Grace Lin's Blog, page 119

bookmania!

Last Saturday, I was at Chicago Public Library's Bookmania event. There was a lot of books and a lot of mania, let me tell you. There was an incredible list of events going on, including meeting character Frog and Toad and a Golden Books Art exhibit. But I didn't get to see any of it because it was so busy where I was situated, at the THANKING THE MOON booth.

Not only was it incredibly busy, it was a lot of fun. My booth had the bunny lantern craft available for all to the kids to do:

which they made beautifully:


There were even glowsticks for everyone, so the lanterns glowed at night!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

book talk tuesday

THE SECRET VOICE OF GINA ZHANG by Dori Jone Yang

From School Library Journal: On Jinna's first day of school in this country, she is nervous and confused. Her parents expect her to learn English quickly, but when she is asked to repeat a word in her ESL class, she finds she cannot speak at all, not even in Chinese. The problem grows worse and worse, until Jinna's inability to talk leads her fifth-grade classmates and teachers to believe she is slow or just trying to get attention. Only at home, while inventing the story of Princess Jade-Blossom, which she acts out with characters made of yarn, can Jinna find the courage to speak English. But this is her own secret world, one that she doesn't want to share with anyone, not even Priscilla, the lonely outcast who gradually becomes her friend. Priscilla helps Jinna find the courage to speak in her own way, to prove that even though she finds it hard to talk, she is learning; and that she, too, is brave, clever, and noble, like the princess in her imagination. Wonderfully crafted, with believable and sympathetic characters, Gina Zhang draws readers into Jinna's world of fear and frustration. Princess Jade-Blossom's adventures in the Land of Far Away are interwoven throughout Jinna's own story, paralleling the challenges she faces in her new life in Seattle. This moving and absorbing novel conveys the terrors of having to adapt to a new school and a new language.

My Thoughts: This is an unusual pick for me. First, it's out-of-print and unable to find on IndieBound (which is why I linked to Amazon). Second, it skews older (I'd say 6th grade level) than the books I usually post about. Third, this is kind of a sad book. I cried and cried when I read this, feeling so bad for Jinna who suffers from selective mutism. But from the parents' seemingly unsympathetic attitude to the Priscilla's selfishness all the characters are so real and human; I feel anyone who reads this will come away with a more open mind and a feeling of needed compassion for immigrant children (and adults) who have come to make a new country their home.

on my desk monday

I finished the case for my Mac air! Isn't it pretty?

It took me a while--a lot longer than it should have. Mostly because I didn't use a sewing machine and did it all by hand (I have a sewing machine but I can't figure out how to work it...)

fortune cookie friday

"Sour, sweet, bitter, pungent, all flavors must be tasted"
-Chinese Proverb

school visit memories

My school visit season has begun and I have been running around madly. It's been lovely to meet all the students and teachers who enjoy my books, though!

I especially love seeing how the students get excited for my visits. From finding trivia on my website:


(the librarian made up a fun, little list of questions students had to answer from my website--so she was teaching them information finding skills as well as more about me!)

to learning about Chinese painting:

One girl even made the map of Minli's journey from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon!


What is really nice is that schools tend to inspire each other. This school in South Windsor read about how another (the school that threw me the red egg party with musical entertainment) had decided to use The Year of the Dog for their "One Book, One School" program (the whole school reads the same book). So, they decided to do the same thing!

Isn't that grand? Thanks so much for the lovely memories!

book talk tuesday

NECKLACE OF RAINDROPS by Joan Aiken

Indie Bound Description: Here are eight gloriously imaginative stories for eight satisfying sessions of bedtime reading. There's a flying apple pie, a cat that's bigger than an elephant, a house that lays an egg, storybook animals that leap out of their books at night, and a wealth of other wonderful characters and ideas, all with the colorful, dreamlike quality of the very best fairy tales. Joan Aiken's delicious prose is a joy to read aloud to very young listeners yet simple enough for the independent reader to savor on his or her own. Kevin Hawkes's illustrations–nearly 60 of them–capture with great flair and fun the magical adventures and the triumph of the good over the bad.

My Thoughts:Charming, fun book! My favorite story is "The Three Travelers" but they are all delightful. This reminds me of the fairy tale books I used to read when I younger, but I think these are better. They are funnier and lighter and more imaginative. The illustrations in this book are great, but I wish there could have been some color illustrations. The stories just seem to call out for lush, colorful images. Well, maybe in my free time someday I will paint some for fun!

on my desk monday

My new Mac Air computer is so new that they don't make cases for it yet! I'm not much of a sewer, but I'm giving a home-made case a shot. Like my decorations? It's going to be an apple in the clouds!

forgot to mention earlier

But I will be at the Chicago Public Library on Saturday, November 20, 2010, as part Bookmania, their free (yay!) celebration of children's books. That's next Saturday--so, please come!

Bookmania
Saturday, November 20, 2010
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
400 S. State Street
Chicago, Illinois

fortune cookie friday

"Don't stand by the water and long for fish; go home and weave a net."
-Chinese Proverb

Best of 2010!

Ling and Ting is named one of Kirkus' best books of the year as well as one of PW Best Children's Books of 2010! And, look, that's my name on the Kirkus cover! YAY!!!