The Year of the Dog

by Grace Lin

Book Overview

A special edition of a modern classic by the Newbery-Award winning and bestselling author of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

When Pacy's mom tells her that this is a good year for friends, family, and "finding herself," Pacy begins searching right away. As the year goes on, she struggles to find her talent, deals with disappointment, makes a new best friend, and discovers just why the Year of the Dog is a lucky one for...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031606002X
• ISBN13: 9780316060028
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.4" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

I think it’s boring and Full of little girl drama

I had to read this for school and maybe a six year old would like it but period for me as a 12 year old is pretty boring.

This awesome book

This great book The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin has funny parts and the two main characters, Grace Lin and Melody Ling, are very friendly. If you like books about friendship, then this is the book for you. My favorite part was when Grace and Melody started to eat a bunch of vitamins and your only suppose to eat one a day. Well I gave this book 5 stars. So the sooner you can get your hands on this book the better!

wonderful evocation of chinese american childhood

really enjoyed this chapter book, and can't wait to read it to my daughter. simply and warmly told.

A tiny jewel of a book

This year I have decided to read as many really good children's books published in 2006 as humanly possible. This means that I pay particularly close attention to the books my co-workers (other children's librarians) promote loudly. One of the first titles this year that received such promotion was a little politely perfect story by the name of, "The Year of the Dog". So delicate as to come across as almost fragile, this is one of those books that makes stories out of a minimum of words. You will not find any excess to this story. No long-winded exposition or sentences written solely for the purpose of filling the page. Instead, this is a finely honed and delicately crafted title that is bound to be enjoyed by vast hoards of children, should it ever fall into their hands. You job? See that it does. It's the Year of the Dog, and Pacy has just learned that this is the year she's supposed to "find herself" and make new friends. This means that a person will need a lot of luck, and fortunately she has that in spades. For example, there's a new girl in school. A new girl who's exactly Pacy's age and who, just like her, is Taiwanese-American. Her name is Melody and instantly she and Pacy become best friends. Together, the two experience everything from school tryout and a book contest to figuring out which boy they like and what to dress up as for Halloween. As the year goes by, there's plenty to do and plenty to learn. What really gives this book a push past other children's books out there is just how kid-friendly it is. Whether she's discussing a science fair project or trying out for the school play, Lin seems to have an uncanny knack for tapping into the heads of children. The characters befriend one another, have small fights, and go through the usual steps of kids of that age. There is a gentleness to Lin's storytelling too. You know that when the new Taiwanese girl comes to class, she's not going to reject Pacy's advances for friendship. And then there are the tiny pen-and-ink drawings that illustrate the story. From the step-by-step instructions of "How to draw a dog" (the same one you see on the book's cover) to The Wizard of Oz curtain call or a single twinkie, Lin's pictures fill out a precise little story with precise little illustrations. Now I made the serious mistake of reading, "The Year of the Dog", while my plane sat for four hours on a New Orleans tarmac through both lunch and dinnertime. I would like to advise you to never ever read this book if your tummy is grumbling. From the moment the book opens on Chinese New Year to feast after feast after feast, you're going to find your salivation glands filling mighty fast while reading this story. Have you ever read the descriptions of food in the Laura Ingalls Wilder's, "Little House" books? Well that's the kind of evocative description you're going to discover when Lin talks about some of the tastiest Taiwanese dishes out there. For Taiwanese kids grow

Year of The Dog

My 7 year old niece could not put it down. A wonderful read for girls of all ages.

"Mama, I love this book"

I never heard my Asian-American daughter say these words until she read "Year of the Dog." All the elements of a 4th-grader's life are there - family, friends, school projects, holidays, camp, disappointments, achievements, learning about yourself - and are told with gentleness, humor, truth, and terrific illustrations. We've loved all Grace Lin's picture books, and are delighted that she's now writing chapter books. Hoping for a sequel in time for next Chinese New Year!