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104th out of 340 books
—
552 voters
The Year of the Dog
by
Grace Lin (Goodreads Author)
It's the Chinese Year of the Dog, and as Pacy celebrates with her family, she finds out that this is the year she is supposed to "find herself." Universal themes of friendship, family, and finding one's passion in life make this novel appealing to readers of all backgrounds. This funny and profound book is a wonderful debut novel by a prolific picture book author and illus...more
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
May 1st 2007
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
(first published December 20th 2005)
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So you know I like to exaggerate, right, friends? And typically make grand statements about nothing in particular, and it’s very hard to tell when I’m serious or not?
The Year of the Dog is the most adorable book I have read this year. Hands down.
True, the year is young! There is still plenty of time for Grace Lin and her fantasticalness to be usurped! But for the moment, this book is winning like the winner it is.
Ms. Lin explains in her author’s note, “Growing up Asian in a mainly Caucasian comm...more
The Year of the Dog is the most adorable book I have read this year. Hands down.
True, the year is young! There is still plenty of time for Grace Lin and her fantasticalness to be usurped! But for the moment, this book is winning like the winner it is.
Ms. Lin explains in her author’s note, “Growing up Asian in a mainly Caucasian comm...more
My nearly 8 year old and I read this book together, every other page. We LOVED it. Pacy, also known as Grace, is a Taiwanese-American. It's not easy to be the only "different" one at school, and during the Year of the Dog, Grace not only finally finds a best friend, but she learns a lot about herself and what she might like to do when she grows up.
I thought this book was so cleverly written - you are enmeshed in their culture, learning about the things they eat, the holidays they celebrate, and...more
I thought this book was so cleverly written - you are enmeshed in their culture, learning about the things they eat, the holidays they celebrate, and...more
If you want to learn about chinese heritage, while reading a fun book, this is the book for you! I reccomend it for 8 years old and up.
This was a very nice read - well written with very intersting tidbits about Chinese culture. This was a heartfelt story about a young Chinese-American girl trying to fit in and trying to find her niche in life during the year of the dog, when you are supposed to find out who you are. I found it a little quiet for my taste (but then, I read gruesome murder mysteries) but it had such a ring of truth that it made me keep reading. I loved the little bits of wisdom the mother imparted from her life e...more
Raymond Liang 12/9/08
902 Writing Arts
Mr. Nourok
Book Review 3rd Draft
The Year of the Dog
Grace Lin
134 Pages
Little, Brown and Company
Time Warner Book Group
ISBN 0-316-06000-3
As every other race celebrate their holiday, the Chinese also celebrate a big holiday, Chinese New Year. The Chinese have each twelve years represented as an animal. Well if you want to learn about how Chinese live their lives, here’s the book for you. The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin goes around the aspect of family, friends...more
902 Writing Arts
Mr. Nourok
Book Review 3rd Draft
The Year of the Dog
Grace Lin
134 Pages
Little, Brown and Company
Time Warner Book Group
ISBN 0-316-06000-3
As every other race celebrate their holiday, the Chinese also celebrate a big holiday, Chinese New Year. The Chinese have each twelve years represented as an animal. Well if you want to learn about how Chinese live their lives, here’s the book for you. The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin goes around the aspect of family, friends...more
As the author states, "Growing up Asian in a mainly Causcasian community was not a miserable and gloomy existence. But it was different. I wrote Year of the Dog, because I felt that it was important to have a book that addressed those differences in a real and upbeat way. I wrote it because it was the book I wished I had had when I was growing up, a book that someone like me in it."
She succeeded! This book is cute yet poignant at the same time. I feel certain a fourth grader could read and enjo...more
She succeeded! This book is cute yet poignant at the same time. I feel certain a fourth grader could read and enjo...more
Aug 08, 2007
Jenny
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
3rd-5th graders
Shelves:
j-humor,
j-realistic
This book follows one year in the life of Pacy - the year of the dog. Pacy is Taiwanese-American and feels that she is different from the other kids around. During the year she makes a friend with a similar background, gets a part in a play, and learns to integrate the two cultures that make her who she is. Bottom line: A great story on many levels - readers not familiar with Taiwanese culture will widen their worlds, while children from all backgrounds will be able to relate to Pacy and her sto...more
Week 15:
Pacy is having a hard time identifying with both American and Chinese culture. Pacy meets (Melody) a new friend at school and together they learn they learn new ways to practice their native culture, but also honor the culture in which they live. Together Pacy and Melody celebrate the Year of the Dog, find their hidden talents, and learn about their heritage.
"The Year of the Dog" is appropriate for ages 8+ (Grades 3+).
Story telling is very important in the Chinese culture, thus is a pr...more
Pacy is having a hard time identifying with both American and Chinese culture. Pacy meets (Melody) a new friend at school and together they learn they learn new ways to practice their native culture, but also honor the culture in which they live. Together Pacy and Melody celebrate the Year of the Dog, find their hidden talents, and learn about their heritage.
"The Year of the Dog" is appropriate for ages 8+ (Grades 3+).
Story telling is very important in the Chinese culture, thus is a pr...more
Childrens chapter book, traditional lit, fiction
I greatly enjoyed this book about Pacy/Grace, a Taiwanese American girl growing up in upstate New York. I found it to be funny, relatable and informative. The book is all about the year of the dog being the time for Pacy to find herself, it is also supposed to be a year of good luck for her. Within the year she meets Melody, another Taiwanese American and they become best friends. Pacy and Melody do everything together, they even have the same boy...more
I greatly enjoyed this book about Pacy/Grace, a Taiwanese American girl growing up in upstate New York. I found it to be funny, relatable and informative. The book is all about the year of the dog being the time for Pacy to find herself, it is also supposed to be a year of good luck for her. Within the year she meets Melody, another Taiwanese American and they become best friends. Pacy and Melody do everything together, they even have the same boy...more
I quite enjoyed this junior book about a Chinese-American girl, Grace Li, living in New York state with her parents and two sisters. She and her sister are the only Asians attending their school till another Asian family moves into the neighborhood. Grace and Melody Ling become fast friends. The author, Grace Li, has the same name as the title of her character. I suspect this is partly auto biographical as the author mentions that this is a book she wished she'd had as a child, meaning a book ab...more
I read this after picking up another one of Grace Lin's books and reading her author bio. I was really interested in reading a book about an Asian girl who was living in a mostly white community, written for a younger audience. Right away I knew that this book wasn't really going to reflect my own experiences, because the main character in this book is NOT adopted and is close to her Chinese family and heritage. But I could definitely relate to the instance when she's grappling with her identity...more
My multicultural book, The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin is about a Chinese American girl who is trying to find herself as the Chinese New Year approaches. She tries out many different roles, and finally finds one that fits her perfectly. The reading level of this book would be between 3rd-5th grade; however, there are small pictures along the side that could aide with comprehension. Though the reading level of this book may fit a 3rd-5th grader, some of the issues addressed in this book may be m...more
Pacy, a Taiwanese-American, takes us through “The Year of the Dog” as she meets new friends, experiences family events, and tries her best to “find herself.” Along the way, Pacy makes a new best friend, Melody, who is a great example of what a best friend should be. Family stories are scattered throughout the chapters just begging for you to share your own. Customs and traditions are shared as are universal themes of family, friendship, and finding your place in life. From trying out for school...more
This was a nice, upbeat little chapter book for children about growing up Chinese-American. The author pointed out that there wasn't a lot of books from that perspective, and she's right -- this book teaches a bit about culture without being too difficult, foreign, or mature to relate to. In fact, Logan picked up this book before I did (I checked it out for myself since I enjoyed Where the Mountain Meets the Moon ... but Logan got to it first and read it in an evening!) He reported that his favo...more
This was a nice little book.
I first read another book by this author, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (I think..... the add book/author thing isn't working! Goodreads...... boo), and I LOVED it, so I've had this book in the back of my brain for a while.
This was the story of Grace and her life as a Chinese Taiwanese American kid. I learned some things about Chinese New Year - luckily they were the same things I taught to my class this year, whew! It was basically just a year in her life and the...more
I first read another book by this author, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (I think..... the add book/author thing isn't working! Goodreads...... boo), and I LOVED it, so I've had this book in the back of my brain for a while.
This was the story of Grace and her life as a Chinese Taiwanese American kid. I learned some things about Chinese New Year - luckily they were the same things I taught to my class this year, whew! It was basically just a year in her life and the...more
The Year of the Dog is told from the perspective of a young Taiwanese-American girl named Pacy Lin. The story follows her through a year of her life, starting with the first day of the Chinese New Year; the Year of the Dog. This year is supposed to be the year for friends and family, but also a good year for finding oneself, something Pacy hopes to do. At school, Pacy goes by her American name of Grace, and is elated when another Taiwanese-American student, Melody, moves to town. Grace then has...more
In The Year of the Dog, Pacy makes a new friend. If you think this friendship theme is overdone, the twist is that before Melody’s family moves into the neighborhood Pacy has been the only Asian girl in school. The day Melody arrives at school, Pacy is lined up in the cafeteria as usual for lunch. The lunch lady initially refuses to serve Pacy because she thinks she’s just served her. That’s when Pacy discovers to her great delight that she’s no longer the only Asian around. If now you’re thinki...more
Published: 2005, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Age: 8-10
Young readers will love this simple and easy to read novel about a Taiwanese-American girl and her life during the Year of the Dog. Grace (Pacy in Taiwanese) hopes to find luck and what her talent in life is before the year ends. The author is very insightful into the mind of young girls. She adds simple little black and white drawings throughout the text that are adorable. Grace and her 2 sisters are the only Taiwanese students in t...more
Age: 8-10
Young readers will love this simple and easy to read novel about a Taiwanese-American girl and her life during the Year of the Dog. Grace (Pacy in Taiwanese) hopes to find luck and what her talent in life is before the year ends. The author is very insightful into the mind of young girls. She adds simple little black and white drawings throughout the text that are adorable. Grace and her 2 sisters are the only Taiwanese students in t...more
I'll admit that I encountered Grace Lin's Year of the... books by accident, while looking for Pippi Longstocking instead--and that it was her title The Year of the Rat that got my attention. That's the second book of the two, so I snagged The Year of the Dog and started reading.
This is a warm, comforting book. The format is something like a child's journal, with a font that resembles handwriting and small, hand-drawn illustrations. The story covers approximately a year in Grace's life--these boo...more
This is a warm, comforting book. The format is something like a child's journal, with a font that resembles handwriting and small, hand-drawn illustrations. The story covers approximately a year in Grace's life--these boo...more
Unlike most girls in her school, Grace Lin has two names. Her American name which is Grace, and her Taiwanese name which is Pacee. This story follows Grace through the year of the dog, which is supposed to be her lucky year. Grace begins to feel lucky when she makes a new friend at school who is also Taiwanese-American. Throughout the story Grace struggles with what she wants to do with her adult life. She ends up winning a young authors award and decides to become an author someday. She dreams...more
Year of the Dog chronicles a year in the life of Grace Lin’s Taiwanese/Chinese American family in upstate New York. Grace, aka Pacy, is in 3rd grade and is supposed to find her best friend and figure out what she wants to be when she grows up in the year of the dog. Grace Lin wrote this book because growing up as a Chinese American she didn’t get to read any books with characters that looked like her. I would have liked hanging out with Pacy and her one Chinese American friend Melody. Ramona Qui...more
Jun 08, 2009
Irene
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Young Chinese-American girls, esp. those with immigrant parents
Shelves:
children
I bought this book for Isabelle, knowing she is too young for it now, but figuring I could read it and then put it on her shelf for when she grows older. As it turns out, I read it aloud to her, and we both enjoyed it.
Of course there were many things in the book that Isabelle couldn't really understand. Bits about having a crush on a boy, or what a science fair is. But the chapters are short, and there are many little drawings throughout, and Isabelle loved looking at the pictures. The entire bo...more
Of course there were many things in the book that Isabelle couldn't really understand. Bits about having a crush on a boy, or what a science fair is. But the chapters are short, and there are many little drawings throughout, and Isabelle loved looking at the pictures. The entire bo...more
The Year of the Dog is a fun fast paced book about a Taiwanese/Chinese- American girl trying to find her identity in the Year of the Dog.
It cleverly discusses issues that many Asian kids confront as they grow up such as: having an Asian name and an American name, fitting in with the culture of your heritage and the American, and so on.
Ms. Lin in an afterword adds that the story is the book she wanted to read when she was younger and I agree. Having a book like this would've been helpful, althou...more
It cleverly discusses issues that many Asian kids confront as they grow up such as: having an Asian name and an American name, fitting in with the culture of your heritage and the American, and so on.
Ms. Lin in an afterword adds that the story is the book she wanted to read when she was younger and I agree. Having a book like this would've been helpful, althou...more
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have two different names, one at school and one at home? Pacy, also known as Grace, knows and sometimes she's not sure she likes it. Pacy is Chinese-American, well actually Taiwanese-American, although Taiwan used to be part of China so she thinks that's pretty confusing. Whichever she is, except for her older sister Lissy, Pacy is the only one at her school - until this year. This year is the Year of the Dog, a time to make new friends, a time to...more
This is a nice read for 3rd or 4th graders about a young girl's experience growing up as one of the only Chinese-Americans in her school. It was a little slow going for me at first, but I really grew to like Pacey. I loved getting a sense of her family life and her friendship with Melody. There are many points where any kid might relate to Pacey's struggles - with the science fair, with a crush on a boy at school. But this story also gives the reader a feeling for Pacey's Chinese-American tradit...more
For the readers who like to read about different cultures you will love to read The Year of the Dog written by Grace Lin. This book is all about Chinese culture, friendships with different people around the world, family who care about each other, and finding someone’s passions. Grace Lin is a great person to relate too, she is all about family, in this book you will be able to notice that the family is always together, “If we had lived in Taiwan, we would be having a big dinner with all of our...more
I'm guessing this book is at least partially a fictionalized autobiography by the author. Known as Pacy at home and Grace at school, the main character is a Taiwanese-American girl working out her cultural connections to both Taiwan and the US. She and her older sister have been the only Taiwanese children at their school, but this changes with the arrival of Melody, another Taiwanese girl Pacy's age who quickly becomes Pacy's best friend. Each family has chosen different American customs to ado...more
May 21, 2012
Elizabeth
added it
this was a good book and obiosly a great companion to the year of tthe rat. when Pacy was having trouble finding her herself, she feels weird from all of the other students because she was the only asian looking girl (i think she's taiwanes) because her sister was going to middle school so she was going to be the only asian looking girl. thats when we discovered that a new girl moved in to her school and looks asian too! after talking to eache other, they became best friends! but when Pacy hears...more
This book written by Grace Lin takes the reader into the life of Pacy, a Chinese grade-school age girl living in New York. Pacy, her two sisters and her parents experience a whole range of misconceptions about the Asian culture, customs and language. The girls are the only Asian-American students in school. One day Pacy learns that a new Asian American girl arrives at their school. The two become friends and together they learn the American culture. Being a good observer, Pacy tries to understan...more
This book had a "first book" feel to me, so when I read that it was indeed Grace Lin's first novel, I wasn't surprised. The story is semi-autobiographical, chronicling Grace's life during the Year of the Dog, from Chinese New Year to Chinese New Year, when she about 9 or 10 years old. The book is mostly episodic, although there is a very weak story arc that Grace is supposed to be "finding" herself during the Year of the Dog. It's a nice exploration of what it means to grow up as a Chinese-Ameri...more
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Apr 26, 2009 07:12pm