Asian Pacific Islander Young Adult Fiction

Fifteen-year-old Mercy Wong is determined to break from poverty in Chinatown, and she gains admittance to a prestigious finishing school through a mix of cunning and bribery. She soon discovers that getting in was the easiest part, and must carve a niche among the spoiled heiresses. When the earthquake strikes on April 18, Mercy and her classmates are forced to a survivor encampment, but her quick-witted leadership rallies them to help in the tragedy's aftermath.

This historical novel is set in 19th century Atlanta, Georgia where Jo Kuan lives under the radar of the whites in the community, while working hard at making hats. When she is let go because of racism, she goes back to her childhood home to become a lady's maid. Nobody knows that she moonlights as "Miss Sweetie," the incredibly popular newspaper advice columnist. Will she be able to keep her lives and secrets to herself? Full of love, hope and heartbreaking secrets.

This historical fiction is set in San Francisco, in 1954, when Chinese Americans and immigrants had to live under increased paranoia, racism, and suspicion for having Communist ideas. Lily is interested in discovering what’s outside her Chinatown home. Her parents warned her not to leave their immediate neighborhood, but Lily ventures forth to various places, such as the Telegraph Club, a lesbian bar. This is where she slowly discovers herself and a relationship with her first white friend, Kathleen. All of this means that Lily may end up in dangerous situations and more than she bargained for.

In 1935, ten-year-old Alex Maki is not pleased when he has to become pen pals with Charlie Levy of Paris, France, who turns out to be a girl. Even though they have a rocky start, the letters continue as their friendship grows, and they share their hopes, dreams and fears. The attack on Pearl Harbor happens, and teenage Alex, and his family are sent to the Japanese concentration camps, while Charlie faces the horrors of the Holocaust. Their friendship and love do not abate, and nothing can take away the light between them.

Jason, a Filipino-American teenage boy wants nothing more than to spend his senior year of high school just playing video games before he has to shift his focus to college. This plan is thwarted by the news that his cousin, a 17 year old teen living in the Philippines is dead. However, things are not adding up and Jason is determined to discover what really happened so he has no other option than to fly to the country where his parents were born to find the truth.

Set in a small town, teens Salahudin and Noor come to terms with their personal lives, despite having a huge fight that could end their friendship. At the heart of the novel are a boy whose family sought out the American Dream, a girl who is trying to escape the town she grew up in, and a young woman whose hopes for the future lead to life-changing choices. It's a hard-hitting, beautifully told novel of family, rage, and forgiveness.