a. Bibliographic data
Lin, Grace. 2006. YEAR OF THE DOG. New York: Hachette Book Group. ISBN 031606002X
b. Brief plot summary
Year of the Dog is a story about a young Taiwanese-American girl named Grace who struggles with her identity as she grows up in upstate New York. When at home, Grace goes by her Taiwanese name Pacy, and enjoys festivities and traditions that celebrate her Japanese heritage. At school Grace tries her best to fit it and enjoy being a kid. Since this year is the Year of the Dog, Grace is supposed to discover herself, but different opportunities lead her to failure. When a story writing project is assigned in school, Grace is stumped as to what to write about, but ends up deciding to share her life as a Taiwanese American with her teacher and discovers that she has a gift for writing.
c. Critical analysis
Author Grace Lin weaves pieces of her personal life with bits of fiction to create a charming story about a girl who is growing up under the influence of two cultures. The setting, which takes place mainly in school and at Grace’s home in New York, provide the reader with characteristics of both the Taiwanese and American celebrations and traditions that this young girl experiences in her daily life. During the Christmas holiday, Grace and her sisters struggle to convince their parents to do “American” things like put lights on the house and buy actual gifts to open on Christmas morning. The girls also plead with their mother to cook a turkey on Thanksgiving in an effort to celebrate like the other kids at school. While their mother gives in to their requests, their “traditional” Thanksgiving dinner also includes many Asian influences.
Many Japanese-Taiwanese cultural holidays and traditions are shared in this story as well. Grace and her sister dye eggs red when a new baby cousin is born. Lin also explains to the reader that traditionally red envelopes containing money are given in lieu of gifts. Most importantly, Lin examines the big way that the family celebrates Chinese New Year. The tedious cleaning, the hours of cooking and the New Year’s candy are all interesting traditions that Grace’s family participates in each year.
The differences between the two cultures are also noted in less obvious ways. Grace recounts her sister explaining why she and her sister have two names, one for at home and one for school and Lissy comments “it’s easier for the Americans to say”. In contrast, when Grace attends a Taiwanese camp the other girls make fun of her because she doesn’t speak Taiwanese. There is a connection to be made with any child who has ever felt that they didn’t fit in with a particular crowd.
d. Reviews/Awards
• From SLJ: “A lighthearted coming-of-age novel with a cultural twist. Readers follow Grace, an American girl of Taiwanese heritage, through the course of one year–The Year of the Dog–as she struggles to integrate her two cultures. Throughout the story, her parents share their own experiences that parallel events in her life. These stories serve a dual purpose; they draw attention to Graces cultural background and allow her to make informed decisions. She and her two sisters are the only Taiwanese-American children at school until Melody arrives. The girls become friends and their common backgrounds illuminate further differences between the American and Taiwanese cultures. At the end of the year, the protagonist has grown substantially. Small, captioned, childlike black-and-white drawings are dotted throughout.”
• From Booklist: “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.”
e. Connections
• Follow up with another of Lin’s work:
o Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
o Year of the Rat
o Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!
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