The Year of the Dog

BOOK REVIEW: The Year of the Dog

 

CITATION: 

Lin, Grace. The Year of the Dog. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007. ISBN: 0316060003

SUMMARY:

The Year of the Dog is about a girl named Pacy and her entire year (starting with the Chinese New Year). Pacy was excited for the year because she was born in the year of the dog and concluded that this would be her lucky year. In that year, she made a best friend, gained more pride about her Taiwanese American culture, and found out what she was good at.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

The Year of the Dog tells the story of a Taiwanese American girl named Pacy (written in first-person) and her family, best friends, and overall life. This book shows the playfulness as well as the struggles of a girl who is making sense of many things. She cares that she looks different way (she and one other girl are the only Asian Americans in the school) and what others think about her, but she is not fully-consumed by those thoughts. Thankfully, she made a best friend named Melody who was also Taiwanese American. Their two families become great friends, and she goes through an incredible year showing ups and downs.

The setting of this story is in upstate New York in present day. Pacy is one of three children in a balanced family. She has a happy family that celebrates the Chinese holidays, and attempts to celebrate the American holidays as well. Pacy tells comical stories about what happens when her parents attempt to help them celebrate American holidays, which they do not understand. Stories about her parents and other extended family members are sprinkled throughout the book, enlightening the reader about the differences in the American and Chinese cultures. Those stories help paint a broad picture about how much things have changed in the lives of many Chinese and Taiwanese Americans over the past 50 years.

There are many cultural markers found in this book. Lin does an excellent job of explaining the way Chinese Americans and Taiwanese Americans interpret luck, and how they view celebrations, food, money, and success. Pacy describes the food in specific detail. She also explains people, describing their features, hair, and even smells. Pacy is exposed to some bullying from two Taiwanese Americans who called her a “Twinkie” because she was “Americanized,” and she also learned that luck doesn’t take you as far as hard work does.

With lots of aspects of the story that resonate with any young school-age girl, many children will be able to relate to Lin’s honest picture of Pacy. Most importantly, Pacy sets off to “find herself” in the year of the dog. And readers are in for a treat to learn how she reflected on this important year in her life.

REVIEWS AND AWARDS:

• 2006 Fall Publisher's Pick
• Starred Booklist Review
• 2006 ALA Children's Notable
• 2006 Asian Pacific American Librarian Association Honor

Publisher’s Weekly:

“Lin, best known for her picture books, here offers up a charming first novel, an autobiographical tale of an Asian-American girl's sweet and funny insights on family, identity and friendship. When her family celebrates Chinese New Year, ringing in the Year of the Dog, Pacy (Grace is her American name) wonders what the coming months will bring. Her relatives explain that the Year of the Dog is traditionally the year when people "find themselves," discovering their values and what they want to do with their lives. With big expectations and lots of questions, the narrator moves through the next 12 months trying to figure out what makes her unique and how she fits in with her family, friends and classmates. Pacy experiences some good luck along the way, too, winning a contest that will inspire her career (Lin's fans will recognize the prize submission, The Ugly Vegetables, as her debut children's book). Lin creates an endearing protagonist, realistically dealing with universal emotions and situations. The well-structured story, divided into 29 brief chapters, introduces traditional customs (e.g., Hong Bao are special red envelopes with money in them, given as New Year's presents), culture and cuisine, and includes several apropos "flashback" anecdotes, mainly from Pacy's mother. The book's inviting design suggests a journal, and features childlike spot illustrations and a typeface with a hand- lettered quality. Girls everywhere, but especially those in the Asian-American community, will find much to embrace here.”

Booklist:

“When Lin was a girl, she loved the Betsy books by Carolyn Hayward, a series about a quintessentially American girl whose days centered around friends and school. But Lin, a child of Taiwanese immigrants, didn't see herself in the pages. Now she has written the book she wished she had as a child. Told in a simple, direct voice, her story follows young Grace through the Year of the Dog, one that Grace hopes will prove lucky for her. And what a year it is! Grace meets a new friend, another Asian girl, and together they enter a science fair, share a crush on the same boy, and enjoy special aspects (food!) of their heritage. Grace even wins fourth place in a national book-writing contest and finds her true purpose in life. Lin, who is known for her picture books, dots the text with charming ink drawings, some priceless, such as one picturing Grace dressed as a munchkin. Most of the chapters are bolstered by anecdotes from Grace's parents, which connect Grace (and the reader) to her Taiwanese heritage. 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.”

CONNECTIONS:

A fun idea to do with students after reading this book would be to host a Chinese New Year party, just as they were described in The Year of the Dog. Children could use details from the book to help them plan it accordingly, and they could also cook the food.