Year of the Dog (Module 5)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lin, Grace. 2006. The Year of The Dog. New York: Little, Brown. ISBN: 978-0-316-06002-8

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Having grown up so far as the only Taiwanese American family in her town, Pacy is surprised to find another Taiwanese American girl in her school. They soon become best friends and work towards finding their luck and accomplishing their goals as they live through the Chinese zodiac year of the dog.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Grace Lin tells the story of a young Taiwanese girl, Pacy, in an almost episodic fashion moving from story to story about her life during the year of the dog. The story is primarily light and fun because the main character is so likeable and relatable. For example, she is trying to figure out what she wants to do as an adult, hoping to try out for a school play, and competing to win the science fair. The book is written without the Western basis of plot structure with one big conflict to resolve. Instead, it has more of an Eastern feel in which we are dropped into Pacy's life, enjoy the ups and downs, and leave feeling satisfied, yet expecting to hear more from her (which we do in future books).

Lin also touches on more serious issues about growing Taiwanese American though. For example, when Pacy hopes to try out for the Wizard of Oz play at her school, she really wants to be Dorothy, but another student tells her she can't try out because she is Asian. Also, when her family goes to Taiwanese American Camp, she encounters others who call her a “Twinkie” because she can't speak Taiwanese or Chinese and therefore is yellow on the outside but white on the inside. Lin delves into these bicultural issues well and gives the reader an understanding of how Pacy feels as well as how she handles the situations.

Taiwanese culture is touched upon through stories and explanations throughout the book that give readers background knowledge. These stories and asides are wonderfully handled as Lin has different characters “telling” them. Both Chinese and Taiwanese languages are woven in the text, but meaings can typically be inferred or are even just explained in the text as well.

The illustrations are simple line drawings, leaving the impression that the character Pacy is drawing them herself. They range from illustrations that move the story along to a "how-to" on drawing a dog for the Chinese zodiac year that they are celebrating.

The overall effect of the book is that the reader feels like a part of the family. We get to enjoy seeing Pacy grow as we feel bad for her in the tough times and rejoice with her in her triumphs.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• 2006 Asian Pacific American Library Association Honor Book
• Texas Bluebonnet Book, 2007-08
• Booklist Starred: "Lin does a remarkable job capturing the soul and the spirit of books like those of Hayward or Maud Hart Lovelace, reimagining them through the lens of her own story, and transforming their special qualities into something new for today's young readers."
• School Library Journal: "A lighthearted coming-of-age novel with a cultural twist."
• Publisher's Weekly: "Lin creates an endearing protagonist, realistically dealing with universal emotions and situations."

5. CONNECTIONS

• Grace Lin's website has a few pages dedicated to this book. There is a page that shares some of the true events from the book called “Behind the Story.” There are also activity ideas like memoir writing, making a new year banner, and studying the Chinese horoscope. Her webpage can also be used for an author study. Lin's FAQ page is full of good information, and the Fun Facts page is a particularly amusing look at the author.
• Grace Lin's publisher has a downloadable educator's guide to The Year of the Dog with discussion questions and a writing activity.
• This book is followed up by The Year of the Rat and Dumpling Days. Dumpling Days has a good book trailer on Grace Lin's Youtube page.