(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sophie Diao. In this affirming story, an immigrant parent speaks to a Chinese American child. The parent assures young Mei that while "people [may] tell you that you're different and you can't be one of them," those differences are her own secret power: she carries a "golden flame inside." Mei is the visual center of many of the bright, glowing digital illustrations. She emerges from a lotus flower, rides the back of a traditional Chinese dragon, and, surrounded by family, takes a video call from grandparents far away. At book's end, both author and illustrator share their own experiences as Chinese Americans feeling "in between worlds."

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Derek Desierto. When Juno looks for her own missing shoes, she finds a magical realm where she can wear the shoes of influential women such as Serena Williams, Jane Goodall, Lady Gaga, and Misty Copeland. This lighthearted story provides exuberant glimpses into the style and accomplishments of some famous women. Desierto's bold mixed-media illustrations offer fun and fashion in equal measure. Includes a guide to the women (and their shoes).

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(3) YA High-achieving senior Viola Li finds her life completely upended when she suddenly develops a serious photosensitivity disorder that disrupts her ability to participate in many of the activities she enjoys. Soon everything from college and career ambitions to romantic hopes need to be reevaluated and redefined. Viola's story offers an insightful consideration of learning to live with a chronic condition without succumbing to despair.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) K-3 Translated by Alyson Waters. A tigress, robbed of her cubs, is sent a princeling to assuage her thirst for human blood. The tigress cares for the boy as her own, then releases him back to the kingdom. An ancient-Chinese bronze vessel, which itself is based on a folktale about a boy reared by a tigress, inspired this large-format French-import picture book filled with vivid, intensely hued illustrations.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 With Natalie England. Taiwanese American teen Chen, the 2017 U.S. national figure skating champion, writes about her young career, from her introduction to skating at the age of five through the grueling years of training and competition. Despite some pedestrian prose, the first-person account reflects the determination and serious work ethic that led to her success. An insert of color photos is included. Glos.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) YA Shana is afraid of another failed relationship and of what her father's impending blindness will mean for her family. To ward off their despair, Shana and her parents embark on a Peruvian trek that's spiritually and emotionally inspiring. Chen's Machu Picchu backdrop complements Shana's strenuous journey from a place of fear and heartbreak toward renewed trust.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(4) K-3 During Chinese New Year, a woman and her daughter receive a letter from their family in China. With it comes a gift: a dragon carved by one uncle from a stone found by another uncle strung on a cord by an aunt and sent across the world for their niece. An author's note extends this slim but heartfelt story illustrated with atmospheric watercolors.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) YA Despite having a model's figure and a hottie boyfriend, Terra's large port-wine-stain birthmark and her verbally abusive father cause her constant insecurity. After meeting Jacob, a Chinese American goth guy, everything changes. With their mothers, they travel to China, each returning with a new sense of identity and self-worth. Terra's journey is engaging, but overdone symbolism may distract readers from it.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(3) 4-6 In this vivid, action-packed story, Miu Miu and her betrothed make a valiant but unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the wicked emperor who killed her father. After they escape, thanks in part to their martial arts training and her father's magical sword, Miu Miu decides--satisfyingly--to reject her desire for revenge and look to the future instead.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) YA Syrah, who loves snowboarding and graphic novels, feels alienated from her ultra-rich Chinese American family. Initially readers may balk--justifiably--at her poor-little-rich-girl laments. Eventually, however, with her new understanding of China's Cultural Revolution, the unexpected support of her much older half sister, and the decision to use her clout to help others, Syrah becomes a more sympathetic character.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) 4-6 Hong's illustrated memoir of his youth makes the deprivations of the Cultural Revolution starkly apparent even as it limns a childhood that was universal in many ways. Panel illustrations are rendered with bold, expressive lines. Touches of red in an otherwise somber palette provide energy and dramatic reinforcement of the period's politics, as well as counterpointing the text's matter-of-fact tone.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA Fifteen-year-old Bat-Chen Shahak was killed by a suicide bomber in Tel Aviv. She left behind a diary, poems, and letters about love, death, war, and peace. Bat-Chen also wrote about school, friends, boyfriends, and hopes for the future. Her writing is naive but touching, with hints of maturity that never had a chance to bloom. Photographs and drawings add immediacy.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Peiling is determined to convince her family that celebrating Christmas doesn't mean she'll forget her Taiwanese heritage. While the family struggles with their identity as Asian Americans, Peiling searches for her own place. Peiling is realistic and relatable as a headstrong preteen looking for ways to assert her individuality while trying desperately to fit in.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2007

(3) K-3 Translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick. In this absorbing story set in fifteenth-century China, Little Eagle becomes the disciple of Master Yang, who teaches him eagle boxing, a form of kung fu. After years of rigorous training, they are ready to battle their enemy, a brutal general. The large, dramatic paintings, both landscapes and action scenes, feature an expressive black line and rich hues.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 A featherless chicken longs to fit in with four well plumed brethren. When he inadvertently creates a striking new look, they're suddenly all over him. After a silly accident causes them all to lose their feathers, they realize that having fun trumps vanity. The simple story is enriched by Chen's lively, amusing art full of wonderfully self-important birds.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick. A painter named Han Gan draws a horse that jumps off the page. The creature goes from the canvas to the battlefield until, overcome by sadness, he jumps into a different painting. The elegant illustrations on silk were inspired by the real Han Gan, a classical Chinese artist who lived over twelve hundred years ago and specialized in painting equine scenes.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Raised as a duck since hatching from his egg, Guji Guji, the crocodile, worries about his true identity when three bigger crocodiles demand his help in snaring some ducks for dinner. However, he soon gets his bearings and foils the unpleasant trio. The distinctive art features earthy browns and grays with highlights of brighter colors.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) K-3 Sent to the store to buy eggs, Shau-yu takes a circuitous walk through her neighborhood. Though the narrative in this Taiwanese import is in the third person, the perspective is completely that of a small child. The art--a combination of paper cutting, collage, and line drawing--is spare and clean. Text and illustrations reflect both the richness of a child's inner life and the way children experience the outside world.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2004

(4) YA Luka has been raised by a monk who believes the boy is destined to become the emperor prophesized to rid China of its Mogo invaders. When Luka is falsely imprisoned, an elderly kung fu master teaches him the martial arts and helps him escape. The prose vacillates between rather grand language and off-puttingly modern colloquial speech, but fans of kung fu films should enjoy this action-packed novel that also contains a touch of fantasy.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) YA Because his grandfather was once a landlord, Chen's formerly privileged family were considered outcasts during China's Cultural Revolution. Chen recalls his mistreatment by neighbors and teachers, his gang experiences, and his determination to attend college. This adaptation of his adult work, Colors of the Mountain, has been shortened and toned down--perhaps needlessly--for a younger audience.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta