Mei Ling in China City (English and Chinese Edition) - Hardcover

Icy Smith

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0979933951 ISBN 13: 9780979933950

Publisher: East West Discovery Press, 2008

Synopsis

Based on a true story of events during World War II in China City, a 12-year-old Chinese American girl named Mei Ling Lee was separated from her best friend Yayeko Akiyama when she and her family were interned in the Manzanar War Relocation Center. By writing letters to each other, both young girls recounted their lives and hardships in China City and Manzanar. This unprecedented children's book depicts the cross-cultural experiences of Americans of Chinese and Japanese ancestry during the war years. The vivid watercolor paintings warmly portray the real scenes of the demolished Los Angeles China City and Manzanar in early 1940s. Book Awards include: Chinese American Librarian Association Best Book Award Moonbeam Children s Book Award Independent Publisher Book Award

About this title

About the Author:

Icy Smith is the award-winning author of many acclaimed historical fiction and nonfiction books including Three Years and Eight Months, Half Spoon of Rice, Mei Ling in China City, Mystery of the Giant Masks of Sanxingdui and The Lonely Queue, Smith is the 2012 recipient of the National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color Author Award for her substantial and lasting contributions to the understanding of diversity and a multicultural society. Three Years and Eight Months is recipient of fifteen national book awards, including Foreword Reviews INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the Chinese American Librarians Association Best Book Award, the Moonbeam Children s Book Award, and the Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 3–5—Los Angeles, 1942, is the setting for this picture-book glimpse into the world of China City and its residents during World War II. Young Mei Ling Lee describes her life, her family's efforts to raise money for the United China Relief for displaced citizens in their native country, and the child's wistful remembrances of her Japanese friend, sent with her family to Manzanar. Mei Ling uses her wits in an attempt to raise the most money for the campaign and hopes to share her prize with her absent friend. Brightly hued watercolor illustrations place readers in the center of preparation for the local Moon Festival celebration and contrast with concluding black-and-white photographs of actual participants in events of the 1940s that bring the period to life. This book also includes an author's note that gives historical reflections on China City, the Manzanar War Relocation Center, and the United China Relief Campaign.—Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX
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About this edition

• Publisher: East West Discovery Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0979933951
• ISBN 13: 9780979933950
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 44
• Illustrator: Gayle Garner Roski