White Jade Tiger

by Julie Lawson

Winner of the 1993 Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize, shortlisted for the Silver Birch Award and the CLA Book of the Year Award

Jasmine is not sure she likes the idea of being stuck in Victoria while her father goes to China for a year. But on a field trip to Chinatown, she explores a curious shop in Fan Tan Alley and accidentally passes through a hidden door. She finds herself in Victoria’s Chinatown of the late 1880’s. Mistaken for a Chinese boy, she is soon caught up in a race through the Fraser Canyon to find a tiger amulet.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical, Canada, Middle Grade, Childrens

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Julie Lawson is the award-winning author of many books for young people. Her novels include White Jade Tiger (winner of the Sheila A. Egoff Book Literature Prize and nominated for both the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award and the Silver Birch Award), Destination Gold, and The Ghost of Avalanche Mountain. Among her acclaimed picture books are The Dragon’s Pearl, Emma and the Silk Train, Bear on the Train, and Whatever You Do, Don’t Go Near That Canoe! Her most recent novel, Ghosts of the Titanic, was released in Spring 2011.

Some of the events written about in A Ribbon of Shining Steel were based on the real-life experiences of Julie’s own grandfather, John Anderson, who was among the many immigrants needed to keep the CPR running smoothly.

Julie lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Reviews

[Nicholas Kristoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

White Jade Tiger is an interesting book. It's about a girl named Jasmine who is having a "perfect day"; everything is going the way she wants it to be, even though she's having inexplicable nightmares. However, while at her weekly tai-chi lessons, her dad tells her that her mom crashed her car into a tree and died on the way to the hospital. Jasmine is distraught. A few months pass when her dad is feeling lonely and dealing with his own pain of losing his wife, and tells Jasmine that he got a teaching job in China, so she must go live with her Aunt Val in Victoria for a few months until her dad gets settled. The next day, Jasmine goes on a field trip with her classmates to Fan Tan Alley. While there, Jasmine comes across a door with a sign saying "No Exit", but she doesn't see another way out. She then asks the cashier if she can go out through the door. He says "yes". Jasmine then goes through the door, but ends up in the year 1881! Jasmine meets an older boy named Keung who has come to Canada from China with aspirations of making his fortune building the railroad in "Gold Mountain" as B.C. was known, and also to search for his father who had come here years before Keung. Instead Keung is faced with the ugliness of racism, loneliness and bullying by a gambling den owner by the name of Blue-Scar Wong. The two youths go on an incredible journey through the Fraser Canyon. Canadian author, Julie Lawson, does a remarkable job tying historical facts with events in the novel. I won't ruin the ending, but the relationship between Keung and Jasmine was predictable, although that was thanks to the author who did a fantastic job in providing hints as the reader progresses through the story. I recommend this novel for readers who like stories about time travel, historical fiction and adventure. One caveat: the time travel is not always obvious; the reader really needs to pay attention to the "time zones." Also, Jasmine's nightmares are difficult to understand in the beginning of the novel and can be confusing.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jasmine's father is going off to China to work, so she has to stay with her Aunt in Victoria, BC, until she can either join him, or until he comes home. Jasmine doesn't want to go to China, and she doesn't want to leave the suburbs to live in Victoria, but she doesn't have much choice.

Once at her aunt's, she discovers a coolie outfit and tries it on. She discovers that she can understand Chinese, and that she can travel in time in Chinatown itself. She makes friends with another Coolie, Kueng, who is in search of his father, and she decides to help him.

This was a very plausible time travel story, if time travel can be plausible. The history was well presented in the story, as well as the prejudices at the time. I like that Jasmine can speak Chinese so we don't have to deal with people not understanding her, or him, and none of this stilted Chinese accent that might get in the way.

There is a slight mystery, of which I guessed half, but not the other half of it, so well done to the author. It is a cool period in history to explore, the time of the building of the Canadian transcontinental railroad, which like the American counterpart, but also built with Chinese labor.

Excellent book to introduce the concept of the "Chinese problem" that the west coast of both Canada and the US had with the Chinese. They wanted their labor, but they didn't want them.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book a lot because not only is it a fiction but its a historical fiction which demonstrates true facts and things that happened from the past.This book is about a girl named Jasmine traveling back in time to when the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railroad) was being built. And during that time the canadians used chinese workers as slaves for the job because it was such a high risk and dangerous job. This book includes a lot of Canadian history around the time of the opium wars. I would highly recommend this boko to anyone that would like to learn history about canada especially the time of the Canadian Pacific Railroad because this book gives a lot of information on it. Overall this was a very enjoyable book to read.

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 4 out of 5]

* I put work into reviews like these. Please comment: don't dump an empty 'like button' click on me. *

I read fellow Canadian, Julie Lawson for the first time in 2020, a surprisingly stark but important element of the Titanic sinking that I had not seen told. Using bleak, real history that again occurred in Canada, about thirty years earlier, her 1993 novel “White Jade Tiger” predates her 2011 paranormal fiction, connected to the disaster near Halifax.

Eight years earlier, Julie tackled the plight of the Asian community in Vancouver, by blending Chinese-Canadian history and time travel windows by a young girl. I knew that some Chinese were railroad builders and that it was deadly work, amid prejudice. I had no knowledge of the traditions they brought, or the mysticism originating in their homeland that this authoress connected to the protagonists in Canada.

There was a compelling family legend about a Goddess reincarnating, coaching each woman in dreams. I love metaphysical stories. A girl in 1993, discovers that wearing a Chinese item through a Fan Tan Alley store, can bring her to the 1880s and back. There, a wise man expects her and welcomes her each time. That is the only snippet anyone needs to see that they will step into a rich, memorable, emotional tableau.

There are missions of two kinds: one is to retrieve in Canada and return to the old grave in China, a white jade tiger. The other is for a poor boy from China to find his Father on the railroad crew in Vancouver, who had stopped writing to their family at home. It is he and the wise dragon maker, whom the protagonist befriends and helps. I was very touched by it.

I gave four stars because youth adventures need to skip the superfluous drama of a deceased parent or anger among them. Let a happy girl experience an awesome mystery and journey.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favourite childhood novels. It has the ideal combination of historical BC coast Chinatown, mystery and dragon/tiger ornaments.

[Irvin Cheung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good YA easy read that sheds light on the experiences of the Chinese in early Victoria Chinatown. Being from Victoria, the accuracy of the locations and details made the story more immersive. Back to the Future-like twist ending wasn’t that much of a twist but for a book from 1993, perhaps it was more innovative then. 3.5*

[Kayla K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was surfing Netgalley for something cool to read, and White Jade Tiger caught my eye. I really enjoy reading books about time-travel, as I like to see how life was/may be like in different eras. I feel like this book hit the nail on the head in that area!

For a synopsis, this book revolves around 13-year-old Jasmine. Her father is about to travel to China, but she is to be left at home in Victoria with other relatives. However, when she goes on a school field trip to Chinatown, she enters a doorway, and unexpectedly steps right into the 1880s, and with a new buddy, she embarks on a quest for an amulet and, hence the title, a white jade tiger.

I really liked Jasmine and her love for adventure. She was always very determined to get what she wanted, and it really showed in her persistence to go with her dad to China, as well as how determined she was to solve both quests posed to her. A lot of trouble came her way during her journey, but she was able to keep a smile on her face and kept on going, which I totally admire.

I thought the concept of this story was super awesome, what with the time-travelling and the quests. I haven't read too much about the 1880s; but after reading this story, I have now been inspired to read and learn more about the history of China and Canada during those times.

All in all, this book was quite interesting, but that's not to say that I didn't get bored at times, as I felt that the beginning and middle of this book was really slow. Anyway, I'd recommend this one to tweens and teens looking for a cool story about time-travelling back to the 1880s, a mesmerizing adventure, and a brave protagonist, because I know you'll adore this read! :)

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a favorite of mine when I had to read it in school. (The store from the book has always been, and still is, a favorite of mine to walk through back home.) It always stuck with me, so a couple years ago I bought it to re-read. Fond memories. :)

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, it is a poart of my childhood and I can get into this story so easily.

[K.L. Beckmeyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fantastical coming of age story, beautifully blending historical fiction with Narnia-esque magic.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really creative and amazing! It's a really good novel. =D

[Kaitlyn Yap · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personal really thought this book was AMAZING!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book there is a girl named Jasmine. Jasmine lives with her mom and dad and has two friends, Krista and Becky. She does tai chi and they do karate. One day, on tai chi Thursday, the roads were slippery and wet. Jasmine’s mom had a car crash. She was still alive but didn’t get to the hospital in time and died. All this happened while Jasmine was in Tai chi. Her death affected her a lot-especially the dreams. That night the dreams began. She dreamed of Bright Jade, someone who has possession of the white jade tiger. It is considered just a story but it just might be true. The amulet is very valuable but dangerous. It could be used to protect Bright Jade, but only Bright Jade. If it is in someone else’s possession, it will bring an awful curse to their families. Since Jasmine’s mom has died, there is not enough money. Her father got a job in China and left Jasmine to stay here while he went to China for a few months. Jasmine is staying at her aunt Val’s in Victoria. She will not be switching schools. Jasmine is very angry. In her words, her father had ditched her. She hated him. However, she came to grow to love Victoria. One day, their school had a field trip to Chinatown. This is where she first met Keung. Through the magic doorway in the never ending shop. This doorway led to Chinatown in the 1880s. There were a bunch of coolies. The store clerk gave her a dragon, a lai see envelope, and a coin. The weird thing was she didn’t know the coolie’s Chinese dialect but could still speak and understand it through the doorway. She met Keung, a boy coolie wanting to find his father and earn some money. His goal was to go to Yale and do all that. However, all of a sudden, she was out of the doorway and back in her own world. She tried again to get in the doorway a while later but it didn’t work. The third time it did however. Probably something to do with her clothes then. Soon, she decided to accompany Keung on his journey. However, it was nothing easy. Working for the Canadian Pacific Railroad was hard work. Plus, they had to restore the white Jade tiger amulet to bright Jade since it has left her possession and is now bringing an awful curse to Keung’s family. A lot of people have died. And they had to find Keung’s dad who they think has the white Jade tiger amulet. But is he still alive? To add on, there is a wealthy evil merchant going crazy for the tiger amulet and chasing them through the places. Can they escape that merchant, find Keung’s long lost father, and restore the white Jade tiger?

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirteen-year-old Jasmine is deeply hurt and angry when she learns that her father is leaving for work in China almost immediately and she must stay behind with her aunt in Victoria BC. While at her aunt’s house, she discovers a coolie outfit and decides to wear it to a school outing in Chinatown. Somehow, she is transported back to the 19th c. as the railway is being built. There she meets Keung, a young Chinese boy who is looking for his father who had come to Canada seeking work. He had brought with him a white jade tiger amulet hoping to sell it but, instead, it has placed a curse on Keung’s family. Now he has disappeared with the amulet and Keung must find him and return the amulet if the curse is to be lifted. Unfortunately, he isn’t the only one after the amulet and Keung and Jasmine must race against time and danger if they are to make things right.

White Jade Tiger by author Julie Lawson is a Middle Grade historical novel. It offers a too often overlooked part of Canadian history wrapped in a story full of time travel and adventure. With its strong young female protagonist and its compelling storyline, this seems like a good read for any tween or early teen.

3.5

Thanks to Netgalley and Dundurn for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

[SusanwithaGoodBook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this in Victoria after seeing a sign on a door in Fan Tan Alley saying "This is the door in the book, White Jade Tiger." Intrigued, I ran back to Munroe's books and asked the employees where to find it. The lady answered that it was in Juvenile Lit, and was the "most Victoria" book in the store.

It still shocks me that they didn't have a display about it. This book really gives you a wonderful sense of Victoria both in the present day and in the 1800s when the CPR was being built with Chinese labor. It's fantasy, which isn't really my thing, but there was enough realism to keep it grounded for me. I enjoyed it and can recommend it to anyone interested in Victoria, BC.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took me about a month and a half to finish as life was busy, but that also tells how captivating it was. I read this as a colleague was going to use it in her class and I’m the teacher-librarian. It was pretty good, with lots of local historical information (I wouldn’t be able to verify accuracy). I liked the time travel and the story brought me to tears at one point early in. I think it’s pretty well written and has lots of themes that could be explored, including tai chi/self-regulation, genealogy, Chinese immigration and racism in Canada, spiritual beliefs of the afterlife, etc.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.something stars rounded up to 4 because I generally enjoyed the read and because I think some of the aspects of the book that detracted from it for me likely would have bothered me less if I had read it when I was more of the age of the target audience.

I will look up other work by this author.

[Kyla Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this again as an adult makes me so proud of having chosen it as a kid. This aged beautifully, this is powerfully inclusive and educational on racism and classism, before that was part of the discussion for YA works.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. This affected me emotionally but I suspect that had somewhat more to do with me than the power of the book. I also had an issue with the timing of something at the end of the story. Nonetheless this was a very good, simple ya fantasy.

Mildly recommended.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting history but disjointed story

A nice attempt to tell the story of the Chinese in BC during the 1880s. The storyline however was strained and cumbersome.

[Ruth Hartnup · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 3.5 if I could. Very interesting historical detail, and pitched just right for grade 5-6. The storyline was a little odd but compelling.

[Kyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to accompany Grade 5 Socials Gold Rush/Immigration/Chinese

[Sphere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magical book! I loved the beautiful descriptions of her journey. Thank-you a delight to read.

[Abigael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite confusing.

[Rene Low · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying to educate as it entertains, there are few missteps as this book gallops along. Exploring important history that is often ignored, with excitement and a bit of grit.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jasmine is thirteen and living in Victoria, BC, with her aunt while her father is working in China. On a school trip, she goes to Chinatown and is suddenly transported to Victoria's Chinatown in the late 1800s.

There she meets Keung, a young Chinese man who is looking for his father who had come from China a few years earlier to work on the railroad so he could make money to better himself back home. His father had found a white jade tiger amulet and instead of leaving it alone, he took it with him and brought tragedy to his family. In addition to finding his father, Keung wants to return the white jade tiger to where it belongs to lift the curse from his family.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it. I enjoy time travel stories and what made this one more interesting is that it takes place in western Canada and involved history that we're not especially proud of. It's an interesting story directed at a younger audience and I learned about the building of the railroad using Chinese workers who weren't treated well at all. It is written in third person perspective with the focus on Jasmine and Keung.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2016/12...

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting younger adult novel dealing with the treatment of Chinese immigrants who helped built the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Much like their counterparts in the United States, they were barely tolerated by a white population who realized they couldn't get the railroad built without them. Jasmine lives in modern-day Victoria. The sudden death of her mother leads to a series of revelations and trips to the city's Chinatown. When she steps through the door in a shop she suddenly finds herself back in the Victoria of the 1880s and caught up in an ancient curse that goes back to the Chinese emperor who built the Great Wall. Jasmine disguises herself as a boy and ends up working on the railroad. There's a tad too much historical background parcelled out as dialogue, but overall the story is engaging and I definitely learned some things I didn't know before.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

White Jade Tiger

by Julie Lawson

Dundurn

You Are Auto-Approved

Middle Grade, Children's Fiction

Pub Date 10 Jan 2017

I am voluntarily reviewing a copy of White Jade Tiger through the publisher and Netgalley:

The book opens with Jasmine's recurring nightmare.

Bright Jade sat alone at the pool. She was the emperor's favorite.

Jasmine soon learns her Father is going to China alone, so he can teach in Beijing. And she will be going to stay with her Auntie Val in Chinatown, in Victoria an Aunt she barely knows.

Jasmine's nightmares began after the accident that took her Mother from her.

White Jade Tiger blends the past and present together beautifully.

If you have a middle grade reader who likes, adventure, history and even time travel White Jade Tiger would be a wonderful book for them.

I give White Jade Tiger five out of five stars.

Happy Reading.

[Justkeepreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Dundurn and Julie Lawson for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

This book was ok. But I found it rather slow and hard to read because of this because I had to make myself want to read it.

The thing that I loved about this book was the time travel. I always like abit of time travel in my books. I liked finding out about Canada and China in the 1880s.

Jasmines father is going to China without her and Jasmine isn't very happy about this. So Jasmine sets out to find an adventure of her own.

On a field trip to Chinatown Jasmine explores a curious shop in Fan Tan alley and accidentally finds herself in the 1880s.

Mistaken for a Chinese boys she is soon caught up in a quest to find a tiger amulet.

Happy reading everyone

[Annalise]

Really cool idea! Cannot wait to read.