The Magic Paintbrush: A Fantasy Chapter Book for Kids (Ages 8-12) About Family Wishes and Unexpected Consequences

by Laurence Yep, Suling Wang (Illustrator)

Steve can hardly believe it. With his new paintbrush, whatever he paints becomes real. Now he, Grandfather, and Uncle Fong can wish for anything they want. Uncle Fong uses the paintbrush to return to China, to the village of his childhood, and Grandfather wants to visit the Lady on the Moon. Steve wonders if the paintbrush can bring his parents back. But they all soon realize the paintbrush might have its own agenda. .

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Chapter Books, Cultural, Middle Grade, Young Adult

96 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2000

About the author

Born June 14, 1948 in San Francisco, California, Yep was the son of Thomas Gim Yep and Franche Lee Yep. Franche Lee, her family's youngest child, was born in Ohio and raised in West Virginia where her family owned a Chinese laundry. Yep's father, Thomas, was born in China and came to America at the age of ten where he lived, not in Chinatown, but with an Irish friend in a white neighborhood. After troubling times during the Depression, he was able to open a grocery store in an African-American neighborhood. Growing up in San Francisco, Yep felt alienated. He was in his own words his neighborhood's "all-purpose Asian" and did not feel he had a culture of his own. Joanne Ryder, a children's book author, and Yep met and became friends during college while she was his editor. They later married and now live in San Francisco.

Although not living in Chinatown, Yep commuted to a parochial bilingual school there. Other students at the school, according to Yep, labeled him a "dumbbell Chinese" because he spoke only English. During high school he faced the white American culture for the first time. However, it was while attending high school that he started writing for a science fiction magazine, being paid one cent a word for his efforts. After two years at Marquette University, Yep transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated in 1970 with a B.A. He continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Today as well as writing, he has taught writing and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful version of a Three Wishes tale for young independent readers, for families, and for the young at heart. I so appreciate the humor, friendship, and lack of awful consequences.

[Cherry Wu · Rating 4 out of 5]

HAAHAH ITS ANOTHER BOOK I FORGOT ABOUT

just remembered it right before i went to sleep. i remember thinking it was good, but this was back in third grade and looking back at it now...it wasn’t TAHT good. oh well. i’ll rate it in the middle since i liked it a lot as a kid.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked this out from the library to read to the girls. We started it yesterday and it's good so far. The boy lost his parents and all of his belongings in a house fire and now lives with his Grandfather. He feels that his grandfather could care less about him and is a little afraid of him. He gets an F in Art class, his favorite subject, because his old paint brush's bristles have frayed and is painting in three lines. He can't afford new school supplies. He's afraid his grandfather will be upset about the F so he comes home late from school. His grandfather is somewhat impressed with his painting and is surprisingly not upset about the grade - more upset that he came home so late. Grandpa pulls out an old suitcase and finds his old paintbrush and gives it to the boy. It becomes magic! I can't wait to see what else happens.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read. We enjoyed this one. Laurence Yep is a great writer - he really gives readers a good feel as to the struggles the Chinese people went through as they began to work in America.

Read this one aloud to all of them. But, it was Ethan's pick and he especially loved this one.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small story about a boy in Chinatown who is given a magic paintbrush that brings objects to life. Decent but not amazing.

[Earth&Silver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A playful fantasy full of dreams and the search for belonging. Simple language, but the characters carried me away.

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Steve bukan anak yang ceria dan bahagia. Ketika pindah untuk tinggal di Chinatown bersama kakeknya, Steve baru saja kehilangan kedua orang tuanya dalam kebakaran hebat. Steve tidak mengenal kakeknya, dan dari cara kakeknya menegur dia dengan cara yang jauh dari kelembutan, Steve selalu takut dan yakin kalau kakeknya tidak mengharapkan kehadiran dirinya di sana.

Ketakutan Steve makin bertambah ketika dalam pelajaran art, pelajaran yang paling dia suka, Steve mendapat nilai F gara-gara kuasnya sudah mulai rontok. Steve takut menunjukkan nilainya ke kakeknya, dan takut juga minta kuas yang baru. Akhirnya dia menunda kepulangannya dari sekolah dan telat sampai rumah.

Kakeknya tidak tinggal sendiri, ada seorang tua lagi yang dipanggil Uncle FOng, sahabat kecil kakeknya, yang tinggal bersama mereka juga. Malam itu, setelah Steve menunjukkan nilai F nya, kakeknya memberikan dia sebuah kuas baru. Dan yang tak disangka-sangka pun terjadi. Setiap gambar yang Steve buat menjadi nyata! Waaaww! Ternyata kuas ajaiibbbb...! :D

Petualangan demi petualangan pun dijalani mereka bertiga. Percakapan antara kakek dan Uncle Fong yang lebih ke cela-mencela sangat menggelitik dan kocak.

Seneng banget kalo dapet buku yang bagus begini. Ternyata ya, buku bagus itu idenya nggak selalu harus njlimet. Yang simple tapi asik juga banyak kok yang worth to read. So... start your imagination and read this book :D

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute, easy folktale type story that is sort of a spin on the myth of king Midas. Even though it's quite short, the three main characters--Steve, Grandfather and Uncle Fong--are developed well enough to care about them, and there is a well-crafted conflict for them to deal with. Yep does a good job of blending modern life in Chinatown with Chinese legends. This is certainly an older elementary or middle school book, but would be good for older students with less fluency, too. Just a happy, simple story.

[Tanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't really know on which shelf to put this book since it has elements of realistic fiction, fantasy and traditional tales. The reader is taken on a journey into Chinatown and beyond as a young boy who lost his parents tries to bond with his grandfather. A magical paintbrush takes them to places that allow them to rediscover forgotten people and places, that will ultimately bond them together. Heart-warming story. I definitely discovered another favorite author in Lawrence Yep and will seek out more titles written by him.

[VY · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ever dream of having all that you've ever wanted? If you had Steve's magical paintbrush, all you would have to do is paint with the flick of your wrist, and all your deepest desires could be realised. But, with great power comes great responsibility-- so says the famous proverb. Is there a rightful wielder of the paintbrush in this tale?

Although short in length, this book is definitely not short in deep ideas and topics. Open your mind to discover a little about new worlds of culture and class.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, fast read for middle grade students. Steve doesn't think his grandpa likes him much. But then his grandpa gives him a magic paintbrush and he can travel to whatever places he paints. But the paintbrush is tricky. You must be careful what you wish for...because it might come true (but not quite in the way you imagine)! Of course, in the end, Steve learns to be content in Chinatown, happy with what he has and where he is.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve can hardly believe it. With his new paintbrush, whatever he paints becomes real. Now he, Grandfather, and Uncle Fong can wish for anything they want. Uncle Fong uses the paintbrush to return to China, to the village of his childhood, and Grandfather wants to visit the Lady on the Moon. Steve wonders if the paintbrush can bring his parents back. But they all soon real

[Ke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This modern retelling of a Chinese legend about a magic paintbrush starts very nicely, but then loses steam. I thought the author had a great idea in conceiving how to update the legend. Additionally, the main characters were well-drawn. That said, I thought the antagonist and the fantasy worlds were too random. (This could be because I am familiar with the original legend.)

[Benjamin R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't understand some parts of it but some parts were very funny!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice book for early chapter readers. A little taste of Chinese culture complete with lessons about "be careful what you wish for."

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

a young boy is living with his grandfather, he feels unloved and unwanted, and feels that he is failing when his poverty makes it hard for him to even pass his favoriate class...

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/...

[Extreme · Rating 3 out of 5]

A breeze to read. A simple story with a world of possibilities.

[Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interest Level Grades 3 - 5
Grade Level Equivalent 3.2
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/bo...

[Gail Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books you want to go on and on without end... you just want Steve to paint another picture so that his family can have another adventure.

[Amanda Wel]

Under 100 pages

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it read itits bralliant

[Kelsie]

A fascinating book that leads you on a tale of mystery and adventure!

[Mckinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good version of the magic paintbrush tale.