Scan barcode
vtsarahd's review
4.0
Really enjoyed this account of Grace Lin's childhood summer in Taiwan. I think that portions of this could work well as a mentor text for teaching about personal narrative and extending small moments.
In the book, Grace and her two sisters are just departing the United States for a twenty eight day stay in Taiwan to visit family. The whole summer seems to stretch before them and all three girls are not exactly looking forward to being away from the comforts of home for so long. Grace discovers many things about herself and her family during the course of the summer, including her love for eating dumplings of all varieties!
Grace Lin's charming illustrations show many of the aspects of the text that students may have a hard time picturing on their own, especially if they aren't familiar with Taiwanese culture. Themes of this story will resound with students who have family living overseas and who feel torn between being an American and having family in foreign countries.
In the book, Grace and her two sisters are just departing the United States for a twenty eight day stay in Taiwan to visit family. The whole summer seems to stretch before them and all three girls are not exactly looking forward to being away from the comforts of home for so long. Grace discovers many things about herself and her family during the course of the summer, including her love for eating dumplings of all varieties!
Grace Lin's charming illustrations show many of the aspects of the text that students may have a hard time picturing on their own, especially if they aren't familiar with Taiwanese culture. Themes of this story will resound with students who have family living overseas and who feel torn between being an American and having family in foreign countries.
katdfleming's review
4.0
Well told and sweet story about a girl who feels pulled between two cultures. Great for anyone interested in Taiwanese culture, food, people, and art. I found it altogether charming.
barizley's review
5.0
Such a beautiful story. Grace Lin does a great job explaining concepts like identity, culture, myth, and memory to young people.
juliettechihyu's review
2.0
This is a book I would have loved if I was still in primary school but, reading it now, the writing is too childish to enjoy. Nonetheless, that's to be expected as the narrator is only around 10 years old. The story was surprisingly easy to relate to though.
jwinchell's review
4.0
I read this with one of my 6th grade Julian book buddies and we both thought it was 3ish stars: she gave it 3 because she thought it was too young for her (not the book's fault) but I'm bumping it up to 4 for its deft ability to hold a theme (how do I deal with being thought of and called a "twinkie?"), the cute drawings, and the accessible, informative perspective of an American tween visiting her family in Taiwan.
booksnorkel's review
4.0
This author makes me wish that I knew more about the stories and myths of Asia. And now she has me looking up local places where I can get bubble tea and wax apples. This book would be an amazing book club book for girls and boys fourth grade on up. I could just imagine how wonderful the spread would be and how easy activities would be the plan. This is a great book that teachers could read out loud and combine with learning different cultural norms.
This book really does make it fun and easy to plan activities around.
A fun story of grace and her sisters and how they spent a month in Taiwan. The food art classes and the languages. She learns a lot about what it means to be different in both America and in your parents homeland. Just a fun treasure of a book that I whole heartedly recommend
This book really does make it fun and easy to plan activities around.
A fun story of grace and her sisters and how they spent a month in Taiwan. The food art classes and the languages. She learns a lot about what it means to be different in both America and in your parents homeland. Just a fun treasure of a book that I whole heartedly recommend
crystal_reading's review
5.0
Once again Grace Lin has written a book that has warmed my heart. This one also happened to make me hungry. It is almost a food memoir though there are also excellent family themes. I wanted dumplings so badly after reading about the variety found in Taiwan. I haven't had any Asian dumplings since then, but I did just make chicken and dumplings because they've been on my mind since I read this.
blakehalsey's review
3.0
More educational about Taiwan than a moving plot, but still a great chapter in Pacy's life!
dlsmall's review
5.0
I thought that this family travel tale was just excellent! Great arc for Pacy in just a month!