Our very first book selection for our Girls Leadership Parent & Daughter Book Club is… drumroll, please…..
The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin!
***Watch the live video chat with Grace Lin. She answered questions from readers, and gave a drawing lesson!***
About the Book
& the Girls Leadership Connection
The Year of the Dog is about a girl named Pacy who lives in upstate New York. Most of her extended family is in Taiwan. Being the only Asian girl in school is tough. Pacy fields confusing questions about her background, and no one else shares her family traditions. Plus, the only book about Chinese people she can find in the school library is a traditional fairy tale, not a story about real people like her.
When Pacy’s family celebrates the Chinese New Year, her mom explains that the Year of the Dog is all about finding a best friend and discovering one’s self. Pacy doesn’t know what her unique talent will be. Will it be acting? Science? Drawing? Pacy works hard, keeps her sense of humor, and stays hopeful that the Year of the Dog will be a lucky one for her.
Pacy strives to stay authentic to her true self. She doesn’t let her disappointments, like losing the science fair, discourage her from trying her hardest. Her resilience and sense of humor make her a leader, and give us at Girls Leadership lots to discuss and learn.
Please buy, borrow, or download a copy of this book and read it before your first book club meeting.
Parents, please be aware of your child’s independent reading level. This book will be above the level of some 2nd and 3rd graders. If that’s the case, you will share this book with your daughter as a read aloud. (Even if your child is able to read it on her own, you might wish to read it together – it’s really fun, and it teaches your child so much about growing ideas while reading.)
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About the Author
Just like Pacy, the author and illustrator Grace Lin grew up in an Asian-American family in upstate New York. The Year of the Dog is based on her real experiences (Pacy was her nickname, too!). Ms. Lin writes in her Author’s Note that she loved books, but never saw anyone like her in their pages. The Year of the Dog, she says, is “the book I wished I had had when I was growing up, a book that had someone like me in it.”
To learn more about Grace Lin, visit her website.
If you enjoy The Year of the Dog, check out the sequel The Year of the Rat. You might also like Ms. Lin’s book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, which won the Newbery Honor in 2010.
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