The Jade Dragon

by Carolyn Marsden, Virginia Shin-Mui Loh

"A well-executed easy chapter book that incorporates a friendship story with the more serious issue of identity. . . A first-rate purchase." -- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Ginny is sure the new girl in her second-grade class will be her best friend. After all, Stephanie is Chinese, just like Ginny. But Ginny soon discovers some puzzling things about Stephanie: she doesn't like Chinese food, she hates her straight black hair, and even more surprisingly, her parents are not Chinese. At Ginny's house, MaMa cooks delicious Chinese dishes as the family prepares for their big holiday party and Stephanie spies Ginny's most prized possession -- a hand-carved jade dragon -- and asks to take it home. Much as Ginny yearns for a best friend, is it worth the risk of losing her special keepsake and angering MaMa? Drawing on Virginia Loh's real life story, the authors poignantly capture Ginny's dilemma as she navigates with difficulty between her culture and her friendship.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Cultural, Fiction, Asian American, Friendship

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Carolyn Marsden was born in Mexico City to missionary parents. She has been a writer all her life, but THE GOLD-THREADED DRESS is her first book. About THE GOLD-THREADED DRESS she says, "I wrote this story when my half-Thai daughter was being teased at school. As a parent and elementary school teacher, I watched her struggle to establish a cultural identity. I became fascinated with a conflict that is common to many children in our increasingly diverse United States." Carolyn Marsden has an MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College. After spending the last twenty-five years in Tucson, Arizona, Carolyn Marsden now lives by the ocean with her husband and two daughters.

Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ginny, an “American-born Chinese” girl struggles with respecting her mother's wishes for doing things the “Chinese Way” and being an average American girl who is accepted and liked by her classmates. Ginny’s mother and father were born in China and came to the United States when her father, who speaks many languages, was employed as an interpreter. Ginny is sheltered in her household and is not allowed to watch TV, has very few toys, eats only authentic Chinese cuisine and must study endlessly to keep up her grades. She has few friends, if any.

One day, Stephanie Bronelle, another Chinese girl moves into her neighborhood and transfers to her second grade class. Ginny is thrilled! She will now have a ‘best friend’ who is Chinese, just like her. But, as time goes on, Ginny is confused because Stephanie does not eat Chinese food, does not know Chinese customs and has American parents. Ginny finds out that Stephanie has been adopted, and she can not understand how her parents could ‘give her away’.

Ginny desperately wants Stephanie as a friend, but Stephanie only wants to play with American children. Both Ginny and Stephanie were born under the year of the dragon and when Stephanie spies a very valuably jade green dragon in Ginny’s house, she convinces Ginny to ‘lend’ it to her. Ginny knows her mama would be very angry, but if this is the only way to secure a friend, Ginny feels she must do it. Dire consequences arise, and at first the friendship is ruined, but can compassion, caring and a shared culture seal a fractured bond? Ginny hopes so.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second-grader Ginny learns the hard way that you can't buy friends with things, and learns the meaning of real friendship. I especially liked the two main characters--Ginny (Xin Mei), a girl with traditional Chinese parents who was born in America and brought up with Chinese ways, and Stephanie, born in China but adopted by white American parents and brought up with American ways. Each yearns to be like the other, but in the end find a way to integrate both their cultures into one. An outstanding multicultural book, recommended from middle elementary on up.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A former high school classmate of mine co-wrote this book, so my opinion might be biased, but I liked this story about a first generation Chinese-American girl growing up in the suburbs of DC. It’s true that I appreciated seeing details of my own childhood in the story, but I also thought it was very relatable to any child who’s ever felt out of place because he/she is different.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Chinese-American girl has a hard time finding friends until she meets Stephanie. Desperate for Stephanie's acceptance, she trades her most precious belonging--a jade dragon--for a toy of Stephanie's.

[Cara Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the least kooky junior fiction I have read in a long time - thus there's less appeal to someone who's no longer the target audience. But it's a good little story for those who are, and the Issues aren't overstated.

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in Year 6, and found it extremely good. Goes to show that just because someone is the same nationality doesn't always mean they will be your very best friend.

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ginny is an American born Chinese girl struggling to find a friend just like her. Stephanie is a Chinese born adopted American girl who wishes she was blond like her parents. When they become friends, Ginny is willing to give Stephanie anything to be her best friend. Both learn some very valuable lessons about who they are.

[Channelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

All I can remember bout this one was answering the homework questions and it asked me to describe the character and the multiple choice answer was that the girl had yellow skin and slanted eyes. Hm...

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found it in the bookshelf randomly. A good middle-grade story about identity.

[Ginnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aw.
Ginny is a second grade American-Chinese girl in Virginia in the 80's.

This is a sweet story of her friendship eith another girl, and learning to embrace their culture.

[Stasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been years since I read this... It made me cry all over again!! There's quite a bit of emotion packed in this little book!!

[Potato · Rating 3 out of 5]

i didn't love this book but i remember we had it at home and the girl looked like me. also the duck neck at the restaurant and feeling embarrassed was something i remember resonating with.

[Lüdi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book years ago (probably when I was around the same age as the second grade girls in the book) and for whatever reason it's one of those books that always stuck with me. It has its flaws but it's a cute little story that sparked a lot of nostalgia for me

[Barbara Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of two second grade Chinese girls struggling to find their identity. Ginny was born in America and is being raised by Chinese parents who follow traditional customs and live out their Chinese culture. Stephanie, on the other hand, was born in China and has been adopted by white, Anglo-Saxon parents and does everything possible to avoid anything that associates her with being Chinese.

When Ginny arrives at school for the new year, she is delighted to find that this year there is another Chinese girl in her all white school. Stephanie tries to avoid her because she does not like being “different.” Ginny tries her best to make friends and finally succeeds because Stephanie’s mother would like her daughter to be exposed to her Chinese culture. When Stephanie visits Ginny, her mother is insulted because Stephanie won’t even try to eat Chinese food. Stephanie wants to play with blonde haired dolls and American toys. She makes fun of Ginny for wearing a traditional Chinese dress, and makes Ginny feel bad that her mother refuses to allow her to wear a party dress like that of Stephanie. As the girls get to know each other better, they exchange secrets. Ginny admits that she does not always like eating Chinese food, learning Chinese calligraphy and eating traditional Chinese foods. Stephanie admits that sometimes she wishes that she were not adopted and that she lived in China so that her parents would look like her. It is so hard to deal with the stares of people who see her walking with her American parents. The two girls trade gifts. Ginny is terrified that her mother will discover she has given her jade good luck dragon to Stephanie. At one point the girls become so close that they wear matching friendship necklaces, but that friendship is threatened when Stephanie becomes jealous of Ginny’s new talents learned in Chinese school. Will these two girls who seem to have so much in common find a common bond to develop and nurture their friendship?

This story is set in the 1980′s which does make some of the variables a bit different. I do believe the conflicts and struggles do present many similar challenges in the twenty first century, even though the times present us with more diversification in schools and communities. The story still speaks to immigrant and adopted children who are coping with similar situations. Targeted reading audience is age seven through ten. The one hundred sixty page book might present an independent reading challenge for children at the lower end of that range even though it is written fairly well and the vocabulary is generally not too difficult. Dialogue seems appropriate and flows well. There is a glossary with Chinese language expressions at the end for interested readers. This book will make a great addition to elementary classroom multicultural libraries.

[Madeleine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know...this book is just too adorable. I am on a kick of rereading old children's books that I remembering LOVING and this was definitely one of them.
This novella is the story of Ginny, the American-born daughter of Chinese immigrants who befriends Stephanie, the adopted, Chinese-born daughter of white American parents. It's reminiscent of a lot of the books and stories I like now: Digging to America, "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan, really anything by Amy Tan... I love learning about Chinese culture and stories about the Asian American experience and this is
still a book that is right up my alley.

My issue is that Stephanie is quite simply an unlikable character...when I read this when I was nine I remember thinking very distinctly "Why's that b*tch Stephanie taking Ginny's jade dragon?!?" and I hate to say it even though I believe I've matured since fourth grade my reaction was kind of the same this time around. When they reconciled instead of feeling the power of friendship that knows no bounds of culture or background I was all, "WHAT THE LITERAL F**K? STEPHANIE IS SO MANIPULATIVE!!!!! GIIINNNYYY!!! IN SECOND GRADE IT'S A JADE DRAGON IN TWELFTH GRADE IT'S YOUR BOYFRIEND!!!" Stephanie also admitted to stealing stuff in a store and stole Ginny's dragon...I'm not saying pathological liar/kleptomaniac but...

I did have a genuine issue with how adoption was portrayed as well--I tried to understand that this was probably a very genuine and true-to-life view of what a 7-year-old or what some adults might think of adoption but with the book trying to heap on other lessons this seemed too much based in the author's opinion rather than an objective reporting of generational attitudes towards adoption.

THAT BEING SAID...Also can we discuss what total BAMFs Ginny's parents are because I would actually rather a book about them.

Having read other books written by the same co-author, I think although I'm fond of this for introducing me to that section of the library shelf (And also for Ginny's mother who is the bomb.com), I ultimately prefer others by the author like When Heaven Fell.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are some great ideas discussed in this book: Chinese American girls who wish they were Caucasian and adopted Chinese American girls who wish they were Caucasian like their adopted parents. But the book is filled with stereotypes - the Chinese Tiger Mother and the over indulgent adoptive mother. And some of the language is dated and hurtful, particularly the use of "real" pertaining to parents.

"Your friend may have all those things, Ah Mei, but you have your real Chinese parents."

"Sometimes I don't like to even see Chinese people...When I see them, I think of my real parents."

"Was MaMa planning to give her away, just as Stephanie's parents had given her away?"

I kept waiting for the authors to reveal that they understand that adoptive and biological parents are both actually "real" parents. And to explain this to their young readers. And not to plant the "given her away" without exploring that a little. I found this book really irresponsible. I had really high hopes and it did lead to a lot of discussion between me and my daughter. Ultimately, this book could (and should) have been so much better.

[Kristy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt very much like Peiling and the Chicken Fried Christmas. Ah Mei or Ginny is a first generation American. When she steps through the door of her house, the life she experiences is very Chinese, including the way her family celebrate holidays. Ah Mei's desire to be accepted by a Chinese girl in her class, adopted by and raised by white parents, results in some bad choices on her part. The themes and experiences are all too common and make me reluctant to pick up another story about a Chinese-American. Ultimately, the intended audience wouldn't be able to sit still for this story and surely wouldn't be able read it themselves.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read this as an investigation into immigration. The main character, Ginny, is the child of immigrants who is set on becoming best friends with a girl who moves in that looks just like her. The look into the life of the next generation after immigration and the challenges they face was interesting. What makes someone American? What makes someone Chinese? What is true friendship. Lost of interesting discussions to be had.

[Hadley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book isn't the sort of thing i read normally. It is about a young girl who struggles with the prospect of wanting to be more like her new friend, who is an adopted chinese girl with american parents, and is more adapted to the culture. And still wanting to be like her parents, her mother ( who has lived in China almost her whole life) is against her new friendship at first.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book about friendship, differences of cultures, and a little bit of adoption. The Jade Dragon is about a second grader named Virginia, who is Chinese both culturally and hereditary, and a new girl at school named Stephanie, who is Chinese heritage, but is adopted by Americans. It was interesting to see the weaving of the book.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The jade dragon was amazing!
It talks about trying to be friends isn't giving toys they like. Especially when it's a special jade.
But Ginny didn't think about that. She only thought about making friends with the new girl in her class. She looked like a chinese girl, but her parents were American, so Ginny was really confused.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of culture in The Jade Dragon was surprisingly sophisticated, considering its main character is so young. It was a little off-putting to see so much negativity surrounding the idea of adoptive parents, even if it was unintentional.

A short, uplifting read.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

My kids didn't like this book. I didn't really care for it either. It gave a small lesson on being who you are in a friendship. Too much negative language.

[Estelle Acosta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book ever. its a very cute book to read for girls.

[Leah Lemon]

Boring...