The Year of the Dog

Lin, Grace. The year of the dog: a novel. New York: Little, Brown, 2006.

Plot Summary: Pacy, or Grace (as her school friends call her) is celebrating Chinese New Year and the Year of the Dog. She finds out from her parents that the Year of the Dog brings good luck in family, friends, wealth, and finding oneself. Grace struggles to find herself throughout the year, but is finally successful after winning a prestigious writing contest. With her win, comes wealth. Although riches are important in her culture, Grace learns that just how lucky she is to have caring friends and family members.

Critical Analysis:

The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin is a funny and honest book about Chinese-American culture, particularly the Chinese New Year. The book is a fictional autobiography based on the author at a young age. Grace’s family consists of her parents and two sisters, all are depicted accurately according the Chinese-American culture. The family members and other Chinese-American characters are not stereotyped, but portrayed in a positive light. The story is set in New York, in modern times.

Throughout the story, Grace is searching for her talents, but finds many obstacles along the way. When things seem to be going well for everyone else, Grace feels unlucky and far from talented. The reader experiences the ups and downs of a school year with Grace, and all will relate to her struggles.

Cultural markers in this story include illustrated examples of Chinese characters, many references to the different years in Chinese culture and their meanings, and bountiful mentions of Chinese cuisine. The markers are accurate and portray the culture well.

This book is an easy read, and would lend itself well to being read aloud. Grace Lin is not only the author, but also the illustrator, and she includes simple but meaningful pen illustrations. The illustrations add meaning and help the reader to understand cultural concepts that may be infamiliar.

Reviews:

Booklist: When Lin was a girl, she loved the Betsy books by Carolyn Hayward, a series about a quintessentially American girl whose days centered around friends and school. But Lin, a child of Taiwanese immigrants, didn't see herself in the pages. Now she has written the book she wished she had as a child. Told in a simple, direct voice, her story follows young Grace through the Year of the Dog, one that Grace hopes will prove lucky for her. And what a year it is! Grace meets a new friend, another Asian girl, and together they enter a science fair, share a crush on the same boy, and enjoy special aspects of their heritage (food!). Grace even wins fourth place in a national book-writing contest and finds her true purpose in life. Lin, who is known for her picture books, dots the text with charming ink drawings, some priceless, such as one picturing Grace dressed as a munchkin. Most of the chapters are bolstered by anecdotes from Grace's parents, which connect Grace (and the reader) to her Taiwanese heritage. Lin does a remarkable job capturing the soul and the spirit of books like those of Hayward or Maud Hart Lovelace, reimagining them through the lens of her own story, and transforming their special qualities into something new for today's young readers.

Kirkus: Being Taiwanese-American is confusing, and being the only Asian kid in your elementary school-except for your older sister-is not always comfortable. Pacy has high hopes for the Year of the Dog, which, she learns, is a year for finding friends and finding yourself. The friend comes first: a new girl, Melody, whose family is also Taiwanese-American. Over the course of the year, Pacy eats at Melody's house, where the food is familiar but also very different, celebrates her cousin's Red Egg day, writes a story for a national contest, visits Chinatown in New York City and wins a prize. Not only does she feel rich, she knows what she wants to do with her life. The Year of the Dog turns out exactly as advertised. Elementary school readers will enjoy the familiar details of school life and the less familiar but deliciously described Chinese holiday meals. Interspersed with the happenings of daily life are her mother's stories of Pacy's grandparents' lives and her own struggles as a new immigrant. Occasional black-and-white drawings by the author enliven the text. This comfortable first-person story will be a treat for Asian-American girls looking to see themselves in their reading, but also for any reader who enjoys stories of friendship and family life.

Children’s Literature: In the age of self-awareness, Grace Lin has written a lighthearted story about Pacey, a young Taiwanese-American girl struggling to find a balance between her “American” life and her Asian roots. This is a fun and simple coming-of-age story for anyone who feels that they do not quite fit in. This book is sprinkled with entertaining small drawings in the margins that younger readers will enjoy. It is, however, infused with mini-lessons and anecdotes that are meant to teach but instead confuse the reader by veering off track in a way that does not quite tie in with the rest of the story. Pacey’s quest to find an identity in the Year of the Dog allows her to explore who she is. This is Grace Lin’s attempt to write a book that she would have loved as a child.

Awards:

Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, 2006-2007 Honorable Mention Text United States

National Parenting Publications Award, 2006 Gold Book Ages 9 & Up United States

Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award, 2009 ; Nominee; Oregon

Bluestem Award, 2011 ; Master List; United States

Cochecho Readers' Award, 2006-2007 ; Nominee; New Hampshire

Grand Canyon Reader Award, 2010 ; Nominee; Intermediate; Arizona

Great Lakes Great Books Award, 2007-2008 ; Nominee; Grades 4-5; Michigan

Iowa Children's Choice Award, 2009-2010 ; Nominee; Iowa

M. Jerry Weiss Book Award, 2009 ; Nominee; Grades 7-12; New Jersey

Massachusetts Children's Book Award, 2008-2009 ; Master List; Massachusetts

Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award, 2009-2010 ; Nominee; Grades 3-5; Minnesota

Nene Award, 2007 ; Book List; Hawaii

Nene Award, 2008 ; Nominee; Hawaii

Nene Award, 2009 ; Nominee; Hawaii

North Carolina Children's Book Award, 2008 ; Nominee; Junior Book; North Carolina

Nutmeg Children's Book Award, 2010 ; Nominee; Intermediate; Connecticut

Sunshine State Young Reader's Award, 2009-2010 ; Nominee; Grades 3-5; Florida

Texas Bluebonnet Award, 2007-2008 ; Master List; Texas

Voice of Youth Award, 2009-2010 ; Nominee; 3rd and 4th Grade; Illinois United States

West Virginia Children's Book Award, 2007-2008 ; Nominee; West Virginia

Young Reader's Choice Award, 2009 ; Nominee; Grades 4-6; Pacific Northwest

Connections: Use this book in a classroom setting as a read-aloud selection. This book can be used in social studies, history, or current events lessons. Use this book as a prompt for a writing assignment and have students write a short chapter about a lesson learned in their own lives.

Check out the following chapter books also about Chinese New Year....

McDonald, Megan, Robert Hunt, and Susan McAliley. Happy New Year, Julie. Middleton, WI: American Girl Pub., 2007.

Yang, Dori Jones. The secret voice of Gina Zhang. Middleton, WI: American Girl, 2000.

Yep, Laurence, and Suling Wang. When the circus came to town. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2002.

Yep, Laurence. The star maker. New York: Harper an Imprint of HarperCollins, 2011.