“Razi, a local fisherboy, is watching turtle eggs hatch when he sees a boat bobbing into view. With a chill, he notices a small, still hand hanging over the side. Inside is Zheng, who’s escaped a shipwreck and is full of tales of sea monsters and missing treasure. But the villains who are after Zheng are soon after Razi and his sister, Shifa, too! And so begins an exhilarating escapade in the shadow of the biggest sea monster of them all”
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
Staking A Claim, The Journal Of Wong Ming-Chung, A Chinese Miner, California, 1852
In 1852, during the height of the California Gold Rush, ten-year-old Wong makes the dangerous trip to America to live with his uncle, exchanging the famine and war of his native country for brutal bullies and grueling labor in America, Wong joins his uncle and countless others in the effort to strike it rich on the great Golden Mountain. Unfortunately, he, and most of the rest of the dreamers, soon discover that there’s no such thing as a Golden Mountain, only dirt, mud, and occasionally tiny flecks of gold dust flecks that are to be turned over to the owners of the mines, in return for barely livable wages. However, someone as clever and resourceful as Wong will have to find other ingenious ways of making money if they’re going to make it in America. But can they overcome the bitter, racist white Americans to find success?
All Four Quarters Of The Moon
Eleven-year-old Peijing and her family are adapting to their new life in Australia, but when cracks in her family life start to appear, she must find a way to cope with the uncertainties of her own little world and figure out where she fits in.
Theo Tan And The Fox Spirit
A twelve-year-old Chinese American boy must learn to embrace his heritage and accept his beloved older brother’s spirit companion–a mystical fox named Kai–to solve the mystery of Jamie’s death.
Li On Angel Island
When nine-year-old Li, her mother, and brother Puck arrive from China at Angel Island immigration center in 1921, Li fears she will be deported for failing the tests. Includes historical notes and glossary.
Seven Golden Rings
In ancient India, a boy named Bhagat travels to the rajah’s city, hoping to ensure his family’s prosperity by winning a place at court as a singer. Includes author’s note about binary numbers.
Trapped In Terror Bay
In 1845, Sir John Franklin’s expedition set sail for the Arctic from England in search of the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Not only did they not succeed, his two ships — HMS Erebus and HMS Terror — and their entire party of 129 men vanished, their fate a mystery that remained unsolved for decades.
Red, White, And Whole
Reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she’s the only Indian American student, and home, with her family’s traditions and holidays. But Reha’s parents don’t understand why she’s conflicted–they only notice when Reha doesn’t meet their strict expectations. Reha feels disconnected from her mother, or Amma, although their names are linked–Reha means “star” and Punam means moon–but they are a universe apart. Then Reha finds out that her Amma is sick. Really sick. Reha, who dreams of becoming a doctor even though she can’t stomach the sight of blood, is determined to make her Amma well again. She’ll be the perfect daughter, if it means saving her Amma’s life.
Love: The Mastiff
A loyal Australian hunting dog finds himself alone in the outback when his master is bitten by a poisonous snake. He must venture across the dangerous outback to find his way home alone.
Serengeti
Award-winning science poetry master Leslie Bulion presents a lyrical salute to Africa’s Serengeti Plain, one of the most spectacular and productive ecosystems on Earth.