When the Circus Came to Town

After being badly scarred by smallpox, Ursula isolates herself in the family stagecoach stop in Whistle, Montana. An unlikely friendship with a cook at the station brings the old Ursula back as she leads the preparations for Chinese New Year in the small town, which is even more isolated than usual by a blizzard. This riveting book explores difficult themes in an accessible way.

Other books by this author

A Dragon’s Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans

Laurence Yep

Age Level:

6-9

Genre:

Fiction, Fantasy

Case of the Goblin Pearls (Chinatown Mystery, No. 1)

Laurence Yep

Illustrator:

Nicholas Krenitsky

Age Level:

9-12

Genre:

Fiction, Mystery

Cockroach Cooties

Laurence Yep

Age Level:

9-12

Genre:

Fiction

Dragon of the Lost Sea

Laurence Yep

Age Level:

9-12

Dragonwings

Laurence Yep

Age Level:

9-12

Genre:

Historical Fiction, Fiction

The Lee family, first introduced in Star Fisher (HarperCollins, 1997), is Chinese. Living in Clarksburg, West Virginia, in 1927, they stand out in the community. Joan Lee and her siblings want to fit in and celebrate a non-Chinese holiday, Christmas. The children’s parents agree, but only if the children behave according to the parents high standards. Understanding and friendship gradually emerge in this touching novel based on the experiences of the author’s mother.

Dream Soul

Laurence Yep

Age Level:

9-12

Genre:

Fiction, Historical Fiction

Rainbow People

Laurence Yep

Illustrator:

David Weisner

Age Level:

6-9

In order to save her father, Seven, the youngest daughter, agrees to marry the dragon. As in the familiar European version of Beauty and the Beast, the dragon turns into a handsome prince and he and Seven live happily until she becomes homesick and leaves to visit her family. Fluid text and realistic illustrations combine to shape an elegant book.

The Dragon Prince: A Chinese Beauty and the Beast Tale

Laurence Yep

Illustrator:

Kam Mak

Age Level:

6-9

Based on his father’s immigration files from Angel Island, Laurence Yep and his niece Dr. Kathleen S. Yep bring us the story of a ten-year-old boy from China who must prepare for his interrogation at Angel Island. The young boy memorizes everything from the layout of his village to the number of doors in the house, and continues his study on the sea voyage to San Francisco with his father. The Yeps provide a powerful account of the intensity and challenge Chinese immigrants faced at Angel Island, as well as the complexity of the relationships for those families who were spread between China and the U.S.

The Dragon’s Child: A Story of Angel Island

Laurence Yep, Dr. Kathleen S. Yep

Age Level:

9-12

Henry and Chin both live in San Francisco, both are about eight years old, both adore “penny dreadfuls,” and both survive the 1906 earthquake. Chapters alternate between Henry and Chin’s narrations to provide a look at what happened in very different parts of the city on that fateful day. The story of destruction and survival is told from the perspective of two young boys.