Family, Friends and Fun in the Year of the Dog

Here's another one... one of those books that every girl should read. The Year of the Dog, by Grace Lin, is the story a young Taiwanese-American girl who feels that she doesn't fit in anywhere.

Inside of her tight-knit, traditional Taiwanese family, she is known as Pacy. At school, they call her Grace. She doesn't go to school with any other kids of Asian descent, until the arrival of Melody. With Melody's help, Grace begins to see that she can embrace both her heritage and her life outside of her family.

But even within her own culture, Grace is caught in the middle between Chinese and Taiwanese divisions. When she attends a camp for Taiwanese families and is treated by some girls as an outcast, her pain is almost too much to bear.

Despite her inner conflict, Grace begins to discover herself -- she realizes her love of art and writing, forges a bond with Melody as well as her other school friends, and understands the rich love that bubbles over within her family. The reader can see Grace grow and learn and truly blossom.

The story is helped along by tales that Grace's immigrant mother tells her of her own childhood, which are very poignant and sweet. These stories help Grace, and the reader, see that while we all face self-doubt and adversity, we must strive to rise above it.

I want my girls to rise above adversity and nay-sayers and understand their own self-worth -- don't you? Give your girls a copy of The Year of the Dog for a wonderful example of how to be true to themselves -- and appreciate everything that they have. And be prepared to laugh -- especially during the Science Fair scene!

I read this aloud to my girls, and they loved it -- but it's also great for independent reader from 3rd grade on up.

On a side note, the author of this fantastic book, Grace Lin, lost her husband, Robert, to cancer last week. According to her website, the best way to send condolences is to donate to the Jimmy Fund (the Dana Farber Cancer Institute) or to participate in the Robert's Snow for Cancer's Cure auction, an event orchestrated by Grace and Robert in 2004.

My deepest sympathies to Grace and her family.