(1) YA Who was Vincent Chin? The brutal 1982 killing of the young Chinese American in Detroit by two white men occurred during the U.S.-Japan auto trade wars, a time when anti-Asian hate ran high. Outrage over the killers' sentencing--a $3,000 fine and probation--mobilized Asian Americans into protesting. The subsequent 1984 federal civil rights trial sparked reforms in victims' rights and hate-crime reporting. In this extensively researched account--based on news articles (many reproduced here), court records, documentary films, and her own interviews--Yoo skillfully retells the life story of Vincent Chin, an engineering draftsman who was about to get married; his mother, Lily Chin; and everyone else involved, including the killers, witnesses, police, attorneys, judges, family friends, and community members. Yoo reconstructs the night of June 19th when Chin and his friends went to a strip club for his bachelor party and got into a fight with autoworker Ronald Ebens and his stepson, Michael Nitz, ending with Chin's fatal beating outside a McDonald's restaurant. The narrative follows the aftermath, from the federal trial up to the present day, with updates on the lives of Ebens and others. An afterword observes how anti-Asian discrimination and violence in America continue today with COVID-19–related attacks and racial profiling, but Yoo reminds readers of Chin's legacy "to fight back against hate." Back matter includes a detailed timeline, meticulous source notes, and an index (unseen).

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(3) K-3 Dive into Reading series. Illustrated by Shirley Ng-Benitez. Garden finds Lily and friends helping out at the public garden. In Gift, Mei doesn't know what to get her baby brother for his traditional one-hundred days celebration. The small conflicts and friendly city setting, shown in cheery watercolor and digital illustrations, support the easy-reader series' mission to "inspire young readers to imagine a diverse world...in which they can see themselves as the heroes of their own stories." Review covers these Dive into Reading titles: The Garden and The Perfect Gift.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Dive into Reading series. Illustrated by Shirley Ng-Benitez. African American Lily is apprehensive about her family's move to NYC from the suburbs; finding the library and making a fellow book-loving friend help Lily feel at home (New Home). Hispanic American Pablo and new friend Lily play at the park with kids of different ethnicities (Play). Accompanied by average-quality illustrations, the well-intentioned stories offer tensionless slices of life. Review covers these Dive into Reading! titles: Lily's New Home and Want to Play?.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(4) K-3 Dive into Reading series. Illustrated by Shirley Ng-Benitez. African American Lily is apprehensive about her family's move to NYC from the suburbs; finding the library and making a fellow book-loving friend help Lily feel at home (New Home). Hispanic American Pablo and new friend Lily play at the park with kids of different ethnicities (Play). Accompanied by average-quality illustrations, the well-intentioned stories offer tensionless slices of life. Review covers these Dive into Reading! titles: Lily's New Home and Want to Play?.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jamel Akib. This inspiring biography of Bengali "Banker to the Poor" Muhammad Yunus begins with precepts he learned in childhood. Yunus's path to becoming an economist known for small, low-interest loans to the impoverished ("microcredit") and to receiving the Nobel Peace Prize is back-dropped by striking chalk-pastel illustrations in vibrant colors. An afterword with more information about Grameen Banks is included. Bib.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Lin Wang. Anna May longed to escape her family's Chinatown laundry for Hollywood's silver screen. But when her dream became reality in the early 1920s, the actress faced stereotyped roles ("China doll," "dragon lady"), movie studio racism (no interracial kissing), and criticism in China for her negative portrayals (she later refused roles that denigrated Asians). Realistic watercolor and acrylic paintings illustrate the insightful biography.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) YA Korean American Patti contends with the indignity of being assistant concert master while taking practice SATs and tentatively exploring her feelings for "Cute Trumpet Guy" (who's also a kick-ass rock guitarist). Characterizations are very broad (overbearing, academics-oriented Korean parents and ultra-competitive, musically gifted kids; racist white-boy jocks). But in Patti, partially based on herself, Yoo presents a wry, relatable, self-aware teen.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Dom Lee. Korean-American Sammy Lee (twelve years old in 1932) practiced diving so diligently that he caught the eye of a diving coach. Meanwhile, Sammy's father was pressuring him to become a doctor, but eventually Sammy achieved both goals: in 1948, Dr. Sammy Lee won bronze and gold Olympic medals. With their textured effect, the scratchboard illustrations convey immediacy.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2005