Lin,
Grace (2008) The Year of the Rat. New York: Little Brown
Opening
Lines: “Happy Year of the Rat!” Dad said
as he toasted us with his glass. The
clinking noises filled the air as the adults knocked glasses of wine against
the kids’ cups of juice.
As in her previous novel in the series,
The Year of the Dog, Lin uses short episodic chapters to tell the
story of Pacy. Pacy is afraid of losing her best friend (Melody may have to
move away) and is excited to explore her dream of one day becoming an author
and illustrator and at the same time plagued by doubts. Lin includes regular
small sketches in the margins as we go, which may help young readers continue
to picture the story throughout the chapter.
There are some minor themes in this
story – how friendship can survive separation, the importance of family, and so
on, but maybe not enough here to fully warrant an in-class study. This would, however, make a great read-aloud
for second and third grade.
Lin,
Grace (2012) Dumpling Days. New York: Little Brown.
Opening
Lines: “Pink, pink, pink,” I said over
Ki-Ki to Mom. Lissy, Ki-Ki, and I were
sitting next to each other on an airplane, and we were wearing the same hot-ink
overall dresses, the color of the neon donut sign in the food court back in the
airport. “Why did it have to be pink?”
Pacy and her family are going to
Taiwan for a month, to visit relative that Pacy has never met Pacy is more than a little nervous about the
food, the fact that she doesn’t speak the language, and is worried that her artistic
talent may be disappearing.
Like the other books in this series,
there is no climactic battle against hordes of aliens nor a family crisis that
tears the main character’s world apart.
Rather, these are the sorts of everyday challenges and problems that
many elementary school kids have to deal with (and a few they do not – like accidentally
eating chicken feet). And I think that
is why so many second and third graders like Grace Lin’s books. There is a calmness to them.
As in previous books, the text is
broken up with pictures and the story is broken up with the tales her father
and other relatives tell. This would
also make a good read aloud book.
Alexander,
Lloyd (1970) The Marvelous Misadventures
of Sebastian. New York: Puffin
Opening
lines: “From his perch on the window
ledge of the musician’s quarters, high under the East Wing Roof, Sebastian’’s
quick ears caught the drum of hoofbeats.”
Sebastian, who lives in a vaguely medieval
world of uncertain historical period, gets fired from the Baron’s orchestra and
takes to the road where he loses his violin, meets a princess, and ends up as a
clown in a theater troupe. While I can’t
say this book made me laugh out loud, it certainly had me grinning a lot of the
time. Sebastian doesn’t take anything to seriously as he careens from one
situation to the next. and along the way, his missteps just might save the
kingdom.
This book is not a classic. It was published in 1970 and won a National
Book Award, and my guess is that you haven’t heard of it. But Lloyd Alexander is an excellent writer,
and some young reaer might enjoy a simple and funny story without supercharged
mutants battling cyborg aliens with the fate of the galaxy at stake. For that reason, this one might be worth
picking up.
There is nothing objectionable in
this book. It would apply to some third,
foruth, and fifth graders.
