Asian Pacific Literature - Module Five

Bibliography

Lin, Grace. 2006. The Year of the Dog. 2006. New York: Little Brown. ISBN 9780316060004

Plot Summary

Grace (Pacy, to her family & friend Melody) tries to find herself and determine what she wants to be when she grows up during the New Year of luck, the “Year of the Dog”. Being of Taiwanese-American heritage, Pacy is thrilled when Melody, also Taiwanese-American becomes a student at her school. They become the best of friends and together they endure life at school where many do not understand that even a Taiwanese-American girl could play the part of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz if given the chance. Although this dream does not come true for Pacy, she does become a winner in a prestigious writing contest which helps her to decide she should write books when she grows up.

Critical Analysis
Grace Lin uses the “story within the story” approach to share the life of Pacy, her parents, and two sisters. Embedded throughout the main story are shorter stories shared mainly by Pacy’s mother that help her to understand her Taiwanese heritage. Cultural markers are evident as the family participates in traditional celebrations like the “Red Egg” party for the birth of cousin Albert, when everyone in the family joins together in traditional clothing to shower the newborn child with red envelopes filled with money. Chinese New Year brings a plethora of food choices for Pacy’s family that are very traditional including: roasted duck with the head still on, fried rice with pink shrimp, jade green cabbage, brown dumplings, and seaweed, and a not so traditional item appears on the New Year tray: M & M’s.

The child-like illustrations almost give the book a look of a diary or journal belonging to the main character. The pencil drawings reflect the current happenings and add a bit of humor and whimsy to the book.

Review Excerpts

“For Taiwanese-American Pacy, sorting out her ethnic identity is important, and she wonders what she should be when she grows up. Writing and illustrating a book for a national contest makes her think that perhaps she can become an author of a "real Chinese person book." Lin offers both authentic Taiwanese-American and universal childhood experiences, told from a genuine child perspective.” Horn Book starred review

“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.” School Library Journal

Connections

Young readers will also enjoy these novels by Grace Lin:

Lin, Grace. The Year of the Rat. Little Brown. ISBN 9780316033619
Lin, Grace. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. ISBN 9780316114271