Fiction Featuring Asians
YA FIC ABD
Abdel-Fattah, Randa
Does My Head Look Big in This?
Headstrong and witty, 16-year-old Amal, an Australian-Muslim-Palestinian decides during winter
break from her posh private school that she's ready to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, fulltime,
as a testament to her faith. Amal knows she will face discrimination by classmates and misinformed
people but she is committed to her decision; her parents are initially concerned, but ultimately rally
behind her. Their worries, in fact, are well-founded: Amal attracts her share of stares and taunts both
at school and around town, but she finds strength, not only from her convictions, but from her closeknit group of friends, who for various reasons-being Japanese, Jewish, nerdy or body-conscious-are
perceived as being outside "the norm." As Amal struggles with her identity in a post-9/11, her faithand an array of ever-ready quips-help her navigate an often-unforgiving world.
YA FIC ABD
Abdel-Fattah, Randa
Ten Things I Hate About Me
Jamie just wants to fit in. She doesn't want to be seen as a stereotypical Muslim girl, so she does
everything possible to hide that part of herself. Even if it means pushing her friends away because
she's afraid to let them know her dad forbids her from hanging out with boys or that she secretly loves
to play the darabuka (Arabic drums). But when the cutest boy in school asks her out and her friends
start to wonder about Jamie's life outside of school, her secrets threaten to explode. Can Jamie figure
out how to be both Jamie and Jamilah before she loses everything?
Tween & YA FIC ABD
Abdel-Fattah, Randa
Where the Streets Had a Name
Thirteen year old Hayaat is on a mission. She believes a handful of soil from her grandmother's
ancestral home in Jerusalem will save her beloved Sitti Zeynab's life. The only problem is that Hayaat
and her family live behind the impenetrable wall that divides the West Bank, and they're on the wrong
side of check points, curfews, and the travel permit system. Plus, Hayaat's best friend Samy always
manages to attract trouble. But luck is on the pair's side as they undertake the journey to Jerusalem
from the Palestinian Territories when Hayaat and Samy have a curfew-free day to travel. But while
their journey may only be a few kilometers long, it could take a lifetime to complete. . . .
YA FIC BAJ
Bajaj, Varsha
Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood
What thirteen-year-old Abby wants most is to meet her father. She just never imagined he would be a
huge film star--in Bollywood! Now she's traveling to Mumbai to get to know her famous father. Abby is
overwhelmed by the culture clash, the pressures of being the daughter of India's most famous
celebrity, and the burden of keeping her identity a secret. But as she learns to navigate her new
surroundings, she just might discover where she really belongs.
J & YA FIC BAN
Banerjee, Aniali
Maya Running
Maya Mukherjee doesn't fit in. She was born in India and her parents moved to Canada when she
was a baby. Now it's the 1970s, and she's a middle schooler in Manitoba, land of moose and snow.
She wants to run on the tundra beneath the Northern Lights, make igloos or snow-angels, see John
Travolta, and ride elephants through the Bengal jungle the way her great-grandfather did. Then her
gorgeous cousin Pinky comes from India for a visit, bringing a statue of the god Ganesh, the
Remover of Obstacles. Maya asks Ganesh to remove all obstacles to her dreams. Like most wishes,
it backfires in hilarious and painful ways. Maya must journey across continents to restore the truth
and find out who she is.
YA FIC BRA
Brahmachari, Sita
Mira in the Present Tense
Twelve-year-old Mira comes from a chaotic, artistic, and outspoken family in which it's not always
easy to be heard. As her beloved Nana Josie's health declines, Mira begins to discover the secrets of
those around her and also starts to keep some of her own. She is drawn to mysterious Jide, a boy
who is clearly hiding a troubled past. As Mira is experiencing grief for the first time, she is also
discovering the wondrous and often mystical world around her.
1
YA FIC BRA Bradbury, Jennifer
A Moment Comes
As the partition of India nears in 1947 bringing violence even to Jalandhar, Tariq, a Muslim, finds
himself caught between his forbidden interest in Anupreet, a Sikh girl, and Margaret, a British girl
whose affection for him might help with his dream of studying at Oxford.
YA FIC BUD Budhos, Marina
Tell Us We’re Home
Jaya, Maria, and Lola are just like the other eighth-grade girls in the wealthy suburb of Meadowbrook,
New Jersey. They want to go to the spring dance, they love spending time with their best friends after
school, sharing frappÉs and complaining about the other kids. But there’s one big difference: all three
are daughters of maids and nannies. And they go to school with the very same kids whose families
their mothers work for. That difference grows even bigger—and more painful—when Jaya’s mother is
accused of theft and Jaya’s small, fragile world collapses. When tensions about immigrants start to
erupt, fracturing this perfect, serene suburb, all three girls are tested, as outsiders—and as friends.
Each of them must learn to find a place for themselves in a town that barely notices they exist.
YA FIC BUD Budhos, Marina
Ask Me No Questions
Fourteen-year-old Nadira, her sister, and their parents leave Bangladesh for New York City, but the
expiration of their visas and the events of September 11, 2001, bring frustration, sorrow, and terror for
the whole family.
Tween & YA FIC BUR
Burg, Ann E
All the Broken Pieces
This is a beautifully written novel in verse from a first time author. Matt is a young Vietnamese boy
who was airlifted out of Vietnam in 1975. Two years later, living in the U.S. with his adoptive parents
and little brother Tommy, Matt is plagued by his guilt over leaving Vietnam and his biological brother
and mother, unsure how long he will be welcome in the home of his new family, and worried about
some of the boys at school who seem determined to blame him for what happened to their brothers
or fathers during the war. Added to that is Matt's fear of rejection; his biological father was an
American soldier who promised Matt's mother that he would return for her and his sons but never did.
Matt has wonderful support, though, in the form of his adoptive parents—who are more than willing to
help Matt find out what has happened to his Vietnamese mother and brother—his baseball coach and
his piano teacher, a Vietnam veteran.
Tween & YA FIC CHA
Chadda, Sarwat The Savage Fortress
The gods and monsters of India roar to life in this thrilling fantasy!
After three weeks of vacation, Ash Mistry is ready to leave the heat and dust of India behind him.
Then he discovers a gleaming gold arrowhead hidden in the sands---a weapon used to defeat evil
King Ravana in legend. At least, Ash is pretty sure it's only a legend . . .But when Lord Alexander
Savage comes after Ash, the legends are suddenly way too real. Savage commands an army of
monstrous shapechangers called rakshasas, who want only to seize the arrowhead and restore
Ravana to power. As they hunt Ash through magnificent fortresses and brutal deserts, he must learn
to work with a powerful rakshasa girl named Parvati, and find the strength within himself to fight on no
matter what. Because this isn't just a battle to stop the end of the world. It's a battle to stop the end of
reality as we know it. No pressure.
YA FIC CHA
Chadda, Sarwat
The City of Death
Ash escaped THE SAVAGE FORTRESS . . . but can he survive THE CITY OF DEATH? Meet Ash
Mistry: eighth grader, pretty good video gamer, guy with a massive crush on the beautiful Gemma . .
.Oh, and the Eternal Warrior of the death goddess Kali. Just when Ash has settled back into his
everyday London life, his friend Parvati arrives with a mission: The evil Lord Alexander Savage is
plotting to steal the Koh-I-Noor diamond from England's crown jewels. Ash and Parvati manage to
intercept it, but at a terrible price-Gemma's death. Outcast and heartbroken, Ash returns with Parvati
to India, where he meets up with old friends and develops new powers. But he's haunted by Gemma,
by thoughts of revenge against Savage, and by horrifying, blood-soaked dreams. As he hunts Savage
all the way to an astonishing, long-hidden kingdom, Ash must face the prospect that he may no
longer be entirely human . . . and his warrior side may lie beyond his control.
2
YA FIC CHE
Chen, Da
Sword
On the morning of Miu Miu's fifteenth birthday, her mother makes a startling revelation: Miu Miu's fate
is to travel to the faraway city of Chang'an, avenge her father's death, and find her true love. But the
evil emperor has other plans for her. Defeating him will take all of Miu Miu's courage, wit, and martial
arts experience.
YA FIC CHO
Chow, Cara
Bitter Melon
Frances has one job in life: to get into Berkeley and become a doctor so that her mother’s ambitions
will be realized. And Frances doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with that, until the day she
accidentally steps into a speech class and begins to discover a talent her mother wouldn’t approve of.
Frances turns out to be a natural at debate and public speaking. But to win in competition, she needs
to say things she really believes — and to hide what she’s doing from her mother. And once Frances
steps out beyond her narrowly prescribed life, she begins to question many things about the way she
is raised. Why can’t she go to a dance with a boy who likes her? Why can’t Frances get a job, or have
any money of her own? And most of all, why is her mother never happy with her? Frances knows she
should be obedient, and that her mother has sacrificed everything so she can succeed. But when it’s
time to take the biggest step of her life, will Frances have the courage to defy her mother?
Tween & YA FIC CLA
Clarke, Judith
Kalpana’s Dream
While an English class of 7B students at Wentworth High in Australia struggle with a six-week essay
assignment answering, "Who am I?," one child's great-grandmother arrives unexpectedly from India
to follow her dream.
Tween & YA FIC COM Compestine, Ying Chang Revolution is Not a Dinner
Party
Nine-year-old Ling is very comfortable in her life; her parents are both dedicated surgeons in the best
hospital in Wuhan. But when Comrade Li, one of Mao’s political officers, moves into a room in their
apartment, Ling begins to witness the gradual disintegration of her world. In an atmosphere of
increasing mistrust, Ling fears for the safety of her neighbors and, soon, for herself and family. Over
the course of four years, Ling manages to grow and blossom, even as she suffers more horrors than
many people face in a lifetime. Drawing from her childhood experience, Ying Chang Compestine
brings hope and humor to this compelling story for all ages about a girl fighting to survive during the
Cultural Revolution in China.
YA FIC COO
Cook, Trish & Brendan Halpin A Really Awesome Mess
Two teenagers. Two very bumpy roads taken that lead to Heartland Academy.
Justin was just having fun, but when his dad walked in on him with a girl in a very compromising
position, Justin's summer took a quick turn for the worse. His parents' divorce put Justin on rocky
mental ground, and after a handful of Tylenol lands him in the hospital, he has really hit rock bottom.
Emmy never felt like part of her family. She was adopted from China. Her parents and sister tower
over her and look like they came out of a Ralph Lauren catalog-- and Emmy definitely doesn't. After a
scandalous photo of Emmy leads to vicious rumors around school, she threatens the boy who started
it all on Facebook. Justin and Emmy arrive at Heartland Academy, a reform school that will force
them to deal with their issues, damaged souls with little patience for authority. But along the way they
will find a ragtag group of teens who are just as broken, stubborn, and full of sarcasm as themselves.
In the end, they might even call each other friends.
Tween & YA FIC DAD
D’Adamo, Francesco
Iqbal
When young Iqbal is sold into slavery at a carpet factory, his arrival changes everything for the other
overworked and abused chidren there. It is Iqbal who explains to them that despite their master's
promises, he plans on keeping them as his slaves indefinetely. But it is also Iqbal who inspires the
other children to look to a future free from toil...and is brave enough to show them how to get there.
3
YA FIC DAS Daswani, Kavita
Lovetorn
Can you find love when you think you already have it? Shalini is new to L.A. Not new like from New
York City new—or even Kansas new. New like from India new. And in the U.S., she has it all wrong:
the way she dresses, the way she talks, the way she wears her hair. And then there is the ring, which
makes her way different from everyone else—because Shalini has been engaged since she was
three to Vikram, back in India. Shalini’s life has been turned upside down. She doesn’t fit in, her mom
is depressed, and email is no substitute for being with Vikram. But when she meets Toby at school,
Shalini’s heart gets turned upside down, too. Just looking at Toby makes her stomach flutter. She
thinks she loves Vikram, but he never made her feel like this. In Lovetorn, Shalini discovers that your
heart ultimately makes its own choices, even when it seems as if your destiny has already been
chosen.
YA FIC DES
Desai Hidier, Tanuja
Born Confused
In the summer before her senior year, seventeen–year–old Dimple is confused about her
relationships with her family, her heritage, and her beautiful best friend.
Tween & YA FIC DHA
Dhami, Narinder
Bindi Babes
Amber, Geena, and Jazz have it all. The three tremendously popular Indian-British sisters are
beautiful, brainy, and blessed with a closet full of cool designer labels, thanks to an indulgent,
workaholic dad. Privately, the girls grieve their recently deceased mother and refuse to talk about her,
instead diving into shopping and their envied reputation as the school's best and brightest. Until, that
is, an interfering aunt from India comes to take over the household. Auntie sticks her nose into every
part of the girl's lives, so they conspire to get rid of her the Indian way: by marrying her off. But how
far are the polite girls willing to go, and will Auntie beat them at every turn?
Tween & YA FIC DHA
Dhami, Narinder
Bollywood Babes
Those fiesty Bindi Babes are back – and someone tougher than their auntie has moved in too!
Geena, Amber and Jazz throw a Bollywood party to raise funds for their school. They plan to deliver a
real Bollywood actress for a live performance but their star turns out to more of a handful than they
ever expected!
Tween & YA FIC DHA
Dhami, Narinder
Bhangra Babes
Amber, Jazz and Geena have finally secured auntie's engagement to the gorgeous Mr Arora. Now
the girls are now vying for the attention of the gorgeous new guy at school, Rocky, who has his own
recording studio. Amber thinks she's bound to capture his heart when she invites him to DJ at
Auntie's wedding, but when the girls go to hear Rocky sing, Amber realizes she's made a big mistake.
It's going to be a huge headache to work this one out, but if they don't, every guest at the wedding will
have a worse one! Fortunately, a great idea comes from an unexpected source, and the girls bounce
back again.
YA FIC DOK
Ballad of Mulan
Dokey, Cameron
Wild Orchid: a Retelling of the
Wielding a sword as deftly as an embroidery needle, Mulan is unlike any other girl in China. When the
emperor summons a great army, each family must send a male to fight. Tomboyish Mulan is
determined to spare her aging father and bring her family honor, so she disguises herself and
answers the call. But Mulan never expects to find a friend, let alone a soul mate, in the commander
of her division, Prince Jian. For all of Mulan's courage with a bow and arrow, is she brave enough to
share her true identity and feelings with Prince Jian?
4
Tween & YA FIC ELL
Ellis, Deborah
Parvana’s Journey
This sequel to The Breadwinner (Groundwood, 2001) easily stands alone. After her father's death,
13-year-old Parvana, disguised as a boy, wanders alone through war-torn Afghanistan looking for her
mother and siblings who had disappeared in the tumult of the Taliban takeover of Mazar-e-Sharif.
Early in her journey, Parvana comes across a baby, the only survivor in a bombed village. She takes
him along, as both a burden and comforting company. Taking shelter in a small cave, she discovers
an angry one-legged boy who is starved for both food and human companionship. Imagining treasure
in their cave, they dig, only to find a cache of bullets-a scene that epitomizes what childhood has
become for these young people. The three continue Parvana's search, stopping for a time in an
apparent safe haven on the edge of a minefield where an eight-year-old lives with a near-comatose
grandmother. When their refuge is destroyed, the four children join a long line of refugees, arriving
finally at a camp.
YA FIC FAM
Fama, Elizabeth
Overboard
Escaping from a sinking ferry in the waters off Sumatra, fourteen-year-old Emily fights for survival for
herself and a young Indonesian boy, who draws courage from his quiet but firm Islamic faith.
YA FIC FAR
Farizan, Sara
If You Could Be Mine
Seventeen-year-old Sahar has been in love with her best friend, Nasrin, since they were six. They’ve
shared stolen kisses and romantic promises. But Iran is a dangerous place for two girls in love—
Sahar and Nasrin could be beaten, imprisoned, even executed if their relationship came to light. So
they carry on in secret—until Nasrin’s parents announce that they’ve arranged for her marriage.
Nasrin tries to persuade Sahar that they can go on as they have been, only now with new comforts
provided by the decent, well-to-do doctor Nasrin will marry. But Sahar dreams of loving Nasrin
exclusively—and openly. Then Sahar discovers what seems like the perfect solution. In Iran,
homosexuality may be a crime, but to be a man trapped in a woman’s body is seen as nature’s
mistake, and sex reassignment is legal and accessible. As a man, Sahar could be the one to marry
Nasrin. Sahar will never be able to love the one she wants, in the body she wants to be loved in,
without risking her life. Is saving her love worth sacrificing her true self?
Tween & YA FIC FIT
Fitzmaurice, Kathryn
A Diamond in the Desert
Twelve-year-old Tetsu eats, sleeps and breathes baseball. It’s all he ever thinks about. But after the
bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tetsu and his family are forced from their home into an internment camp in
the Arizona desert with other Japanese Americans, and baseball becomes the last thing on his mind.
The camp isn’t technically a prison, but it sure feels like one when there’s nothing to do and no place
to go. So when a man starts up a boys’ baseball team, Tetsu is only too eager to play again. But with
his sister suddenly falling ill, and his father taken away for questioning, Tetsu is forced to choose
between his family and his love of the game.
YA FIC FLO
Flood, Nancy Bo
Warriors in the Crossfire
Flood’s first novel recounts a story of a forbidden friendship on the Japanese island of Saipan during
WWII. Thirteen-year-old cousins Kento and Joseph have been friends forever, but are divided by
class when the war intensifies. Kento is half Japanese, while Joseph is one of the natives, who are
suspected of being spies for the Americans. Restrictions and curfews multiply for the islanders, but
the boys figure out a way to remain friends in secret, as Joseph shares survival skills with Kento, who
teaches him kanji in return. “The Japanese may have taken our stores, our schools, even our lands,
but they could not take this,” Joseph affirms. When the Americans invade, Joseph’s father tasks him
with keeping his mother, sister, and nephew safe, and Joseph wonders if he has risked his family’s
safety by trusting Kento.
YA FIC FRE
Freedman, Paula
My Basmati Bat Mitzvah
During the fall leading up to her bat mitzvah, Tara (Hindi for "star") Feinstein has a lot more than her
Torah portion on her mind. Between Hebrew school and study sessions with the rabbi, there doesn’t
seem to be enough time to hang out with her best friend Ben-o--who might also be her boyfriend--and
her other best friend, Rebecca, who’s getting a little too cozy with that snotty Sheila Rosenberg. Not
to mention working on her robotics project with the class clown Ryan Berger, or figuring out what to
do with a priceless heirloom sari that she accidentally ruined. Amid all this drama, Tara considers how
to balance her Indian and Jewish identities and what it means to have a bat mitzvah while questioning
her faith.
5
YA FIC GAN Ganeshram, Ramin
Stir It Up
Thirteen-year-old Anjali's life is rich with the smell of curry from her parents' roti shop and an absolute
passion for food. More than anything, Anjali wants to be a chef who competes on a kids' cooking
reality TV show. But Anjali must keep her wish a secret from her family, who thinks Anjali's passions
are beneath her. Thank goodness for Deema, Anjali's grandmother, whose insight and love can push
past even the oldest family beliefs. Woven with recipes that cook up emotions and actual culinary
recipes that make food, this novel is as delicious as it is satisfying.
FIC & YA FIC GHO
Ghosh, Amitav
The Glass Palace
Ghosh's epic novel of Burma and Malaya over a span of 115 years is the kind of "sweep of history"
that readers can appreciate--even love--despite its demands. There is almost too much here for one
book, as over the years the lives and deaths of principal characters go flying by. Yet Ghosh (The
Calcutta Chromosome; Shadow Lines) is a beguiling and endlessly resourceful storyteller, and he
boasts one of the most arresting openings in recent fiction: in the marketplace of Mandalay, only the
11-year-old Indian boy Rajkumar recognizes the booming sounds beyond the curve of the river as
English cannon fire. The year is 1885, and the British have used a trade dispute to justify the invasion
and seizure of Burma's capital. As a crowd of looters pours into the fabled Glass Palace, the dazzling
throne room of the nine-roofed golden spire that was the great hti of Burma's kings, Rajkumar catches
sight of Dolly, then only 10, nursemaid to the Second Princess. Rajkumar carries the memory of their
brief meeting through the years to come, while he rises to fame and riches in the teak trade and Dolly
travels into exile to India with King Thebaw, Burma's last king; Queen Supayalat; and their three
daughters. The story of the exiled king and his family in Ratnagiri, a sleepy port town south of
Bombay, is worth a novel in itself, and the first two of the story's seven parts, which relate that history
and Rajkumar's rise to wealth in Burma's teak forests, are marvelously told. Inspired by tales handed
down to him by his father and uncle, Ghosh vividly brings to life the history of Burma and Malaya over
a century of momentous change in this teeming, multigenerational saga.
YA FIC GOO
Goo, Maurene
Since You Asked
No, no one asked, but Holly Kim will tell you what she thinks anyway.
Fifteen-year-old Holly Kim is the copyeditor for her high school's newspaper. When she accidentally
submits an article that rips everyone to shreds, she gets her own column and rants her way through
the school year. Can she survive homecoming, mean-girl cliques, jocks, secret admirers, Valentine's
Day, and other high school embarrassments, all while struggling to balance her family's traditional
Korean values?
YA FIC GOO Goode, Laura
Sister Mischief
Listen up: You’re about to get rocked by the fiercest, baddest all-girl hip-hop crew in the Twin Cities or at least in the wealthy, white, Bible-thumping suburb of Holyhill, Minnesota. Our heroine, Esme
Rockett (aka MC Ferocious) is a Jewish lesbian lyricist. In her crew, Esme’s got her BFFs Marcy (aka
DJ SheStorm, the butchest straight girl in town) and Tess (aka The ConTessa, the pretty, popular
powerhouse of a vocalist). But Esme’s feelings for her co-MC, Rowie (MC Rohini), a beautiful,
brilliant, beguiling desi chick, are bound to get complicated. And before they know it, the queer hiphop revolution Esme and her girls have exploded in Holyhill is on the line. Exciting new talent Laura
Goode lays down a snappy, provocative, and heartfelt novel about discovering the rhythm of your
own truth.
YA SF GOT
Goto, Hiromi
Half World
A prophecy tells that only a child born of the lifeless Half World can reunite the three worlds of Flesh,
Spirit, and the Half World that have been split asunder. Enter Melanie Tamaki, fleeing from some
school bullies. She arrives home to find that her mother, bedridden when she left for school, is
mysteriously gone. Melanie receives a creepy phone call from someone demanding that she go to the
"Half World" or else her mother will be hurt. She turns to elderly Mrs. Wei for help and, from her,
hears of the prophecy. Mrs. Wei feeds her and gives her a pendant of a jade rat. So fortified, Melanie
sets off on her quest. Her mother has collected the artwork of Escher and Bosch and, upon arrival in
Half World, Melanie begins to understand why. In this world literally bereft of color every being is
grotesque, most barely recognizable as human at all. Cast among these horrors, Melanie must
remain hidden until she can rescue her mother and somehow save the three realms.
6
YA FIC GRA Gratz, Alan
Samurai Shortstop
Tokyo, 1890. High school can be brutal, even in turn-of-the-century Japan.
From his first day at boarding school, Toyo Shimada sees how upperclassmen make a sport out of
terrorizing the first-years. Still, he's taken aback when the seniors keep him from trying out for the
baseball team-especially after he sees their current shortstop. Toyo isn't afraid to prove himself; He's
more troubled by his uncle's recent suicide. Although Uncle Koji's defiant death was supposedly
heroic, it has made Toyo question many things about his family's samurai background. And worse,
Toyo fears that his father may be next. It all has something to do with -the way of the warrior-but Toyo
doesn't understand even after his father agrees to teach it to him. As the gulf between them grows
wider, Toyo searches desperately for a way to prove there is a place for his family's samurai values in
modern Japan. Baseball might just be the answer, but will his father ever accept a "Western" game
that stands for everything he despises?
YA FIC HAU
The Samurai’s Tale
Haugaard, Erik Christian
In turbulent sixteenth-century Japan, orphaned Taro is taken in by a general serving the great warlord
Takeda Shingen and grows up to become a samurai fighting for the enemies of his dead family.
Tween & YA FIC HAU
Haugaard, Erik Christian
The Boy and the Samurai
Having grown up as an orphan of the streets while sixteenth-century Japan is being ravaged by civil
war, Saru seeks to help a samurai rescue his wife from imprisonment by a warlord so they can all flee
to a more peaceful life.
Tween & YA FIC HAU
Samurai
Haugaard, Erik Christian
Revenge of the Forty-Seven
In feudal Japan, a young servant named Jiro is a witness to destiny when his master, Lord Asano,
meets an unjust death through the machinations of a dishonorable man. Out of the 200 samurai who
served Lord Asano, 47 would avenge him. Jiro becomes "the fly on the wall" as he serves the
samurai's leader, observing with a clear eye the difference between greed and honor.
YA FIC HEA
White Lies)
Headley, Justina Chen
Nothing But the Truth (and a Few
Headley makes an impressive debut with this witty, intimate novel about a self-described "bizarrely
tall Freakinstein cobbled together from Asian and white DNA," trying to find her niche. Patty Ho, the
14-year-old narrator feels conspicuously out of place whether she is socializing with her white
classmates or among her mother's Taiwanese friends. Headley immediately conveys her heroine's
sense of humor when she opens with a "Belly-Button Grandmother" who tells Patty's future by
probing her belly. When the woman predicts that Patty will marry a white man, Patty's distraught,
divorced mother-who would like nothing more than for her daughter to meet a nice Taiwanese boysends Patty to math camp at Stanford University. Despite some misgivings, Patty there finds
adventure, romance and a level of freedom and acceptance that she has never experienced before.
Guided by her outspoken Asian roommate, a compassionate counselor and an open-minded aunt
who lives near the campus, Patty begins to view herself in a new light-not as an oddball, but rather as
someone who has inherited the best of two different worlds.
YA FIC HEA
Headley, Justina Chen
Girl Overboard
The worst thing about having it all, is having to deal with it all - the good, the bad, and the just plain
weird. Everybody thinks Syrah is the golden girl. After all, her father is Ethan Cheng, billionaire, and
she has everything any kid could possibly desire, right down to a waterfront mansion, jet plane, and
custom-designed snowboards. But as Syrah reveals in her manga journal, most of what glitters in her
life is fool's gold. Her half-sibs hate her, her best friend's girlfriend is threatening their friendship, and
a snowboarding accident exiles her from the mountains - the one place where she feels free and
accepted for who she is, not what she has. After Syrah rehabs her busted-up knee and broken heart,
makes a new friend, uncovers a family secret, and discovers a way to help a young girl with leukemia,
she is finally able to realize her real worth.
7
YA FIC HO
Ho, Minfong
The Stone Goddess
When Sophy and her older siblings are ripped away from their family by the cruel Khmer Rouge and
sent to work in a children's labor camp, Sophy bears witness to innumerable tragedies, paying too
dear a price. After the Vietnamese army liberates Cambodia, Sophy returns to her mother's village,
where they decide to seek refuge in America. Upon arriving in America, Sophy struggles to adjust to
life in a completely new and different society, but she is caught up in the memories of all that she left
behind.
YA FIC HON Honeyman, Kay The Fire Horse Girl
Jade Moon is a Fire Horse -- the worst sign in the Chinese zodiac for girls, said to make them
stubborn, willful, and far too imaginative. But while her family despairs of marrying her off, she has a
passionate heart and powerful dreams, and wants only to find a way to make them come true. Then
a young man named Sterling Promise comes to their village to offer Jade Moon and her father a
chance to go to America. While Sterling Promise's smooth manners couldn't be more different from
her own impulsive nature, Jade Moon falls in love with him on the long voyage. But America in 1923
doesn't want to admit many Chinese, and when they are detained at Angel Island, the "Ellis Island of
the West," she discovers a betrayal that destroys all her dreams. To get into America, much less
survive there, Jade Moon will have to use all her stubbornness and will to break a new path . . . one
as brave and dangerous as only a Fire Horse girl can imagine.
YA MYS ING
Ingold, Jeanette
Paper Daughter
In the month after 16-year-old Maggie Chen’s father, a respected journalist, was killed in a hit-and-run
accident, a basement flood destroys his notebooks. As she searches through the sodden paperwork,
Maggie discovers puzzling inconsistencies. Had her father lied about his family history? Maggie, an
aspiring journalist herself, is just beginning an internship at a Seattle paper, and in one of her first
assignments, she uncovers a story that links directly to both the circumstances of her father’s death
and to the truth about his origins.
YA FIC JAR
Jarrar, Randa
A Map of Home
In this fresh, funny, and fearless debut novel, Randa Jarrar chronicles the coming-of-age of Nidali,
one of the most unique and irrepressible narrators in contemporary fiction. Born in 1970s Boston to
an Egyptian-Greek mother and a Palestinian father, the rebellious Nidali—whose name is a
feminization of the word “struggle”—soon moves to a very different life in Kuwait. There the family
leads a mildly eccentric middle-class existence until the Iraqi invasion drives them first to Egypt and
then to Texas. This critically acclaimed debut novel is set to capture the hearts of everyone who has
ever wondered what their own map of home might look like.
YA FIC KAR
Karim, Sheba
Skunk Girl
If Nina Khan were to rate herself on the unofficial Pakistani prestige point system – the one she’s sure
all the aunties and uncles use to determine the most attractive marriage prospects for their children –
her scoring might go something like this:
+2 points for getting excellent grades
–3 points for failing to live up to expectations set by genius older sister
+4 points for dutifully obeying parents and never, ever going to parties, no matter how antisocial that
makes her seem to everyone at Deer Hook High
–1 point for harboring secret jealousy of her best friends, who are allowed to date like normal
teenagers
+2 points for never drinking an alcoholic beverage
–10 points for obsessing about Asher Richelli, who talks to Nina like she’s not a freak at all, even
though he knows that she has a disturbing line of hair running down her back.In this wryly funny
debut novel, the smart, sassy, and utterly lovable Nina Khan tackles friends, family, and love, and
learns that it’s possible to embrace two very different cultures – even if things can get a little bit, well,
hairy.
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YA FIC KAS
Kass, Pnina Moed
Real Time
A tense and heartbreaking day unfolds in contemporary Israel as readers view a suicide bombing
through a complex kaleidoscope of perspectives. Sixteen-year-old Thomas travels from Berlin to
volunteer on a kibbutz and to research his grandfather, a Nazi officer. Baruch, the kibbutz's gardener,
is a Holocaust survivor. Vera's been living on the Kibbutz for three years, since she left her native
Odessa and the shock of a boyfriend who killed himself. Sameh, a 16-year-old Palestinian, works
illegally for a Jewish boss and has no tolerable prospects. His friend Omar thinks he knows the
answer: martyrdom. The taut, immediate story plays out in chronological order, each bit labeled with
exact time and place.
YA FIC KEN
Kent, Rose
Kimchi and Calimari
Kimchi and calamari. It sounds like a quirky food fusion of Korean and Italian cuisine, and it's exactly
how Joseph Calderaro feels about himself. Why wouldn't an adopted Korean drummer—comic book
junkie feel like a combo platter given: (1) his face in the mirror (2) his proud Italian family. And now
Joseph has to write an essay about his ancestors for social studies. All he knows is that his birth
family shipped his diapered butt on a plane to the USA. End of story. But what he writes leads to a
catastrophe messier than a table of shattered dishes—and self-discovery that Joseph never could
have imagined.
YA FIC KIM
Kim, Helen
Long Season of Rain
Growing up in Korea during the '60s, four sisters are all devoted to their dutiful mother and resentful
of their often absent father, but it is 11-year-old Junehee, the second oldest daughter, who is most
affected by the friction between her parents and her mother's deep despair. Like her mother, Junehee
feels sympathy for the boy who is brought to their house after being orphaned in a flood. Others,
including Junehee's strict paternal grandmother, scorn Pyungsoo because he is from a lower class.
Junehee's mother silently endures demeaning treatment and tries to ignore ridicule aimed at the child,
until the day she is forbidden to adopt him. Shortly thereafter, both she and Junehee rebel against
restrictions of their household and their society as their long-suppressed anger rises to the surface
YA FIC KOG
Kogawa, Joy
Obasan
Based on the author's own experiences, this award-winning novel was the first to tell the story of the
evacuation, relocation, and dispersal of Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry during the Second
World War.
Tween & YA FIC KRI
Krishnaswami, Uma
Naming Maya
In this sensitively wrought novel, Maya, the daughter of divorced Indian parents, leaves her home in
New Jersey to accompany her mother to Chennai, where they must sell Maya's late grandfather's
house. After their arrival in India, Maya's mother stays busy making arrangements with a realtor, and
Maya mulls over the upheavals in her life. She misses her best friend and she longs for her father,
who has moved to Texas. On the other hand, she enjoys the company of her sympathetic cousin
Sumati and "Mami," the old family cook and housekeeper. However, when Mami's memory starts to
fail and she begins acting strangely, Maya feels another sharp pang of loss. Out shopping one day,
Maya witnesses how "pandemonium erupts" when the hem of a woman's sari gets caught in an
escalator. The image of the panicked woman becomes a metaphor for Maya, who also feels pulled in
different directions. Maya is torn between two cultures, two parents who have drifted apart and even
two names (her mother's side of the family chose the name Maya, but her father's relatives always
called her Preeta).
YA SF KRI Kristoff, Jay
Stormdancer (The Lotus War v 1)
Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her father are commanded to capture one
for the murderous Shogun of the Shima Isles, they fear their lives are over. After disaster befalls the
mission, Yukiko finds herself stranded in the wilderness with only the crippled griffin Buruu for
company. Working together, the pair make a stand against the authorities, facing intrigue, betrayal
and murder in the hope of seeing their homeland saved and Buruu flying again. The first installment
of an exciting new fantasy series, Stormdancer is sure to electrify the growing numbers of steampunk
fans as well as lovers of classic epic fantasy.
9
YA SF KRI
Kristoff, Jay
Kinslayer (The Lotus War v 2)
The mad Shōgun Yoritomo has been assassinated by the Stormdancer Yukiko, and the threat of civil
war looms over the Shima Imperium. The Lotus Guild conspires to renew the nation’s broken dynasty
and crush the growing rebellion simultaneously – by endorsing a new Shōgun who desires nothing
more than to see Yukiko dead. Yukiko and the mighty thunder tiger Buruu have been cast in the role
of heroes by the Kagé rebellion. But Yukiko herself is blinded by rage over her father’s death, and her
ability to hear the thoughts of beasts is swelling beyond her power to control. Along with Buruu,
Yukiko’s anchor is Kin, the rebel Guildsman who helped her escape from Yoritomo’s clutches. But Kin
has his own secrets, and is haunted by visions of a future he’d rather die than see realized. Kagé
assassins lurk within the Shōgun’s palace, plotting to end the new dynasty before it begins. A waif
from Kigen’s gutters begins a friendship that could undo the entire empire. A new enemy gathers its
strength, readying to push the fracturing Shima imperium into a war it cannot hope to survive. And
across raging oceans, amongst islands of black glass, Yukiko and Buruu will face foes no katana or
talon can defeat. The ghosts of a blood-stained past.
YA FIC KWO
Kwok, Jean Girl in Translation
A resolute yet naïve Chinese girl confronts poverty and culture shock with equal zeal when she and
her mother immigrate to Brooklyn in Kwok's affecting coming-of-age debut. Ah-Kim Chang, or
Kimberly as she is known in the U.S., had been a promising student in Hong Kong when her father
died. Now she and her mother are indebted to Kimberly's Aunt Paula, who funded their trip from Hong
Kong, so they dutifully work for her in a Chinatown clothing factory where they earn barely enough to
keep them alive. Despite this, and living in a condemned apartment that is without heat and full of
roaches, Kimberly excels at school, perfects her English, and is eventually admitted to an elite,
private high school. An obvious outsider, without money for new clothes or undergarments, she deals
with added social pressures, only to be comforted by an understanding best friend, Annette, who
lends her makeup and hands out American advice. A love interest at the factory leads to a surprising
plot line, but it is the portrayal of Kimberly's relationship with her mother that makes this more than
just another immigrant story.
YA FIC LAI Laidlaw, S.J. An Infidel in Paradise
Set in Pakistan, this is the story of a teen girl living with her mother and siblings in a diplomatic
compound. As if getting used to another new country and set of customs and friends isn't enough,
she must cope with an increasingly tense political situation that becomes dangerous with alarming
speed. Her life and those of her sister and brother depend on her resourcefulness and the
unexpected help of an enigmatic Muslim classmate.
YA FIC LAM
Lamba, Marie
What I Meant….
After 15 years of being a good daughter and loyal friend, wouldn't you expect the people closest to
you to believe you? To at least try to understand what you mean? Since my evil aunt moved in,
everything has gone wrong.
My little sister thinks I'm a thief.
My best friend thinks I'm a jerk.
My parents think I'm bulimic.
And the boy I love thinks I'm not into him at all.
Somehow I have to set the record straight before I totally lose my mind.
Marie Lamba's debut novel tells the story of how 15-year-old Sangeet Jumnal's sleepy suburban life
suddenly gets super complicated.
YA FIC LY Ly, Many Roots and Wings
Grace’s grandmother has died, and she and her mother must travel back to the Cambodian
community to give her a proper Cambodian funeral. But Grace wants to use the trip to solve a few
mysteries, like who her father was, why her mother and grandmother moved from St. Petersburg to
Pennsylvania, where they’re the only Cambodians Grace has ever seen, and what Cambodian
culture is really about. Embraced by her mother’s old friends, Grace feels both at home and lost,
fascinated by the traditions she’s never known, but strangely judged by some members of the
community. Can she make sense of, and honor, the life of the grandmother she barely knew? And will
revelations about the past bring Grace closer to her mother, or push them even further apart?
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YA FIC MAL
Malladi, Amulya
The Mango Season
"Every young Indian leaving the homeland for the United States is given the following orders by their
parents. Don't eat any cow (It's still sacred!); don't go out too much; save (and save, and save) your
money; and, most important, do not marry a foreigner. Priya Rao left India when she was twenty to
study in the U.S., and she's never been back. Now, seven years later, she's out of excuses. She has
to return and give her family the news. She's engaged to Nick Collins, a kind, loving American man.
It's going to break their hearts.
Tween & YA FIC MAN
Manivong, Laura
Escaping the Tiger
Twelve-year-old Vonlai knows that soldiers who guard the Mekong River shoot at anything that
moves, but in oppressive Communist Laos, there's nothing left for him, his spirited sister, Dalah, and
his desperate parents. Their only hope is a refugee camp in Thailand on the other side of the river.
When they reach the camp, their struggles are far from over. Na Pho is a forgotten place where life
consists of squalid huts, stifling heat, and rationed food. Still, Vonlai tries to carry on as if everything is
normal. He pays attention in school, a dusty barrack overcrowded with kids too hungry to learn. And,
to forget his empty stomach, he plays soccer in a field full of rocks. But when someone inside the
camp threatens his family, Vonlai calls on a forbidden skill to protect their future a future he's sure is
full of promise, if only they can make it out of Na Pho alive.
YA FIC MAR & SR Section
Markandaya, Kamala
Nectar in a Sieve
Natural disasters, an arranged marriage, and industrialization of her village are the challenges
Rukmani must face as the bride of a peasant farmer in southern India.
YA FIC MAR
Martinez, Jessica
The Vow
No one has ever believed that Mo and Annie are just friends. How can a guy and a girl really be best
friends? Then the summer before senior year, Mo’s father loses his job, and by extension his work
visa. Instantly, life for Annie and Mo crumbles. Although Mo has lived in America for most of his life,
he’ll be forced to move to Jordan. The prospect of leaving his home is devastating, and returning to a
world where he no longer belongs terrifies him. Desperate to save him, Annie proposes they tell a
colossal lie—that they are in love. Mo agrees because marrying Annie is the only way he can stay.
Annie just wants to keep her best friend, but what happens when it becomes a choice between saving
Mo and her own chance at real love?
YA FIC MAS
Master, Irfan
A Beautiful Lie
"Everybody lies. We all do it. Many years ago I told one lie that has taken on a life of its own." In India
in 1947 the country is coming apart--and so is thirteen-year-old Bilal's life. He is determined to protect
his dying father from the news of Partition, news that he knows will break his father's heart. With spirit
and determination, and with the help of his good friends, Bilal builds an elaborate deception, even
printing false pages of the local newspaper to hide the signs of national unrest. All Bilal wants is for
his father to die in peace. But that means Bilal has a very complicated relationship with the truth. This
extraordinarily rich debut novel brings to life a key moment in history and touches on the importance
of tolerance, love and family.
J & YA FIC MAZ
Mazer, Harry
A Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor
Sixteen year old Adam, whose father recently returned to duty aboard the Arizona, is fishing in Pearl
Harbor on a quiet Sunday morning with a newly met Japanese American classmate. Suddenly, they
see planes attack one of the greatest Navies in the world. Riveting scenes of Japanese bombers
picking off American warships are contrasted with Adam’s efforts to save his friend while dealing with
his own anger amid the chaos of the day.
11
YA SF MIC
Michaelis, Antonia
Tiger Moon
How does a story of India begin? Does it begin with the three great rivers—the Ganges, the Yamuna,
the unseen Sarasvati pouring her dreaming waters down from the snowy mountains to the hot, dry
plain? This bewitching story within a story, set in magical India, explores the power of narrative to
change the course of lives. Raka, the doomed young bride of a violent merchant, weaves a tale of
rescue so vivid, it might just come true. She tells a servant boy the story of Farhad, a thief and
unlikely hero, who must retrieve a famous jewel in order to save a kidnapped princess from a demon
king. Farhad’s unforgettable companion on the journey is a wisecracking white tiger with an unnatural
fear of water. It is their unusual and funny friendship, and the final sacrifice that they must make, that
is the heart of this grand, beautiful novel about summoning the hero within.
YA FIC MOR
Shizuko’s Daughter
Mori, Kyoko
After her mother’s suicide when she is twelve-years-old, Yuki spends years living with her distant
father and his resentful new wife, cut off from her mother’s family, and relying on her own inner
strength to cope with the tragedy.
YA FIC MOS
Moshiri, Farnoosh
The Bathhouse
The story begins with the arrest of a seventeen-year-old girl in the early days of the fundamentalist
revolution in Iran. Imprisoned because of her brother's involvement with leftist politics, she is placed in
a makeshift jail, a former bathhouse, in which other women are held captive. With a gripping
narrative, Moshiri gives voice to these prisoners, exploring their torment and struggle, but also their
courage and humanity, in the face of tyrants.
YA FIC NA
Na, An The Fold
Joyce never used to care that much about how she looked, but that was before she met JFK-John
Ford Kang, the most gorgeous guy in school. And it doesn't help that she's constantly being
compared to her beautiful older sister, Helen. Then her rich plastic-surgery-addict aunt offers Joyce a
gift to "fix" a part of herself she'd never realized needed fixing-her eyes. Joyce has heard of the fold
surgery-a common procedure meant to make Asian women's eyes seem "prettier" and more
"American"-but she's not sure she wants to go through with it. Her friend Gina can't believe she isn't
thrilled. After all, the plastic surgeon has shown Joyce that her new eyes will make her look just like
Helen-but is that necessarily a good thing?
YA FIC NA
Na, An
Step From Heaven
A young Korean girl and her family find it difficult to learn English and adjust to life in America.
YA FIC NA
Na, An
Wait for Me
Mina's mother has her life planned out for her. After Mina graduates at the top of her class, she will
leave the family's laundromat in California and attend Harvard. Mina, a seventeen-year-old Korean
American, does not have the high grades that her mother thinks she does. Mina has doctored her
report card with the help of Jonathon Kim, the son of a wealthy friend of the family. She does,
however, have a plan: She has been stealing small amounts of cash from the register when she does
the nightly receipts, and she intends to run away and live on her own after graduation. She feels
responsible, however, for supporting her younger half-sister Suna, whom her mother treats poorly.
While struggling to decide what she can do with her life, pretending to study for the SAT, and fending
off Jonathon's amorous advances, Mina must hide her developing relationship with Ysrael, a Mexican
teen who has come to work in their shop while Mina's stepfather recovers from a strained back.
Events come to a head when the missing money is discovered.
12
YA FIC NAM Namioka, Lensey
Mismatch
Fifteen-year-old Sue Hua meets and is attracted to Andy, a violinist who happens to be Asian
American. There is just one problem, Andy's last name is Suzuki and it presents a problem for Sue's
family. Sue's grandma survived the Japanese invasion of China and has terrible tales to tell. She still
believes that the Japanese are monsters capable only of cruelty. Andy thinks his family is much more
open-minded--until he asks his parents how they feel and gets an earful of insulting stereotypes. As
Andy and Sue continue to date in secret, an upcoming trip to Tokyo causes concern about meeting
their families. How much loyalty do they owe their parents when what happened was fifty years ago in
China? How far would you go to please your family?
YA FIC NAN Nanji, Shenaaz
Child of Dandelions
Fifteen-year-old Sabine lives a life of luxury with her wealthy Indian family in Kampala, Uganda. Then
Idi Amin comes to power and things change quickly. All British Indians are expelled from the country.
Sabine's father thinks they will be safe because they are Ugandan citizens, but they soon discover
that they are in serious danger. Sabine's beloved uncle disappears, and her friend Zena, who is
African, turns against her because Zena's military uncle has convinced her that the Ugandan Indians
have exploited the African populace. The book effectively portrays the rising terror and violence in
1972 as Sabine struggles to deal with a world falling apart. Prejudices are clearly delineated, and the
thin veneer of civilization crumbles as the chilling background beat of the radio relentlessly counts
down the days left before all British Indians must leave the country.
YA FIC NAP
Napoli, Donna Jo
Bound
After Xing Xing's beloved father dies, she is left in the care of his second wife, her cruel stepmother.
Stepmother's one goal is to help her only daughter, Wei Ping, marry well. Although Wei Ping is
already of marriageable age, Stepmother decides to bind her feet, a process that was usually begun
in early childhood, to make the girl more attractive to potential suitors. Instead, the girl develops only
debilitating pain and a life-threatening infection. While her stepsister heals, Xing Xing becomes the
family servant, dressed in rags and secretly practicing the "three perfections"—painting, poetry, and
calligraphy—which her father had valued and helped cultivate in her. As Xing Xing attempts to
practice her art and evade her evil Stepmother, she finds solace from an unexpected source—a giant
fish who may be the spirit of her late mother. Napoli's story bears a general resemblance both to
traditional Western Cinderella stories and to the much older Chinese Cinderella tales.
YA FIC OPE Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices
Listen in as ten YA authors -- some familiar, some new -- use their own brand of humor to share their
stories about growing up between cultures. Henry Choi Lee discovers that pretending to be a tai chi
master or a sought-after wiz at math wins him friends for a while -- until it comically backfires. A
biracial girl is amused when her dad clears seats for his family on a crowded subway in under a
minute flat, simply by sitting quietly in between two uptight white women. Edited by acclaimed author
and speaker Mitali Perkins, this collection of fiction and nonfiction uses a mix of styles as diverse as
their authors, from laugh-out-loud funny to wry, ironic, or poingnant, in prose, poetry, and comic form.
YA FIC OST Ostlere, Cathy
Karma
It is 1984, and fifteen-year-old Maya is on her way to India with her father. She carries with her the
ashes of her mother, who recently committed suicide, and arrives in Delhi on the eve of Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination. Maya is separated from her father and must rely upon the
mysterious, kindhearted Sandeep to safely reunite them. As her love for Sandeep begins to blossom,
Maya must face the truth about her painful adolescence...if she's ever to imagine her future.
YA FIC OTS
Otsuka, Julie
When the Emperor Was Divine
Otsuka researched historical sources and her own grandparents' experiences as background for this
spare yet poignant first novel about the ordeal of a Japanese family sent to an internment camp
during World War II. Its perspective shifts among different family members as the story unfolds. We
see the mother numbly pack up the family's middle-class belongings to leave behind in their Berkeley
home. The dehumanizing train trip to the camp, and the bleak internment in the alkaline Nevada
desert, as related by the young son and daughter, become mythic events. Their father, picked up for
questioning immediately after Pearl Harbor and imprisoned throughout the war, returns a broken and
bitter man. The family's humiliation continues beyond the war's end: after returning to their vandalized
home, they are shunned for months by former friends and neighbors.
13
YA FIC PER
Perera, Anna
Guantanamo Boy
Originally published in the U.K., this harrowing first novel, in which a 15-year-old British boy is
apprehended as an enemy combatant while visiting family in Pakistan, focuses on the darker
practices of the war on terror. "Six months after 9/11 and the world is getting madder by the day,"
observes Khalid's father, which foreshadows the insanity to come. Perera quickly establishes Khalid
as a typical teenager who quarrels with his parents and likes to play soccer and roughhouse with
friends, heightening the tragedy of what follows. After Khalid's father disappears in Karachi, Khalid's
chance appearance at a protest and innocent computer gaming leads to his imprisonment for two
years, first in Pakistan, then at a CIA camp in Afghanistan, and finally in Guantanamo Bay. Perera
unflinchingly portrays the beating, sleep deprivation, isolation, and waterboarding that Khalid
undergoes; in one section, she skillfully employs white space to demonstrate the confusion and
madness caused by sleep deprivation. Readers will feel every ounce of Khalid's terror, frustration,
and helplessness in this disturbing look at a sad, ongoing chapter in contemporary history.
YA FIC PER
Perkins, Mitali
The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen
When her grandparents come for a visit from India to California, thirteen-year-old Sunita finds herself
resenting her Indian heritage and embarrassed by the differences she feels between herself and her
friends.
YA FIC PER
Makeover
Perkins, Mitali
First Daughter: Extreme American
The race for the presidency is on, and Sameera’s dad is a contender. Sameera’s looking forward to
some cool campaign perks: hobnobbing with celebrities, meeting smart and hunky young voters, and
getting a total makeover. The makeover succeeds in making her look more polished, but some of the
campaign staffers aren’t content to stop there. They think the candidate’s dark-skinned, adopted
daughter could hurt his chances if she doesn’t “try to be more American.” As the pressure builds,
Sameera is forced to choose: Will she hide behind a fake persona or speak up for her true self?
YA FIC PER Perkins, Mitali First Daughter: White House Rules
In First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover, Sameera showed the United States it was ready for
a Pakistani-born First Daughter. With her brains and bravado,White House. Fabulous! Right?
Actually, it's no fairy tale. The Secret Service and the paparazzi follow Sameera everywhere. She
misses her friends-and even her school-back home. So Sameera decides to escape. Will she be able
to pull it off, or will her plan backfire on the entire First Family? This smart and funny novel continues
the adventures of a Pakistani-American teen in the spotlight.
YA FIC PER Perkins, Mitali Monsoon Summer
Jasmine “Jazz” Gardner heads off to India during the monsoon season. The family trip is her mother’s
doing: Mrs. Gardner wants to volunteer at the orphanage that cared for her when she was young. But
going to India isn’t Jazz’s idea of a great summer vacation. She wants no part of her mother’s dogooder endeavors. What’s more, Jazz is heartsick. She’s leaving the business she and her best
friend, Steve Morales, started—as well as Steve himself. Jazz is crazy in love with the guy. If only he
knew! Only when Jazz reluctantly befriends Danita, a girl who cooks for her family, and who faces a
tough dilemma, does Jazz begin to see how she can make a difference—to her own family, to Danita,
to the children at the orphanage, even to Steve. As India claims Jazz, the monsoon works its
madness and its magic.
YA FIC PER
Perkins, Mitali
Secret Keeper
Asha would rather be burning bras, studying psychology and playing tennis like Chris Evert (she's
that good). Instead, the 16-year-old, her older sister and her mother are leaving Delhi and heading to
her uncle's house in Calcutta, where they will stay while her engineer father searches for work in New
York. Only Asha's diary, S.K. (Secret Keeper) 1974, and Jay, a young painter next door, know her
true feelings when an unexpected tragedy strikes, leaving her at the mercy of a strapped uncle, her
mother's depression and rigid gender expectations. Perkins weaves descriptions of Indian food,
clothing, government and customs into Asha's quest for freedom.
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YA FIC PER
Perkins, Mitali
Bamboo People
Two teens on opposing sides of ethnic conflict in modern-day Burma (Myanmar) tell an intertwined
story that poignantly reveals the fear, violence, prejudice, and hardships they both experience. Chiko,
a quiet, studious student whose medical doctor father has been arrested as a traitor, is seized by the
government and forced into military training. Chiko is groomed for guerrilla warfare against the
Karenni, a Burmese minority group living in villages and refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border.
After he and his patrol stumble into land mines, Tu Reh, an angry Karenni and rebel fighter, must
decide whether or not to save him. Tu Reh's home was destroyed by Burmese soldiers, and he
struggles with his conscience and his desire for revenge and independence. Both Chiko and Tu Reh
are caught in a conflict that neither fully understands. Family, friendships, and loyalty have shaped
their lives. But as young soldiers, they face harrowing situations, profound suffering, and life-anddeath decisions. Both boys learn the meaning of courage.
YA SF PON
Pon, Cindy
Silver Phoenix
Ai Ling wants to be a dutiful daughter, but surely marrying the vile widower Master Huang is a bad
idea. If Ai Ling finds her missing father, then won't she and her mother be freed from blackmail and
manipulation? Ai Ling sets off across the kingdom of Xia to find her vanished father, but finds herself
embroiled in both Imperial and mystical intrigue. Her quest is aided by her new friends, the exotically
handsome half-Xian Chen Yong and his flirtatious foster brother, Li Rong, both seeking Chen Yong's
birthparents. Together, they rescue gods, fight zombies and travel to dangerous lands where threeeyed men ride flying chariots. Luckily, Ai Ling has newfound powers that aid in their fight against the
forces threatening both the trio and the entire land of Xia.
YA SF PON
Pon, Cindy
Fury of the Phoenix
The Gods have abandoned Ai Ling.
Her mysterious power haunts her day and night, and she leaves home—with just the moon as her
guide—overwhelmed by her memories and visions and an unbearable sense of dread. For Ai Ling
knows that Chen Yong is vulnerable to corrupt enchantments from the under-world. How can she do
nothing when she has the skill and power to fight at his side? A dream has told her where he is, the
name of the ship he is traveling on, his destination. So she steals off and stows away on board. The
ocean voyage brings with it brutal danger, haunting revelations, and new friendships, but also the
premonition of a very real and terrifying threat. Zhong Ye—the powerful sorcerer whom Ai Ling
believed she had vanquished in the Palace of Fragrant Dreams—is trapped in Hell, neither alive nor
dead. Can he reach from beyond the grave to reunite with Silver Phoenix and destroy Chen Yong?
And destroy whatever chance Ai Ling has at happiness, at love?
YA FIC QAM
Qamar, Amjed
Beneath My Mother’s Feet
Nazia doesn't mind when her friends tease and call her a good beti, a dutiful daughter. Growing up in
a working-class family in Karachi, Pakistan, Nazia knows that obedience is the least she can give to
her mother, who has spent years saving and preparing for her dowry. But every daughter must grow
up, and for fourteen-year-old Nazia that day arrives suddenly when her father gets into an accident at
work, and her family finds themselves without money for rent or food. Being the beti that she is,
Nazia drops out of school to help her mother clean houses, all the while wondering when she
managed to lose control of her life that had been full of friends and school. Working as a maid is a
shameful obligation that could be detrimental to her future -- after all, no one wants a housekeeper for
a daughter-in-law. As Nazia finds herself growing up much too quickly, the lessons of hardship that
seem unbearable turn out to be a lot more liberating than she ever imagined.
YA FIC ROB
Robert, Na’ima
Boy vs Girl
Farhana swallowed and reached for the hijab. But then she saw with absolute clarity the weird looks
from the other girls at school, and the smirks from the guys. Did she dare? And then there was
Malik... What should she do about him? Faraz was thinking about Skrooz and the lads. Soon he
would finally have the respect of the other kids at school. But at what price? He heard Skrooz's voice,
sharp as a switchblade: "This thing is powerful, blud. But you have to earn it, see? Just a few more
errands for me..." They're twins, born 6 minutes apart. Both are in turmooil and both have lifechanging choices to make, against the peaceful backdrop of Ramadan. Do Farhana and Faraz have
enough courage to do the right thing? And can they help each other - or will one of them draw the
other towards catastrophe?
15
Tween & YA FIC SEN
Senzai, N.H.
Shooting Kabul
In the summer of 2001, twelve year old Fadi’s parents make the difficult decision to illegally leave
Afghanistan and move the family to the United States. When their underground transport arrives at
the rendezvous point, chaos ensues, and Fadi is left dragging his younger sister Mariam through the
crush of people. But Mariam accidentally lets go of his hand and becomes lost in the crowd, just as
Fadi is snatched up into the truck. With Taliban soldiers closing in, the truck speeds away, leaving
Mariam behind. Adjusting to life in the United States isn’t easy for Fadi’s family and as the events of
September 11th unfold the prospects of locating Mariam in a war torn Afghanistan seem slim. When a
photography competition with a grand prize trip to India is announced, Fadi sees his chance to return
to Afghanistan and find his sister. But can one photo really bring Mariam home?
YA FIC SEN
Senzai, N.H.
Saving Kabul Corner
A rough and tumble tomboy, twelve-year-old Ariana couldn’t be more different from her cousin Laila,
who just arrived from Afghanistan with her family. Laila is a proper, ladylike Afghan girl, one who can
cook, sew, sing, and who is well versed in Pukhtun culture and manners. Arianna hates her. Laila not
only invades Ariana’s bedroom in their cramped Fremont townhouse, but she also becomes close
with Mariam Nurzai, Ariana’s best friend. Then a rival Afghan grocery store opens near Ariana’s
family store, reigniting a decades-old feud tracing back to Afghanistan. The cousins, Mariam, and
their newfound frenemy, Waleed Ghilzai, must ban together to help the families find a lasting peace
before it destroys both businesses and everything their parents have worked for.
YA FIC SHA
Sharif, Medeia
Bestest. Ramadan. Ever.
No pizza. No boyfriend. (No life.)Okay, so during Ramadan, we're not allowed to eat from sunrise to
sunset. For one whole month. My family does this every year, even though I've been to a mosque
exactly twice in my life. And it's true, I could stand to lose a few pounds. (Sadly, my mom's hotness
skipped a generation.) But is starvation really an acceptable method? I think not.Even worse, my
oppressive parents forbid me to date. This is just cruel and wrong. Especially since Peter, a cute and
crushable artist, might be my soul mate. Figures my bestest friend Lisa likes him, too. To top it off,
there's a new Muslim girl in school who struts around in super-short skirts, commanding every boy's
attention-including Peter's. How can I get him to notice me? And will I ever figure out how to be
Muslim and American?
Tween & YA FIC SHE
Sheth, Kashmira
Boys Without Names
Eager to find work after his hungry family arrives in Mumbai, 11-year-old Gopal ends up locked in a
one-room "factory" making beaded frames with five other boys so beaten down they don't even talk to
one another. Gopal's story is not uncommon: a bumper crop year drove prices down, money was
borrowed to pay for medicine, the farm was lost but the debt remained, and the family was forced to
flee to the city to find work. Gopal stores up his memories of his rural Indian village, with its pond, fruit
trees, and bird songs, contrasting them with the noisy stink of their new home at the end of a sewageladen lane in an overcrowded shantytown.
YA FIC SHE
Sheth, Kashmira
Blue Jasmine
The comfortable and confident life 12-year-old Seema Trivedi enjoys in her upper-class neighborhood
in India is altered by the family's move to an American middle-class suburban community. Everything
is new and different for this tween who must adjust to American English, food, dress, culture, and
school politics. Seema's classmates in both countries present parallel situations that illustrate the
complexities of middle schoolers and their maturation. Mukta, the very poor Indian girl who lives in
one room behind the family's snack shop, is constantly teased and misunderstood by both Seema
and her cousin Raju. Seema's mistreatment in her American school by the new class bully, Carrie, is
an awakening for her as she grows to understand and develop emotionally. Exposed to life in two
worlds and from two positions in her peer groups, Seema acquires the ability to appreciate
differences as she struggles to belong in both countries.
16
YA FIC SHE
Sheth, Kashmira
Keeping Corner
Pretty as a peacock, twelve-year-old Leela has been spoiled all her life by everyone in her Gujarat
village. She's never been interested in school and barely takes notice of the growing unrest between
the British colonists and her own countrymen. Why should she? Her future has been planned since
her engagement at two and marriage at nine. And now, as the day she moves in with her husband's
family draws near, she's too busy collecting bangles and ribbons to care about much else. But when
Leela's husband dies, her life changes forever. Instead of being showered with gifts and affection, she
is forced to shave her head and give away her be loved saris and bangles. Leela is considered
unlucky now, and will have to stay confined to her house for a year" keep corner" in preparation for a
life of mourning for a boy she barely knew. When her schoolteacher hears of her fate, she offers to
give Leela lessons at home. For the first time, despite her confinement, Leela begins to open her
eyes to the changing world around her. India is suffering from a severe drought, and farmers are
unable to pay taxes to the British. She learns about a new leader of the people, a man named
Gandhi, who starts a political movement and practices satyagraha"non-violent protest against the
colonists aswell as the caste system. The quiet strength of satyagrahamay liberate her country. Could
it be that she can use the same path to liberate herself?
YA FIC SMI
Smith, Sherri
Hot Sour Salty Sweet
Ana Shen has what her social studies teacher calls a “marvelously biracial, multicultural family” but
what Ana simply calls a Chinese American father and an African American mother. And on eighthgrade graduation day, that’s a recipe for disaster. Both sets of grandparents are in town to celebrate,
and Ana’s best friend has convinced her to invite Jamie Tabata–the cutest boy in school–for a homecooked meal. Now Ana and her family have four hours to prepare their favorite dishes for dinner, and
Grandma White and Nai Nai can’t agree on anything. Ana is tired of feeling caught between her
grandparents and wishes she knew whose side she was supposed to be on.
Tween & YA FIC SNO
Snow, Maya
Sisters of the Sword
Kimi dreams of being a great samurai warrior, but she and her sister, Hana, are young ladies of
feudal Japan, daughters of the Jito of the province. Her future seems clear: Girls do not become
samurai. Then, betrayal shatters the sisters' world. Their power-hungry uncle murders their father,
and their mother and little brother mysteriously disappear. Determined to seek revenge and restore
their honor, they disguise themselves as boys to train at a school for samurai. Kimi and Hana are
thrown headlong into a life of warrior codes, sharp swords, and shadowy figures—as they work with
fierce determination to avenge the brutal wrongs done to their family. In a flash, life has swept them
into a terrible adventure, more heart-pounding than Kimi and Hana ever could have imagined . . . and
once it has been set in motion, nothing will ever be the same.
Tween FIC SNO
Snow, Maya
Chasing the Secret (Sisters of the Sword v 2)
Kimi and her sister, Hana, disguised themselves as boys to learn the ways of the samurai—and to
prepare themselves to take revenge on the uncle who murdered their father and older brothers. After
receiving word that their mother and younger brother are alive and in hiding, the sisters set off on a
treacherous journey to find them. But giving up is not an option—if they fail, they will lose the last of
their family forever.
YA FIC SNO
Snow, Maya
Journey Through Fire
(Sisters of the Sword v 3)
Sometimes a samurai's most dangerous opponent is herself.
Ever since their father's murder, Kimi and Hana have honed their fighting skills and prepared for
vengeance against their vicious uncle Hidehira. They have become true warriors with the hearts of
samurai. Now their fight has become more than just a personal vendetta. As Hidehira's quest for
power continues, he is destroying the province and is poised to invade the rest of the kingdom. After
both girls are nearly killed in a fire while fighting their uncle's soldiers, their mother insists on
attempting to enlist the support of the Shogun. But at the Shogun's court, the sisters are torn apart by
their differences, especially when they rediscover an old friend with a shrouded past. Danger lurks in
the most elegant circumstances behind the smiling face of an aristocrat as well as behind the mask of
a ninja and true peril awaits the sisters where they least expect it. . .
17
YA FIC SON
Sonnenblick, Jordan
Zen and the Art of Faking It
When eighth-grader San Lee moves to a new town and a new school for the umpteenth time, he
doesn't try to make new friends or be a loner or play cool. Instead he sits back and devises a plan to
be totally different. When he accidentally answers too many questions in World History on Zen (only
because he just had Ancient Religions two schools ago) all heads turn and San has his answer: he's
a Zen Master. And just when he thinks everyone (including the cute girl he can't stop thinking about)
is on to him, everyone believes him . . . in a major Zen way.
YA FIC STA
Staples, Suzanne Fisher
Haveli
Having relented to the ways of her people in Pakistan and married the rich older man to whom she
was pledged against her will, Shabanu is now the victim of his family's blood feud and the malice of
his other wives.
YA FIC STA
Staples, Suzanne Fisher
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind
When eleven-year old Shabanu, the daughter of a nomad in the Cholistan Desert of present-day
Pakistan, is pledged in marriage to an older man whose money will bring prestige to the family, she
must either accept the decision, as is the custom, or risk the consequences of defying her father's
wishes.
Tween & YA SF STO
Stone, Jeff
Monkey (Five Ancestors bk 1)
At 11-years-old, Malao is the youngest of the Five Ancestors. Master of the monkey fighting style,
he's curious and quick, fast and fun-loving. But now, with the destruction of the temple and the deaths
of his older brothers and Grandmaster, Malao the fun-loving monkey is forced to face things he'd
rather not. As he grapples with these new and unwelcome feelings, Malao has an encounter with a
dangerous band of bandits, is adopted by a troop of monkeys commanded by a one-eyed albino, and
hears tantalizing rumors of a mysterious recluse called the Monkey King, who is said to act, and look,
a lot like him. . . .
Tween & YA SF STO
Stone, Jeff
Snake (Five Ancestors bk 2)
Twelve-year-old Seh is a snake-style master and a keeper of secrets. Close-lipped and ever-watchful,
he has used his highly attuned senses to collect information about his brothers, his temple, and even
Grandmaster. Now, with the temple and Grandmaster gone, Seh sheds his orange robe like an old
skin, joins a bandit gang, and meets a mysterious woman whose name means Cobra--all the while
trying to stay one step ahead of vengeful Ying!
Tween & YA SF STO
Stone, Jeff
Tiger (Five Ancestors bk 3)
Twelve-year-old Fu and his temple brothers Malao, Seh, Hok, and Long don't know who their parents
were. Raised from infancy by their grandmaster, they think of their temple as their home and their
fellow warrior monks as their family. Then one terrible night, the temple is destroyed by an army led
by a former monk named Ying, whose heart is bent on revenge. Fu and his brothers are the only
survivors. Charged by their grandmaster to uncover the secrets of their past, the five flee into the
countryside and go their separate ways. Somehow, Grandmaster has promised, their pasts are
connected to Ying's. Understanding that the past is the key to shaping the future, the first book in the
series follows Fu as he struggles to find out more and prove himself in the process. Fu's name literally
means "tiger," for he is the youngest-ever master of the fierce fighting style modeled after that animal.
Tween & YA SF STO
Stone, Jeff
Crane (Five Ancestors bk 4 )
Hok, a crane-style Kung Fu master, is also a master at hiding. For the past 12 years, she has hidden
the fact that she is a girl. Now her rogue brother, Ying, and his army have placed a huge price on her
head. Fortunately, she manages to make it to Keifeng where she finds her mother and a "round-eye"
with the very funny name of Charles. Together Hok and Charles start to make some sense of the
magnitude of Ying's plans.
18
Tween & YA SF STO
Stone, Jeff
Eagle (Five Ancestors, bk 5)
For year, Ying hated his grandmaster for denying him the opportunity to train as a Dragon, and held a
deep resentment for his five younger brothers–grandmaster’s favorites. He took his revenge and
burnt the Cangzhen temple to the ground, but the five youngsters survived and continue to be a thorn
in his side. Yet, when betrayed by the emperor and imprisoned, it was his younger sister, Hok, who
rescued him. Now Ying begins to realize that Tonglong has been manipulating him for a long time.
Ying needs to figure out who are his friends and who are his enemies . . .and he needs to figure it out
fast!
Tween & YA SF STO
6)
Stone, Jeff
Mouse (Five Ancestors, bk
Little street urchin ShaoSu has always wanted to belong. His small size makes him an easy target for
bullies and baddies and this little “mouse” always needs a place to hide. When he is befriended by
Hok and Ying, he thinks he has found a new family, and eagerly tags along as they continue on their
travels. What he doesn’t know is that his new friends are the most wanted criminals in China, and
their adventures will land him in the middle of a battle not only for their lives, but for the future of
China itself.
Tween & YA SF STO
Stone, Jeff
Dragon (Five Ancestors, bk 7)
Long, the dragon-style warrior, saw his temple burned, his brothers killed, and his novice siblings
fleeing to the four winds. But that was many months ago. Now the five young warriors have reunited
with Ying, the redeemed renegade who put all of these events in motion, and ShaoShu, the mousy
street thief, to prevent the wily mantis Tonglong from taking over China. Time is short and distances
are great, and the future of China lies in the hands of five young monks.
YA FIC STR Stratton, Allan Borderline
Printz Honor–winner Stratton (Chanda's Secrets) explores the genesis of and fallout from racial and
religious discrimination in this thriller about a Muslim boy's life, which is turned on its head when his
father is accused of collaborating with Islamic terrorists in a plot to contaminate the water supplies in
New York City and Toronto. But 15-year-old Mohammed “Sami” Sabiri has more to worry about than
the resulting media circus and his father's incarceration. How can he avoid being bullied at school?
How will his mother support the family after being fired? And are the allegations about his father true
or are they the result of a scared community and a government embracing prejudice at its worst?
When Sami goes undercover to verify his father's innocence, the story reaches a fist-clenching
pinnacle before a conclusion that should defy readers' expectations.
YA FIC TAN
Tanaka, Shelley
Nobody Knows
It’s autumn in Tokyo, and twelve-year-old Akira and his younger siblings, Kyoko, Shige and little Yuki,
have just moved into a new apartment with their mother. Akira hopes it’s a new start for all of them,
even though the little ones are not allowed to leave the apartment or make any noise, since the
landlord doesn’t permit young children in the building. But their mother soon begins to spend more
and more time away from the apartment, and then one morning Akira finds an envelope of money
and a note. She has gone away with her new boyfriend for a while.
Akira bravely shoulders the responsibility for the family. He shops and cooks and pays the bills, while
Kyoko does the laundry. The children spend their time watching TV, drawing and playing games,
wishing they could go to school and have friends like everyone else. Then one morning their mother
breezes in with gifts for everyone, but she is soon gone again. Months pass, until one spring day
Akira decides they have been prisoners in the apartment long enough. For a brief time the children
bask in their freedom. They shop, explore, plant a little balcony garden, have the playground to
themselves. Even when the bank account is empty and the utilities are turned off and the children
become increasingly ill-kempt, it seems that they have been hiding for nothing. In the bustling big city,
nobody notices them. It’s as if nobody knows. But by August the city is sweltering, and the children
are too malnourished and exhausted even to go out. Akira is afraid to contact child welfare,
remembering the last time the authorities intervened, and the family was split up. Eventually even he
can’t hold it together any more, and then one day tragedy strikes…
19
YA FIC THO
Thompson, Holly
Orchards
After a classmate commits suicide, Kana Goldberg—a half-Japanese, half-Jewish American—
wonders who is responsible. She and her cliquey friends said some thoughtless things to the girl.
Hoping that Kana will reflect on her behavior, her parents pack her off to her mother's ancestral home
in Japan for the summer. There Kana spends hours under the hot sun tending to her
family's mikan orange groves. Kana's mixed heritage makes it hard to fit in at first, especially under
the critical eye of her traditional grandmother, who has never accepted Kana's father. But as the
summer unfolds, Kana gets to know her relatives, Japan, and village culture, and she begins to
process the pain and guilt she feels about the tragedy back home. Then news about a friend sends
her world spinning out of orbit all over again.
YA FIC TOM
Tomlinson, Heather
Toads & Diamonds
Diribani has come to the village well to get water for her family's scant meal of curry and rice. She
never expected to meet a goddess there. Yet she is granted a remarkable gift: Flowers and precious
jewels drop from her lips whenever she speaks. It seems only right to Tana that the goddess judged
her kind, lovely stepsister worthy of such riches. And when she encounters the goddess, she is not
surprised to find herself speaking snakes and toads as a reward. Blessings and curses are never so
clear as they might seem, however. Diribani’s newfound wealth brings her a prince—and an attempt
on her life. Tana is chased out of the village because the province's governor fears snakes, yet
thousands are dying of a plague spread by rats. As the sisters' fates hang in the balance, each
struggles to understand her gift. Will it bring her wisdom, good fortune, love . . . or death?
YA SF TUN
Tunnell, Michael
Wishing Moon
Aminah is literally knocked over by Aladdin's lamp, and she has the moon-shaped scar on her
forehead to prove it. Once she discovers the power that she now possesses, she bickers with her
jinni (who is no Barbara Eden) and comes to the conclusion that she wants to use the three wishes
given to her per moon cycle to help people. First she takes care of her monetary needs, and then she
enlists the jinni's help in finding people who need her help. After assisting a tailor with his business,
she sets her wishing abilities on a baker who feeds the poor with his bread, leaving virtually nothing to
sell to make money. Soon Aminah has fallen in love with the baker, which causes her trouble with the
people with whom she shares a house—people she has come to know as her family—and with her
rather obstinate jinni. What will happen when the spoiled princess who threw the old lamp at Aminah
finds her and takes the lamp back? Will all of Aminah's good deeds evaporate?
YA SF UEH
Uehashi, Nahoko
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit
Balsa was a wanderer and warrior for hire. Then she rescued a boy flung into a raging river -- and at
that moment, her destiny changed. Now Balsa must protect the boy -- the Prince Chagum -- on his
quest to deliver the great egg of the water spirit to its source in the sea. As they travel across the land
of Yogo and discover the truth about the spirit, they find themselves hunted by two deadly enemies:
the egg-eating monster Rarunga . . . and the prince's own father.
YA SF UEH Uehashi, Nahoko
(Moribito series v 2)
Guardian of the Darkness
Balsa returns to her native Kanbal to clear the name of Jiguro, her dear mentor, who saved her life
when she was six years old. But what should be a visit of truth and reconciliation becomes a fight for
her life when she learns that Jiguro had been a member of King Rogsam's personal bodyguard. After
Jiguro fled Kanbal with her, Rogsam sent the other bodyguards after them one by one--Jiguro's best
friends, whom he had to kill to protect Balsa. Now, with the help of two Kanbalese children, Balsa
must unwind the conspiracy surrounding Jiguro and the mystery of the Guardians of the Dark.
20
YA FIC VEN
Venkatraman, Padma
Climbing the Stairs
During World War II and the last days of British occupation in India, fifteen-year-old Vidya dreams of
attending college. But when her forward-thinking father is beaten senseless by the British police, she
is forced to live with her grandfather's large traditional family, where the women live apart from the
men and are meant to be married off as soon as possible. Vidya's only refuge becomes her
grandfather's upstairs library, which is forbidden to women. There she meets Raman, a young man
also living in the house who relishes her intellectual curiosity. But when Vidya's brother makes a
choice the family cannot condone, and when Raman seems to want more than friendship, Vidkya
must question all she has believed in.
Tween& YA FIC WAT
Grove
Watkins, Yoko Kawashima So Far From the Bamboo
In the final days of World War II, Koreans were determined to take back control of their country from
the Japanese and end the suffering caused by the Japanese occupation. As an eleven-year-old girl
living with her Japanese family in northern Korea, Yoko is suddenly fleeing for her life with her mother
and older sister, Ko, trying to escape to Japan, a country Yoko hardly knows.
Their journey is terrifying—and remarkable. It's a true story of courage and survival that highlights the
plight of individual people in wartime. In the midst of suffering, acts of kindness, as exemplified by a
family of Koreans who risk their own lives to help Yoko's brother, are inspiring reminders of the
strength and resilience of the human spirit.
Tween & YA FIC WHE
Whelan, Gloria
Homeless Bird
When thirteen-year-old Koly enters into an ill-fated arranged marriage, she must either suffer a
destiny dictated by India's tradition or find the courage to oppose it.
Tween & YA FIC WHI
Whitesel, Cheryl Aylward
Blue Fingers
An adventure set in 16th-century Japan. Because twins are believed to be bad luck, Kojiro and Taro's
parents have always tried to conceal the fact that they have two sons, not one. After Taro saves the
life of a master dye maker, the man wants to reward his rescuer with an apprenticeship. The boys'
parents send Koji instead, hoping the dyer will not notice the difference, but the artisan soon grows
impatient with Koji's clumsy ways and sends him home. Shamed, Koji runs away and is captured in
the forest by people who call themselves "grass," but who are, as he soon realizes, ninja-a
mysterious group with impressive skills who have set themselves up against the ruling samurai.
Under the demanding tutorial of his captor, a boy only slightly older, and other instructors, Koji grows
beyond his fears and self-pity, develops a more accurate vision of himself and his society as well as a
strong body, and finally becomes the ninja Blue Fingers.
YA FIC YAN
Yang, Dor Jones
Daughter of Xanadu
Athletic and strong willed, Princess Emmajin's determined to do what no woman has done before:
become a warrior in the army of her grandfather, the Great Khan Khubilai. In the Mongol world the
only way to achieve respect is to show bravery and win glory on the battlefield. The last thing she
wants is the distraction of the foreigner Marco Polo, who challenges her beliefs in the gardens of
Xanadu. Marco has no skills in the "manly arts" of the Mongols: horse racing, archery, and wrestling.
Still, he charms the Khan with his wit and story-telling. Emmajin sees a different Marco as they travel
across 13th-century China, hunting 'dragons' and fighting elephant-back warriors. Now she faces a
different battle as she struggles with her attraction towards Marco and her incredible goal of winning
fame as a soldier.
Tween & YA FIC YEE
Yee, Lisa
Millicent Min, Girl Genius
Millicent Kwan is having a bad summer. Her fellow high school students hate her for setting the curve.
Her fellow 11-year-olds hate her for going to high school. And her mother has arranged for her to
tutor Stanford Wong, the poster boy for Chinese geekdom. But then Millie meets Emily. Emily doesn't
know Millicent's IQ score. She actually thinks Millie is cool. And if Millie can hide her awards, ignore
her grandmother's advice, swear her parents to silence, blackmail Stanford, and keep all her lies
straight, she just might make her first friend. What's it going to take? Sheer genius.
21
Tween & YA FIC YEE
Yee, Lisa
Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time
Stanford Wong is having a bad summer. He flunks English and will have to trade basketball camp for
summer school. Even worse, his mother has hired the world's biggest nerdball and most annoying
genius Millicent Min to tutor him.
YA FIC YEP
Yep, Laurence
Mountain Light
Swept up in one of the local rebellions against the Manchus in China, nineteen-year-old Squeaky
travels to America to seek his fortune among the gold fields of California.
YA FIC YEP
Yep, Laurence
The Serpent’s Children
In nineteenth-century China, a young girl struggles to protect her family from the threat of bandits,
famine, and an ideological conflict between her father and brother.
Tween & YA FIC YEP
Yep, Laurence Dragons of Silk
The Weaving Maid wove robes of silk for Heaven, but when she met the Cowboy, she abandoned her
loom to be with him. But Heaven would not allow this, and put the Milky Way in between them. Silk
binds the lives of four girls from different generations with the fate of the Weaving Maid. Across a
span of seventy-five years both in China and America, each girl shows the strength and courage of a
dragon as she fights and sacrifices for the survival of her family and the pursuit of passion.
Tween & YA FIC YEP
Yep, Laurence
Dragonwings
The story begins as eight-year-old Moon Shadow Lee journeys across the Pacific to join his proud
and clever father at the family-owned laundry in San Francisco. The boy recounts their problems with
prejudice, as well as the kindness of uncles and cousins. Father and son must leave the protection of
the family to move out of Chinatown, but they find refuge with a generous and friendly landlady. Once
they have successfully established a repair business, they turn their attention to making a flying
machine. Though it's a modern invention, part of their motivation is the elder's belief in his own
previous dragon existence.
YA FIC YOO
Yoo, Paula
Good Enough
How to make your Korean parents happy:
1. Get a perfect score on the SATs.
2. Get into HarvardYalePrinceton.
3. Don't talk to boys.*
Patti's parents expect nothing less than the best from their Korean-American daughter. Everything
she does affects her chances of getting into an Ivy League school. So winning assistant
concertmaster in her All-State violin competition and earning less than 2300 on her SATs is simply
not good enough.
But Patti's discovering that there's more to life than the Ivy League. To start with, there's Cute
Trumpet Guy. He's funny, he's talented, and he looks exactly like the lead singer of Patti's favorite
band. Then, of course, there's her love of the violin. Not to mention cool rock concerts. And anyway,
what if Patti doesn't want to go to HarvardYalePrinceton after all?
22