Special Collections
National Education Association's Asian American Booklist
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When the Circus Came to Town
by Laurence YepAn Asian cook and a Chinese New Year celebration help a ten-year-old girl at a Montana stage coach station to regain her confidence after smallpox scars her face.
The Tiger's Apprentice (Book One of the Tiger Trilogy)
by Laurence YepA tiger, a monkey, a dragon, and a twelve-year-old Chinese American boy fight to keep a magic talisman out of the hands of an enemy who would use its power to destroy the world.
The Star Fisher
by Laurence YepIn 1927, Joan Lee and her family are the first Chinese-Americans that Clarksburg has ever seen. Joan knows she's American. But no one else seems to think so.
Spring Pearl
by Laurence YepCalled boyish by her new family for being able to read and write, twelve-year-old orphaned Spring Pearl's "odd ways" help save the family during the 1857 Opium War in Canton, China.
The Serpent's Children (Golden Mountain Chronicles
by Laurence YepIn nineteenth-century China, a young girl struggles to protect her family from the threat of bandits, famine, and an ideological conflict between her father and brother.
Ribbons
by Laurence YepRobin, a promising young ballet student, cannot afford to continue lessons when her Chinese grandmother emigrates from Hong Kong, creating jealousy and conflict among the entire family.
The Rainbow People
by Laurence YepA collection of twenty Chinese folktales that were passed on by word of mouth for generations, as told by some old-timers newly settled in the United States.
The Magic Paintbrush
by Laurence YepA magic paintbrush transports Steve and his elderly caretakers from their drab apartment in Chinatown to a world of adventures.
The Lost Garden
by Laurence YepYoung Laurence didn't really where he fit in. He thought of himself as American, especially since he didn't speak Chinese and couldn't understand his grandmother, who lived in Chinatown. But others saw him as different in the conformist American of the 1950s. In this engaging memoir, the two-time Newbery Honor author tells how writing helped him start to solve the puzzle.
The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung:
by Laurence Yep1881. A small village in China. A new emperor. The old problems such as hunger. Uncle Precious Stone declares that he is going to The Golden Mountain. After some time for preparation, he goes.
A few months later, Mama and Papa receive a request to send older brother. But they send Runt! He is the younger, smaller, more intellectual brother.
This is an exciting adventure! Although the journal is fiction, the events it portrays are based on history (American and Chinese) and culture. A fine book for a book report!
The Imp That Ate My Homework
by Laurence YepShowdown in Chinatown! Jim wants to be a normal American kid. The only problem: His grandfather is the meanest, ugliest man in Chinatown. Grandpop has no patience for his "native born, no brains" grandson, and Jim is not all that interested in hearing about old Chinese customs and superstitions. But then a nasty green imp shows up, determined to settle an ancient family feud. The imp is making Jim's life miserable, and Grandpop seems to be the only one who can help. Could Grandpop really be the reincarnation of an ancient Chinese warrior-- the world's only hope against one mean green imp?
Hiroshima
by Laurence YepOn the morning of August 6, 1945, an American bomber, the Enola Gay, roars down the runway of the Pacific island, Tinian. Its target is Hiroshima, Japan. Its cargo is an atom bomb.
Dream Soul
by Laurence YepIn 1927, as Christmas approaches, fifteen-year-old Joan Lee hopes to get her parents' permission to celebrate the holiday, one of the problems belonging to the only Chinese American family in her small West Virginia community.
The Cook's Family
by Laurence Yep12-year-old Robin Lee goes to her grandmother's house in Chinatown where they befriend a lonely cook. In Robin's new make-believe family, she discovers a sense of her Chinese heritage. The thing is, once Robin starts pretending, she doesn't want to stop.
Angelfish
by Laurence YepRobin, a young ballet dancer who is half Chinese and half white, works in a fish store for Mr. Tsow, a brusque Chinese who accuses her of being a half person and who harbors a bitter secret.
The Amah
by Laurence YepTwelve-year-old Amy finds her family responsibilities growing and interfering with her ballet practice when her mother takes a job outside the home.
Char Siu Bao Boy
by Sandra S. YamateCharlie likes char siu bao, Chinese pork buns. He doesn't just like them, he LOVES them! He has them everyday for lunch. But his friends want him to eat something more normal.
The Rainbow Hand
by Janet S. WongA collection of eighteen original poems about mothers and motherhood, including "Mother's Heart," "Old Mother Chung," and "The Pilot."
Night Garden
by Janet S. WongA collection of poems describing a variety of dreams, some familiar, some strange, some beautiful, and some on the darker side.
Good Luck Gold and Other Poems
by Janet S. WongThis is the first book of poems by a young Asian-American poet
Behind the Wheel
by Janet S. WongThirty-five poems look at various aspects of driving, including passing the written driver's test, being pulled over by a cop, and having an accident, and treat them as a metaphor for life.
Goodbye Vietnam
by Gloria WhelanThirteen-year-old Mai and her family embark on a dangerous sea voyage from Vietnam to Hong Kong to escape the unpredictable and often brutal Vietnamese government.
The Golden Carp and Other Tales from Vietnam
by Lynette Dyer VuongThis book is a collection of six Vietnamese folk tales
Motherland
by Vineeta VijayraghavanMaya is an American teenager who spent her first four years with her grandmother in India. In her 15th year she returns to India and she is again initiated into the Indian culture and customs.