E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Set in 1884, this novel in verse follows the journey of Mei Mei from San Francisco to Eureka, California. Mei Mei's parents run a grocery store in the city, but are increasingly concerned about their daughter's welfare, as other young Chinese girls have been kidnapped. They send her 300 miles north to live with her aunt and uncle, who have told them that Eureka has schools where Chinese students attend with white students. Since Mei Mei has been attending a small school held in a church basement, she is very excited about this new opportunity, although she doesn't want to leave home. Her best friend, Hua Hua, also leaves, but Her entire family goes to live in Arcata. Her aunt, however, lets her know that she will be working as a servant in the home of the wealthy Bobbitt family. The father is a local banker, the mother and young son are very mean, and the daughter, Sara, is kind and offers to teach Mei Mei how to read. The cook, Mrs. Yu, and the kitchen boy, Tom, help Mei Mei navigate life in the new town. There are many problems between the white and Chinese population, and the Chinatown area is at the end of a sewer line, so always smells like garbage. The homes are ramshackle, and the local tongs frequently clash with each other. Mei Mei's uncle is heavily involved in this activity, so her aunt is very concerned. Both Mei Mei's mother and aunt had their feet bound as children, so find it hard to walk. Mei Mei's mother never leaves the home, but her aunt is able to get around with some help. When the tong activity escalates and two white people are shot, the town tells the Chinese population that they must leave or be forcibly removed. Sara manages to get a wagon for Mei Mei so that she can get her aunt to San Francisco, but when she arrives home with Mrs. Yu and Tom, her aunt and uncle have fled. As the group leaves, they can tell that the Chinatown has been burnt. The journey to San Francisco is treacherous, but Mei Mei's parents welcome all three travelers and settle them into life in the city.
Strengths: Historical fiction is a great way to learn about what life was like in different places and times, and I was not familiar with the details of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 or the impact that it had on Chinese American society at the time. Viewing this time from the point of view of a young girl was a good choice, and young readers will be appalled at how Mei Mei is treated. I loved that she was interested in education, and it was a bright spot to see Sara helping her to learn to read. Later in the book, it comes out that she taught Tom as well, and this small act of humanity made life seem a tiny bit less bleak. The details about bound feet were interesting as well. Thank goodness the practice was banned in 1912, although it was enforced until 1949.
Weaknesses: This is a really interesting topic, but I could have used more details about the general politics and events at the time. Novels in verse are more poetic, and often lack the details needed for readers who may not have background knowledge. Since I can't think of any nonfiction books for middle grade readers that could be used to scaffold this knowledge, more information would have been helpful.
What I really think: It's hard to find fictional books about this period of US history, so this is a good choice for readers who enjoyed stories about the Chinese American experience like Ingold's Paper Daughter or Yee's Maizy Chen's Last Chance Yep's The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung: A Chinese Miner, California, 1852.