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A review by lisa_nog
The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Grace Lin is one of those children's lit authors where when I find a book of hers, it immediately goes to the TBR list.
This is such a sweet, fairly uncomplicated book. It's a straight-forward semi autobiographical retelling of the authors middle school years. It's very wholesome, no one dies, there is some mild bullying, but it's just quaint.
I really enjoyed the context Grace Lin's afterword provided. She wanted to write a book like the charming chapter books she read as a child that she could see herself in. I would have loved this book when I was the age of the protagonist.
As an aside, representation matters so much and I cannot think of another book I've read where the characters are specifically Taiwanese. I think that's neat!
This is such a sweet, fairly uncomplicated book. It's a straight-forward semi autobiographical retelling of the authors middle school years. It's very wholesome, no one dies, there is some mild bullying, but it's just quaint.
I really enjoyed the context Grace Lin's afterword provided. She wanted to write a book like the charming chapter books she read as a child that she could see herself in. I would have loved this book when I was the age of the protagonist.
As an aside, representation matters so much and I cannot think of another book I've read where the characters are specifically Taiwanese. I think that's neat!