Leaving China: An Artist Paints His World War II Childhood

All the feels

McMullan, James. Leaving China: An Artist Paints His World War II Childhood. Chapel Hill, North Carolina : Algonquin, 2014.

Plot: The descendent of well-to-do businessmen in China, Jimmy seems destined to be a happy, if timid, boy. Then rumors of war from Japan approached his home in Cheefoo. Jimmy and his mother get sent to the United States, while his father remains in China. While Jimmy moves across the world, his mother can no longer access the assets in China, causing her to rely more and more on family, good looks, and attractive personalities to provide for her and her son. Jimmy's father dies in China, just after the war ends. The boy must make his peace with loss, moving, and fear while learning about himself as he is, instead of who his parents want him to be.

Genre: History, Picture Books, Biography

Similar Titles: Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights, Angel Island: Gateway to Gold Mountain

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Personal Thoughts: The title has something strangely addicting to it. While I have mentioned grief can be difficult to convey effectively to tweens, the title is not purely sad. True, it has a lot of sad elements, including war, loss, and disappointment, but it does not rely on the emotional push of these elements. It is not a story of sorrow, but a story of a little boy trying to make sense of the world. McMullan writes appropriately for a young reader and does not gloss over genuinely difficult concepts, but he remains okay and he makes sure his audience knows it. In a weird but undeniable way, it is a story of hope.