl. On the bright side, the wide variety of dumplings available becomes a high point of her trip and she loves being with her extended family. Throughout the month, Pacy struggles with who she is-American? Taiwanese?-and how she fits in. But as the vacation continues she opens up to new people and places and realizes she is just fine as herself, a Taiwanese-American girl. This is a good addition to the earlier books about the Lin family-it's humorous and thoughtful, with serious issues approached with a light touch. Lin clearly describes the pleasure and confusion of being in another country, especially one where there's a language difference. Readers new to the series will enjoy meeting Pacy, and fans will be satisfied as well.-Terrie Dorio, Santa Monica Public Library, CA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2012
Grades 3-6 In the series that includes The Year of the Dog (2006) and The Year of the Rat (2008), this longer book picks up Pacy's story as her family flies from upstate New York to her parents' homeland, Taiwan. Embarrassed that she and her two sisters are dressed in matching hot-pink dresses for the trip, Pacy is a reluctant traveler. But once she arrives in Taipei, she begins to open up to the new relationships, foods, and ways of thinking she finds there. Thoughtful and sometimes amusing, this episodic journey narrative captures Pacy's emotions and reflections, whether they involve an unfamiliar (and literally alarming) high-tech toilet or her newfound understanding of what it means to be both American and Taiwanese. The first-person narrative pauses at intervals to include stories that Pacy's relatives share with her, both traditional tales and memorable accounts of family members dealing with superstition, political oppression, and loss. While this engaging book broadens the series in a meaningful way, it also works well as a stand-alone title.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)