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Asian Culture Booklist for Children and Teens |
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Here are some of our favorite books that depict Asian cultures for children and teens. The teen selections on this list include both middle and high school titles.
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Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry MoMoving from Hong Kong to America, Jun struggles to navigate a new school and language, but the comforting taste of her favorite meals reminds her that home can be found anywhere.
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How We Say I Love You by Nicole ChenAn Asian American girl shares how her family expresses their love for one another through actions rather than words.
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Wish Soup: a Celebration of Seollal by Junghwa ParkDuring Korean Lunar New Year, Sohee's quest to become a big girl by eating tteokguk, a special Korean soup said to make the person who eats it one year older with each bowl, is thwarted by holiday-related chores and silly setbacks.
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My Day with Gong Gong by Sennah YeeA day in Chinatown takes an unexpected turn when a bored little girl makes a connection with her grandpa. May isn't having fun on her trip through Chinatown with her grandfather. Gong Gong doesn't speak much English, and May can't understand Chinese. She's hungry, and bored with Gong Gong's errands. Plus, it seems like Gong Gong's friends are making fun of her! But just when May can't take any more, Gong Gong surprises her with a gift that reveals he's been paying more attention than she thought. A glossary at the end of the book features translations of the Chinese words from the story into Chinese characters and English.
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Grandfather's Journey by Allen SayThrough compelling reminiscences of his grandfather's life in America and Japan, Allen Say gives us a poignant account of a family's unique cross-cultural experience. He warmly conveys his own love for his two countries and the strong and constant desire to be in both places at once. The immigrant experience has rarely been so poignantly evoked as it is in this direct, lyrical narrative that is able to stir emotions through the sheer simplicity of its telling.
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Words Between Us by Angela Pham KransWhen his Grandma arrives from Vietnam, Felix is excited to spend time with her, except she doesn't know English and he doesn't know much Vietnamese, until they decide to teach each other, connecting over their shared love of pizza and words.
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Scroll by Hui LiAfter learning how to draw Chinese characters, Lulu and her dog Dumpling step into a magical world where the characters come to life.
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Mommy's Hometown by Hope LimWhen he and his Mommy travel to her childhood home in Korea, the town is not as he imagined until he visits the river where she used to play and sees that the spirit and happiness of those days remain.
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Hundred Years of Happiness by Thanhháa LòaiWhen her grandmother gets trapped in her cloudy memories, An and her grandfather Ong come up with a plan to bring her back to a happy moment so she can remember her wedding wish with Ong: hundred years of happiness.
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Noodle & Bao: A Graphic Novel by Shaina LuMomo has lived in Town 99 her entire life. She knows all its quirks and rhythms: the best places to buy fruit, practice tai-chi in the park, and, most of all, get the best meal: Noodle & Bao, run by Momo's best friend Bao and their amah, Noodle. But Town 99 is changing: rent is becoming unaffordable for Momo and her parents, and even Noodle & Bao has been edged out of its storefront which was just recently bought out by a new business venture--Fancâe Cafe. Fancâe is run by the ambitious Ms. Jujube and her henchmen, who claim they're only beautifying Town 99 with good business. Momo knows that's not true, and knows that if she doesn't do something, she'll lose everything she loves about her neighborhood.
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When Clouds Touch Us by Thanhháa LòaiThis breathtaking novel in verse, inspired by the author's experience, follows Hà and her family, refugees from the Vietnam War, as they move to Texas for a new job, and despite not wanting to start over again, Hà discovers unwanted change can bring a good opportunity.
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Finally Heard by Kelly YangWhen her mom's video on social media takes off, 10-year-old Lina Gao sets out to go viral herself but discovers there's a lot more to social media than she ever imagined and must find the courage to be her authentic self in this fast-paced world.
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Winston Chu vs. the Wingmeisters by Stacey LeeTo save San Francisco from magpie-turned-human Mr. Gu, the frontrunner for the city's next mayor, 12-year-old Winston Chu, sensing something fowl is afoot, must turn to his old nemesis and Mr. Gu's brother, Mr. Pang, for help.
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Starry River of the Sky by Grace LinThe moon is missing from the remote village of Clear Sky, but only a young boy named Rendi seems to notice! Rendi has run away from home and is now working as a chore boy at the village inn. He can't help but notice the village's peculiar inhabitants and their problems. But one day, a mysterious lady arrives at the Inn with the gift of storytelling, and slowly transforms the villagers and Rendi himself. As she tells more stories and the days pass in the Village of Clear Sky, Rendi begins to realize that perhaps it is his own story that holds the answers to all those questions. Newbery Honor author Grace Lin brings readers another enthralling fantasy featuring her marvelous full-color illustrations. Starry River of the Sky is filled with Chinese folklore, fascinating characters, and exciting new adventures.
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A Spoonful of Time by Flora AhnWhen she discovers she and her grandmother, Halmunee, can time-travel through Halmunee's Korean cooking, Maya eats her way through the past until a shocking discovery changes everything she thought she knew about family, friendship, loss, and time itself.
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Jasmine Toguchi, Brave Explorer by Debbi Michiko FlorenceEight-year-old Jasmine is enthusiastic about her family's vacation to Japan, but once in Tokyo she is distracted by her older sister's grumpiness and her own blunders--will she be able to cheer up her sister while finding her own footing?
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Clues to the Universe by Christina LiAs friends Ro and Benji face bullying, grief, and their own differences, they must try to piece together clues to some of the biggest questions in the universe.
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Not Your Average Jo by Grace K. ShimSeventeen-year-old Riley Jo, an aspiring Korean American musician from Bentonville, Arkansas, faces discrimination and betrayal at a prestigious Los Angeles arts school but fights to showcase her talent and claim her place in the spotlight.
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The Misdirection of Fault Lines by Anna GraciaThree Asian American teen girls look for direction in their lives as they compete against each other at an elite tennis tournament.
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Rebel Skies by Ann Sei LinWhen her ship is attacked, servant Kurara is taught how to hunt the wild paper spirits sought after by the Princess of Mikoshima, soon discovering that her fate, and perhaps even the world, may rest in her hands.
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A Thousand Beginnings and Endings: 15 Retellings of Asian Myths and Legends by Ellen OhBest-selling and award-winning authors, including Melissa de la Cruz, Renée Ahdieh and Julie Kagawa, reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in 15 short stories that span multiple genres and explore classic cultural themes, from love and freedom to sacrifice and duty.
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The Secret Battle of Evan Pao by Wendy Wan Long ShangEvan Pao and his family move to Haddington, Virginia in hopes of keeping his father's notoriety a secret, but a small southern town is not an easy place for a Chinese-American boy to fit in, and one kid, Brady Griggs, seems determined to make things difficult.
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Summer at Squee by Andrea WangAs senior camper at Summertime Chinese Culture, Wellness and Enrichment Experience (Squee), Chinese American tween Phoenny Fang finds her summer even more transformative than she could have imagined.
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Throwback by Maurene GooSent back to the ‘90s where she finds herself in high school with her 17-year-old mother, Samantha Kang finds the right romance at the wrong time while trying to fit into an analog world and make things right with her mom.
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This Time it's Real by Ann LiangTo keep a massive secret from coming out, 17-year-old Eliza Lin asks the famous actor in her class to pose as her fake boyfriend in exchange for writing his college applications—an agreement that starts to feel all too real, threatening her carefully laid plans.
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Family Style : Memories of an American from Vietnam by Thien PhamTold through the lens of meaningful food and meals, this graphic novel chronicles the author's childhood immigration to America where food takes on new meaning as he and his family search for belonging, for happiness and for the American dream.
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The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei by Christina MatulaHolly-Mei thought that moving to Hong Kong for her mother's job would make everything perfect. But it will take all of Holly-Mei's sparkle (and a little bit of stubbornness) to get through seventh grade.
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