Children's books by or about Asian Americans: Middle school
This guide lists children's books and young adult literature in Cubberley Education Library by or about Asian Americans.
Middle school
Days of infamy: how a century of bigotry led to Japanese American internment by Lawrence Goldstone
Publication Date: 2022Ages 12 and up; Gr.7-9.
In another unrelenting look at the iniquities of the American justice system, Lawrence Goldstone examines the history of racism against Japanese Americans, exploring the territory of citizenship and touching on fears of non-white immigration to the US -- with hauntingly contemporary echoes.The dragon's promise by Elizabeth Lim
Publication Date: 2022Ages 12 and up; Gr.7 and up.
Princess Shiori made a deathbed promise to return the dragon's pearl to its rightful owner, but keeping that promise is more dangerous than she ever imagined. She must journey to the kingdom of dragons, navigate political intrigue among humans and dragons alike, fend off thieves who covet the pearl for themselves and will go to any lengths to get it, all while cultivating the appearance of a perfect princess to dissuade those who would see her burned at the stake for the magic that runs in her blood.The last fallen moon by Graci Kim
Publication Date: 2022Ages 10-14; grades 7-9.
Riley Oh ventures into the Spiritrealm, where she hopes to convince Saint Heo Jun to become the new patron god of the Gom clan and restore their healing powers.Messy roots: a graphic memoir of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao
Publication Date: 2022Ages 14 and up; Gr.7 and up.
After spending her early years in Wuhan, China, riding water buffalos and devouring stinky tofu, Laura immigrates to Texas, where her hometown is as foreign as Mars--at least until 2020, when COVID-19 makes Wuhan a household name. In Messy Roots, Laura illustrates her coming-of-age as the girl who simply wants to make the basketball team, escape Chinese school, and figure out why girls make her heart flutter.
2021
Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh
Publication Date: 2021Ages 8-12, Gr.5-8.
When Junie Kim is faced with middle school racism, she learns of her grandparents' extraordinary strength and finds her voice. Inspired by her mother's real-life experiences during the Korean War, Oh's characters are real and riveting.The legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor
Publication Date: 2021Ages 10 and up; Gr.5-9.
Aware of the racial tumult in the years after the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Mei tries to remain blissfully focused on her job, her close friendship with the camp foreman's daughter, and telling stories about Paul Bunyan--reinvented as Po Pan Yin (Auntie Po), an elderly Chinese matriarch.Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee
Publication Date: 2021Lexile measure HL760L; Ages 12-17; Gr.6 and up.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl comes the richly imagined story of Valora and Jamie Luck, twin British-Chinese acrobats traveling aboard the Titanic on its ill-fated maiden voyage.A phở love story by Loan Le
Publication Date: 2021Lexile measure HL710L; Ages 12 and up; Gr.7 and up.
When Dimple Met Rishi meets Ugly Delicious in this funny, smart romantic comedy, in which two Vietnamese American teens fall in love and must navigate their newfound relationship amid their families' age-old feud about their competing, neighboring restaurants.Six crimson cranes by Elizabeth Lim
Publication Date: 2021Ages 12 and up; Gr.7 and up.
A princess in exile, a shapeshifting dragon, six enchanted cranes, and an unspeakable curse... Drawing from fairy tales and East Asian folklore, this original fantasy from the author of Spin the Dawn is perfect for fans of Shadow and Bone.
2020
I'll be the one by Lyla Lee
Publication Date: 2020Ages 13-17; Gr.7-10.
Skye Shin has heard it all. Fat girls shouldn't dance. Wear bright colors. Shouldn't call attention to themselves. But Skye dreams of joining the glittering world of K-Pop, and to do that, she's about to break all the rules that society, the media, and even her own mother, have set for girls like her. She'll challenge thousands of other performers in an internationally televised competition looking for the next K-pop star, and she'll do it better than anyone else. When Skye nails her audition, she's immediately swept into a whirlwind of countless practices, shocking performances, and the drama that comes with reality TV.The magic fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Publication Date: 2020Ages 12 and up; Gr.7 and up
It's hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tié̂n, he doesn't even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he's going through? Is there a way to tell them he's gay?So this is love: a twisted tale by Elizabeth Lim
Publication Date: 2020Ages 12 and up; Gr.7 and up.
Unable to prove that she's the missing princess, and unable to bear life under Lady Tremaine any longer, Cinderella attempts a fresh start, looking for work at the palace as a seamstress. But when the Grand Duke appoints her to serve under the king's visiting sister, Cinderella becomes witness to a grand conspiracy to take the king--and the prince--out of power, as well as a longstanding prejudice against fairies, including Cinderella's own Fairy Godmother.
2018-2019
Lalani of the distant sea by Erin Entrada Kelly
Publication Date: 2019Lexile measure 600; Ages 8-12; Gr.5-8.
Erin Entrada Kelly's debut fantasy novel is a gorgeous, literary adventure about bravery, friendship, self-reliance, and the choice between accepting fate or forging your own path. When Lalani Sarita's mother falls ill with an incurable disease, Lalani embarks on a dangerous journey across the sea in the hope of safeguarding her own future.A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata; Julia Kuo (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3561 .A3615 P43 2019Lexile measure 690; Ages 10 and up; Gr.5 and up.
A Japanese-American family, reeling from their ill treatment in the Japanese internment camps, gives up their American citizenship to move back to Hiroshima, unaware of the devastation wreaked by the atomic bomb in this piercing look at the aftermath of World War II by Newbery Medalist Cynthia Kadohata.The Serpent's Secret by Sayantani Dasgupta
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3604 .A823 S47 2018Lexile measure 730; Ages 9-13; gr.5-7.
On the morning of her twelfth birthday, Kiranmala is just a regular sixth grader living in Parsippany, New Jersey . . . until her parents mysteriously vanish and a drooling rakkhosh demon slams through her kitchen, determined to eat her alive. Turns out there might be some truth to her parents' fantastical stories-like how Kiranmala is a real Indian princess and how she comes from a secret place not of this world.
2017
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3608 .A6967 A49 2017Gr.7 and up.
Lara Jean is having the best senior year a girl could ever hope for. She is head over heels in love with her boyfriend, Peter; her dad's finally getting remarried to their next door neighbor, Ms. Rothschild; and Margot's coming home for the summer just in time for the wedding. But change is looming on the horizon. And while Lara Jean is having fun and keeping busy helping plan her father's wedding, she can't ignore the big life decisions she has to make. Most pressingly, where she wants to go to college and what that means for her relationship with Peter.The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F. C. Yee
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3625 .E238 E65 2017Lexile measure 720; Ages 12 and up; Gr.7 and up.
She annihilates standardized tests and the bad guys. Genie Lo is one among droves of Ivy-hopeful overachievers in her sleepy Bay Area suburb. You know, the type who wins. When she's not crushing it at volleyball or hitting the books, Genie is typically working on how to crack the elusive Harvard entry code. But when her hometown comes under siege from Hellspawn straight out of Chinese folklore, her priorities are dramatically rearranged.I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3607 .O56267 I23 2017Lexile measure HL690L; Ages 12 and up; Gr.7 and up.
Desi Lee knows how carburetors work. She learned CPR at the age of five. As a high school senior, she has never missed a day of school and has never had a B in her entire life. She's for sure going to Stanford. But-- she's a disaster in romance, and her botched attempts at flirting have become legendary with her friends.The Speaker by Traci Chee
Call Number: ducation Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3603 .H443 S64 2017Lexile measure HL750L; Ages 12 and up; Gr.7 and up.
Having barely escaped the clutches of the Guard, Sefia and Archer are back on the run, slipping into the safety of the forest to tend to their wounds and plan their next move. Haunted by painful memories, Archer struggles to overcome the trauma of his past with the impressors, whose cruelty plagues him whenever he closes his eyes.The Truth about Twinkie Pie by Kat Yeh
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3625 .E392 T78 2017Gr.6 and up; Guided reading Z.
When twelve-year-old GiGi and her big sister DiDi move to Long Island from South Carolina for GiGi to attend a fancy new private school, GiGi has a new recipe for success and makes new friends, but then discovers a family secret that turns her life upside-down.When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3613 .E4926 W54 2017Lexile measure HL700L; Ages 14 and up; Gr.7 and up.
Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she's more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma's inexplicable obsession with her finding the "Ideal Indian Husband." Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn't have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers...right? Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him--wherein he'll have to woo her--he's totally on board.
2016
Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly; Betsy Peterschmidt (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3611 .E447 B53 2016Lexile measure 660; Reading level 3.8; Gr.5-8.
In this acclaimed novel by Newbery Medalist Erin Entrada Kelly, twelve-year-old Apple grapples with being different; with friends and backstabbers; and with following her dreams.Not Your Sidekick by C. B. Lee
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3612 .E2233 N68 2016Gr.5-8.
Welcome to Andover, where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship -- only it turns out to be for the towns most heinous supervillain.Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3612 .E34854 O94 2016Lexile measure HL780L; Ages 12-18; Gr.7 and up.
San Francisco, 1906: Fifteen-year-old Mercy Wong is determined to break from the poverty of Chinatown, and an education at St. Clare's School for Girls is her best hope. Although St. Clare's is off-limits to all but the wealthiest white girls, Mercy gains admittance through a mix of cunning and a little bribery, only to discover that getting in was the easiest part. Not to be undone by a bunch of spoiled heiresses, Mercy stands strong--until disaster strikes. On April 18, a historic earthquake rocks San Francisco, destroying Mercy's home and school.Uprooted: the Japanese American experience during World War II by Albert Marrin
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » D769.8 .A6 M329 2016Lexile measure 1050; Ages 12 and up; Gr.7 and up.
Just seventy-five years ago, the American government did something that most would consider unthinkable today- it rounded up over 100,000 of its own citizens based on nothing more than their ancestry and, suspicious of their loyalty, kept them in concentration camps for the better part of four years. How could this have happened? Uprooted takes a close look at the history of racism in America and carefully follows the treacherous path that led one of our nation's most beloved presidents to make this decision.
2010-2015
Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3608 .I4666 F85 2015Lexile measure 790; Ages 11-15.
This novel-in-verse about fitting in and standing up for what's right It's 1969, and the Apollo 11 mission is getting ready to go to the moon. But for half-black, half-Japanese Mimi, moving to a predominantly white Vermont town is enough to make her feel alien.Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lai
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3612 .A465 L57 2015Lexile measure 800; Reading level 5.3; Ages 8-12; Gr.5-7; Guided reading X.
A California girl born and raised, Mai can't wait to spend her vacation at the beach. Instead, though, she has to travel to Vietnam with her grandmother, who is going back to find out what really happened to her husband during the Vietnam War. Mai's parents think this trip will be a great opportunity for their out-of-touch daughter to learn more about her culture. But to Mai, those are their roots, not her own. Vietnam is hot, smelly, and the last place she wants to be.Alvin Ho : allergic to the Great Wall, the Forbidden Palace, and other tourist attractions by Lenore Look; LeUyen Pham (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3562 .O55 A63 2014Lexile measure 560; Ages 6-9; Gr.2-4.
Alvin, an Asian American second grader who's afraid of everything, is taking his fears to a whole new level-or should we say, continent. On a trip to introduce brand-new baby Ho to relatives in China, Alvin's anxiety is at fever pitch.Angel Island: gateway to Gold Mountain by Russell Freedman
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » F868 .S156 F74 2013Gr. 7-12.
Angel Island, off the coast of California, was the port of entry for Asian immigrants to the United States between 1892 and 1940. Following the passage of legislation requiring the screening of immigrants, "the other Ellis Island" processed around one million people from Japan, China, and Korea.Imprisoned: the betrayal of Japanese Americans during World War II by Martin W. Sandler
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » D769.8 .A6 S26 2013Ages 11-15, gr. 5-9.
While Americans fought for freedom and democracy abroad, fear and suspicion towards Japanese Americans swept the country after Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Culling information from extensive, previously unpublished interviews and oral histories with Japanese American survivors of internment camps, Martin W. Sandler gives an in-depth account of their lives before, during their imprisonment, and after their release.Drawing from Memory by Allen Say (Illustrator)
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » NC975.5 .S39 A2 2011Awards: Sibert Honor Book, 2012; Ages 10-15; Autobiography, gr. 5-8.
Caldecott Medalist Allen Say presents a stunning graphic novel chronicling his journey as an artist during WWII, when he apprenticed under Noro Shinpei, Japan's premier cartoonist.Legend by Marie Lu
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3612 .U2 L44 2011Lexile measure 710; Ages 12 and up; Gr.7-12; Guided reading Z
In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, fifteen-year-old Day--a famous criminal, and prodigy June--the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy.Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3566 .R4158 H43 2010Lexile measure 760; Book level 5.4; Ages 9-14; Gr. 7-12
In 1841, a Japanese fishing vessel sinks. Its crew is forced to swim to a small, unknown island, where they are rescued by a passing American ship. Japan's borders remain closed to all Western nations, so the crew sets off to America, learning English on the way.Manjiro, a fourteen-year-old boy, is curious and eager to learn everything he can about this new culture.
2000-2009
Hiroshima Dreams by Kelly Easton
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3605 .A85 H57 2007Lexile measure 610; ages 11-15; book level 3.6, gr. 7-10
Lin can't explain the knowledge she has of the future, of what people will say or what will happen. It's a gift she shares with Obaasan, her grandmother, who has recently come from Japan to live with Lin's family. But seeing the future is more than knowing whether or not a boy will call. What is Lin to make of the visions she has of a day long ago, when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima?House of the Red Fish by Graham Salisbury
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3569 .A45957 H68 2006Guided Reading Level W; Lexile measure 610; ages 12-15; book level 3.7
1943, Tomi's Papa and Grandpa are still under arrest, and the paradise of Hawaii now lives in fear--waiting for another attack, while trying to recover from Pearl Harbor. As a Japanese American, Tomi and his family have new enemies everywhere, vigilantes who suspect all Japanese.Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3561 .A3615 W44 2006Guided Reading Level U; Lexile measure 750; ages 9-15; book level 4.8
After twelve-year-old Sumiko and her Japanese-American family are relocated from their flower farm in southern California to an internment camp on a Mojave Indian reservation in Arizona, she helps her family and neighbors, becomes friends with a local Indian boy, and tries to hold on to her dream of owning a flower shop.Eyes of the Emperor by Graham Salisbury
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3569 .A45957 E94 2005Guided Reading Level W; Lexile measure 630; Ages 12-18; Grade level 5.8
Eddy Okubo lies about his age and joins the army in his hometown of Honolulu only weeks before the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. Suddenly Americans see him as the enemy.Step from Heaven by An Na
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » PS3614 .A16 S74 2001Ages 12 and up; Gr.8 and up; Michael L. Printz Award Winner, 2002.
When she is five, Young Ju Park and her family move from Korea to California. During the flight, they climb so far into the sky she concludes they are on their way to heaven -- that Heaven is in America! Life in America, however, is far more difficult than the Parks dreamed.Fighting for Honor by Michael L. Cooper
Call Number: Education Library (Cubberley) » Curriculum Collection » D769.8 .A6 C66 2000Guided Reading Level Y; Lexile measure 1040; Ages 9-18; Grade level 7.9.
A stirring account of Japanese Americans in World War II, based mainly on diaries, autobiographies, and the military records of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which was known as the Purple Heart Battalion because of its bravery. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, all people on the West Coast of Japanese heritage, whether resident aliens or citizens, were forced to move into internment camps.
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