In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson

I think this was required reading about three times in school when I was growing up. I loved it every time. The "Lucky Strikes" scene still makes me crack up. ( )

This is the story of a ten year old girl that grew up in China with a whole clan of family around her which was the custom. She then moves to America with her mother. They go there to live with her father who went before them. This story starts by introducing the chinese clan members and their customs used at New Year. They are celebrating the year of the boar. She leaves for America shortly after that celebration. She is called Sixth cousin or bandit at this home. At the celebration her Grandfather tells everyone that she can't go to America with such a name. from that time forward she is her American name: Shirley Temple Wong.

The story is told in her point of view. it tells of her struggles of new new world like the fact that she doesn't speak English. Or how the people looked different like the woman with no eyebrows. I think that Lord did a good job helping you visualize the things of China with the things of Brooklyn,NY. It was the year of the boar; it was the year of Jackie Robinson. I am not sure if I would recommend this book. I thought it had good detail but had a hard time reading it. ( )

Charming and sweet, Shirley Temple Wong wins the readers' hearts in the first chapter when she suggests that her grandfather give her the American name of Uncle Sam. She receives Shirley Temple instead and sets sail for her new home in New York, where she discovers a land of new wonders: washing machines, refrigerators, skyscrapers, and a new language that sounds like "gurgling water." Small moments throughout the story continuously endear Shirley to the reader. While trying to imitate winking, her teacher mistakes her constant blinking for an eyesight problem, and when she asks her teacher about the girl Jackie Robinson, the reader laughs with the class, enjoying a moment that is only embarrassing on the surface. For once Shirley learns about Jackie Robinson, she discovers that the class had complimented her baseball skills. Delightfully entertaining and meaningful.
Classroom uses: topics for discussion include loneliness, identity, customs, friendship, & opportunity ( )

Such a great story and wonderful character. ( )