Plot: Lissy, Grace's older sister, proclaims the year of the dog is excellent for making friends, since dogs are loyal. Grace's mother also claims dogs are sincere, so this will be a good year for finding oneself. Grace manages to accomplish both throughout the year, especially when Melody, another Taiwanese-American girl moves into town.
Genre: Asian-American, Fiction, Coming of Age
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Similar Titles: The Year of the Rat, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Personal Thoughts: I...actually read this and Year of the Rat out of order. While the second book has more polish and a less-standard story, I found myself relating a bit better to Grace in this novel, particularly when she encounters a group of other Asian-American girls. Like many Americans, I (and Grace) are of mixed cultures. Like Grace, I sometimes find I am too much of both cultures to really satisfy the standards of either. As a result, I occasionally wonder where I really fit in the scheme of things. That said, Lin manages to convey this feeling without swamping the book with a big black bush of emotion. Usually, books about "Insert minority here" - American books stress the differences to a point that the world becomes depressing, lonely, and miserable. Things usually aren't that way. True, there are moments when just being one or the other would be easier, but overall, mixed cultures are not bad. Just different. The novel portrays this and many of the other mixed-up experiences and emotions surrounding tweens quite well.
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