Shanghai Messenger

by Andrea Cheng, Ed Young (Illustrator)

"You are my messenger. Look everything. Remember." Grandma Nai Nai tells eleven-year-old Xiao Mei as the girl heads off to Shanghai, China, to visit their extended family. Xiao Mei is both excited and apprehensive. She will meet many new relatives, but will they accept her, a girl from America who is only half Chinese?

Xiao Mei is eagerly embraced by her aunties, uncles and cousins and quickly immersed in the sights, smells and hubbub of daily living in Shanghai. At first battling homesickness, Xiao Mei soon ventures on her own, discovering the excitement of a different way of life and a new appreciation of her Chinese heritage. When it is finally time to leave, Xiao Mei must gather up her memories and bring "a little bit of China" back home.

Ed Young's exquisite drawings touchingly highlight Andrea Cheng's lyrical story of adventure, self-discovery, and the strong bonds that tie families together.

Genres: Picture Books, China, Asian Literature, Middle Grade, Poetry, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

First published August 11, 2005

About the author

Andrea Cheng is a Hungarian-American children's author and illustrator. The child of Hungarian immigrants, she was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio in an extended family with three generations under one roof. Her family spoke Hungarian and English at home. After graduating with a BA in English from Cornell University, she went to Switzerland, where she apprenticed to a bookbinder, attended a school of bookbinding called The Centro del Bel Libro, and learned French. Upon her return, she returned to Cornell to study Chinese and earned an MS in linguistics. Now she teaches English as a Second Language at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. Her children’s books include Grandfather Counts, Marika, The Key Collection, Honeysuckle House, Where the Steps Were, The Bear Makers, and Brushing Mom’s Hair. With her husband, Jim Cheng, she has three children: Nicholas, Jane, and Ann.

Reviews

[Jamierin Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book, I had to examine my own being and my own culture because I realized that certain aspects of my life were similar to what the main character faced. She comes from a Chinese American background and she visits her family in Shanghai for the first time ever. This is definitely something that I would describe as a feel good story because there is no extreme emotion that this makes you feel. Instead you feel happy for the main character because she faces her fears of potentially feeling out of place when she reaches Shanghai and then she starts to enjoy her time there. She loves being in Shanghai with her mom’s side of her family so much that she never wants to leave. She wants to stay there forever because she is having such an amazing time. This is a book that I would use as a read aloud because I feel like a lot of my students would be able to relate to it. Nowadays a lot of students are biracial or multiracial and they sometimes do not know how to identify themselves. Students would be able to relate to the main character because she even doubted if her relatives would even accept her since she is only half Chinese.

[Gabe Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting perspective of mixing cultures and the idea of being excepted into another one. I think the story of this book is very interesting and takes a unique look at how this can effect children and people who are trying to create a connection with all parts of their family. Overall, a very interesting taking on the blending of cultures with a clear message and solid artistry makes this a solid children's book.

[Michala Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredibly sweet book, and I loved how it showed the shift in perspective from anxiety to comfort. Honestly, it reminded me of my experience visiting the Philippines and meeting people who were my family and yet I'd never met them before. All in all, this is definitely a book I would keep for an elementary classroom.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Text layout like a poem, but really short stories encapsulating a hapa girl's experiences visiting relatives back in China, and the feelings and sensations of both worlds.

[Camden Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about Xiao Mei who is homesick. The story is told in a series of poems. The pictures are beautiful.

[Tami · Rating 3 out of 5]

After finishing this gem of a book I am anxious to share it with young readers as a read-aloud selection. The story revolves around a young girl living in Ohio whose mother is Chinese and whose father is not. She has just turned eleven and has been invited to travel to Shanghai to visit the rest of her mother and grandmother’s family in China.

Told in free verse with the characteristically engaging illustrations of Ed Young, Xiao Mei is not sure she wants to travel such a long distance by herself to a destination where she knows no one and only a few words of the Chinese language.

Her anxiety about the trip is portrayed in genuine and accessible language. Readers will identify easily with her unease at traveling such a long distance alone and her fear of being unable to communicate in a place totally unfamiliar to her.

She discovers she is able to identify with the feeling of family she experiences through her relatives. Although the physical customs and circumstances are different than those at home, her family values remain constant half a world away. Her fear slowly transforms into a wonder, appreciation for and joy in both the people she meets and the differences in food, language, history and scenery China offers.

Her visit also strengthens her appreciation for her grandmother, who moved from China to the United States many years ago. She even finds upon her return home that she misses her aunts and uncles, and the sounds of the streets in Shanghai.

The story is one that takes the reader on a journey of discovery: a discovery of family history, personal connections from our past and our present. Just as importantly, I think it is also a journey of independence. A young girl’s growing confidence in her own ability to learn and experience new things, a sense of accomplishment with which we can all identify.

**An extra note for readers is a pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book (rather that the end) to the Chinese words in the story. I found this extremely helpful for myself and I intend to use it when I read it aloud to students.

[Elizabeth Byers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about a young 11 year old chinese girl who lives in America with her Mother, Father, Brother, and Grandmother. Her name was Xiao Mei and now that she was old enough, she would soon be taking her first trip to China to meet the rest of her family. Although Xiao Mei is eager to please her family by embarking on this journey, she doesn’t really want to go. She doesn’t want to leave her family in America to see people she’s never met before, and she doesn’t want to go by herself, but she has to because her family only has enough money for one plane ticket. Xiao Mei’s grandma tells her she has a choice to go or not, but her grandma, Nai Nai, shows Xiao Mei their family tree and tells how much it would mean to her if she went. Xiao Mei, still reluctant, says she will go. Nai Nai was so happy about Xiao Mei’s decision and tells her to look at everything and take everything in when she is there. The story tells about Xiao Mei’s experience of going to the airport, and finally arriving in China. When she got there, she was overwhelmed with her family wanting to meet her. However the first few weeks she was there, she missed home a lot and had problem with jet lag. After the homesickness dimmed a little, she was able to have a bunch of rich experiences encountering various aspects of daily life in China, seeing the market places, all the way to visiting the chinese gardens. Finally when it was time for her to return to America, she started to miss her family that she had bonded with in China. She brought back all kinds of things from her journey and shared them with her family. At the end of the book, Xiao Mei’s brother is intrigued with all that she had experienced and seen and he say’s he cannot wait till he turns 11 so he can go to China just like his sister. This book could be used in a classroom through teaching the lesson of responsibility and traveling. It would be a great book to do a lesson on family and different cultural beliefs and values since it is a multicultural book.

Young, A. Shanghai messenger. (2005). New York, NY.: Lee & low books inc.

[Mylinh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about a half Chinese girl who goes to China to visit her extended family. It details the many culture differences she encounters and her gradual change of feelings about her Chinese ancestry. I felt an affinity to Xiao Mei, being bi-racial as well, and was entranced by her story. The poem-like sections make it an easy read to get through and might lend itself well to being read out loud in a classroom with students. A great book to read about Chinese culture, ancestry, and the idea of culture shock.


From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6–Eleven-year-old Xiao Mei is on her way to China to meet her extended family. She was initially reluctant to make the trip, wondering if she would be accepted because she is only half Chinese, but her grandmother, Nai Nai, tells stories of family members that pique her curiosity. Xiao Mei agrees to be Nai Nai's messenger, and to Look everything./Remember. Once in Shanghai, the girl is warmly welcomed, and begins to learn about and appreciate her heritage. She makes wontons with Auntie, visits gardens where her great-grandfather's words are carved in the archways, and participates in morning Tai Chi exercises. When Xiao Mei returns home to Ohio after a week, she takes gifts, including a fan painted by an uncle that brings a little bit of China to America. Cheng does an admirable job of capturing this experience from the perspective of a child, and each free-verse chapter is brief but satisfying. With the exception of one spread illustrating the Tai Chi exercises, Young's illustrations delicately intertwine with the text, gently supporting each vignette. This is a superb book, capturing both the excitement and adventure of Xiao Mei's trip, as well as her realization that family ties can bridge great distances.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew immediately that I was going to love this book. The title and the gorgeously illustrated cover were enough to tell me that. I was not disappointed. The illustrations remained beautiful and touching throughout the whole of the book, and the story itself was absolutely lovely.

It's an unfortunate fact that, even today, life can be very difficult for children of mixed American families. Often times, these children feel as if they have enough of each culture so as not to fit in anywhere. In America,they are foreign; in their "other" country, they are American. I have seen it happen time and time again that children will reject their non-American half, turning away from it, wanting to have nothing to do with it.

It is for this very reason that the existence of stories like "Shanghai Messenger" is so important. As the reader reads the story of Xao Mei's voyage to China, seeing how she slowly integrates and learns to cherish her Chinese half, he will come to understand that it is possible to be two different things at once. Just as Xao Mei comes to terms with the fact that, while she is American, she is also Chinese, readers of mixed background will learn that it is okay, and even a positive thing, to embrace their other culture as Xao Mei does.

This book might just be a necessity for parents of mixed children to read with their children. It will also be great in classrooms with mixed children. I firmly believe that it will help teacher to show children not only how to accept themselves but also how to accept those that may be different from them.

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

APALA HONORABLE MENTION FOR TEXT IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE (2005)

Format:Picture book
Age level: Upper elementary
Protagonist: Xiao Mei, an eleven-year-old girl

Review:
Shanghai Messenger is about Xiao Mei, an eleven-year-old girl born in America. Her family, however, is from China. This story tells about Xiao Mei's first trip to China, where she gets to meet her relatives.

I was not a big fan of this book, even though the story itself was fine. There was a lot of information shared about Chinese culture that was told to the reader through Xiao Mei's thoughts and experiences, and I liked that. However, the format was free verse poetry. The poems, in my opinion, were very poorly written. It was as if the author wrote a paragraph and then hit "enter" to make it look like a poem. The only thing stopping this book from being a regular story was the lack of transitions.

The illustrations were nothing special, except for a beautiful two-page spread of a group of people in a park practicing Tai Chi. A glossary with pronunciations is included at the beginning of the book.

The story behind this book would be good for any students who want to explore their heritage. Xiao Mei learned to love things about her Chinese experiences while also coming to appreciate some of her unique American experiences. This book could also be used to introduce life in China, to talk about extended families, and to discuss bi-racial lives.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very authentic in its portrayal of the experiences of a Chinese-American girl. May learns more about her Chinese heritage when she visits her Auntie in Shanghai. She moves from being fearful and reluctant to participate in the experience to feeling like she is leaving a part of herself in China. I have several close Asian friends who have described similar emotions to me, so I know that the authentic appeal is there. Even more interesting is the fact that the author herself is not Chinese – she wrote the book from her husband’s accounts and also from her experience of visiting her Hungarian family as a child.

This would be a good example to show students that poetry necessarily doesn’t have to rhyme. The book could very well have been written in prose format, but the author chose to break it into the format of poetry. Acceptance of different cultural experiences could be taught with this. Students from mixed backgrounds or cultures different from the mainstream will really be able to appreciate the way the character feels like she is living in two separate worlds.

The pictures are simple but interesting, and they help add to the Chinese feel of the narrative. The story is easy to follow and emotional but not overly dramatic. I think any child who is interested in learning more about other cultures would be interested in this one.

[Mercedes Enciso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheng, A., & Young, E. (2005). Shanghai messenger. New York: Lee & Low Books.

Shanghai Messenger is a great cultural book about a girl named Xiao Mei. Xiao Mei is half American and half Chinese. Xiao Mei is frightened when she is presented with the choice of going to Shanghai to visit her aunts, uncles, and cousins. At first, Xiao Mei is not too sure about going because she does not want to go by herself. She is also not prepared to be homesick. But most importantly, Xiao Mei is not too sure if she will be judged and started at for being only half Chinese, and not full. Xiao Mei makes the decision to go after all and, after warming up to her family, she enjoys her time in Shanghai and is sad when she has to return back to the United States. I wish this book could have had more stories on Chinese culture and tradition rather than really focusing on what Xiao Mei was doing while on vacation. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I still learnt a few Chinese words and a little bit of Chinese culture and traditions. In the classroom, the students could write about their cultural background and make some sort of poster with pictures of cultural traditions like; food, dancing, celebrations, families and so on. This would be a great learning opportunity for students because they would be able to see many different cultures.

[Keani Meier · Rating 3 out of 5]

:
Xiao Mei an eleven year old girl gets invited to visit her extended family in Shanghai China. Xiao Mei is from Ohio and is half Chinese and half American. At first she is too scared to go, but as she learns more about her family from her grandmother she decides to go. When she is in Shanghai she gets a warm welcome from her extended family and gets to learn everything about her family. She learns how to make Chinese food, meets her ancestors, goes to school and learns to love china. But soon she has to go back home. With the gifts she brings over and the stores she can tell its like bring a bit of china back home.
I can use this in a class room as a way to job in to family history ask the students to do research on their own background and share that to the class
Make a list on what is American? And how are we all American? What is defined as American?
make a venn diagram and explore Chinese american vs Indian american or Mexican american
what does it mean to be 2 or more cultures as a class discussion
the book itself is great, it is a story through poems and cute little art works that fit so well with the text.
Cheng, Andrea. (2005) Shanghai messenger. Illus. by Ed Young. New York: Lee and Low Books.

[Shu Xiao · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about a 11-year-old half-Chinese half-American girl's first trip to Shanghai. Serving as her grandma's messenger, she was reluctant at first. But with the help of her loving relatives, she gradually got accustomed to the life in China. I like that the Chinese lifestyle reflected in the book is mostly true. It's not one of those books that try to overwhelm you with a strong sense of national pride. There is no drama in the book. It's just daily life yet you can sense the subtle emotional change of the protagonist and feel the cultural shock she experienced. I also like that the book keeps some basic oral expression in Chinese pinyin and before the story starts you can learn these Chinese expressions. I think this is neat. Wonder how American readers would feel about this. There are several errors in the book that make the plot inconsistent. I wonder if it's because the author isn't really a half-Chinese half-American herself therefore there were some mistakes with fact check. Ed Young's illustrations are very exquisite and appropriate. Only thing is that sometimes the illustration doesn't exactly match the text. Wish someone could fix that in the future.

[Nyna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shanghai Messenger is a rather confusing story. I understand that it is broken into bits, but they do not seem to flow together. There is no passage of time and no real problem or conflict that lasts more than an instant. I do, however, like that there the pictures help the reader understand what is going on and how May is seeing things. It is difficult for someone not of May’s background to picture things from her point of view. It is also helpful because there aren’t many descriptions of people or what should be pictured. Children, especially, are unlikely to be able to picture a place that they’ve never seen before; such as China. As a multicultural book, it helps bridge a gap between American and Chinese life quite well. It is also helpful to have translations at the beginning of the book. That being said, why have them if the translations follow directly after in the book itself? All around, it is not my favorite book – it never excited me. As a multicultural book, I appreciate it though.

[Gabbie Capote · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book talks about characters Grandma Nai Nai that tells her granddaughter that us eleven who heads off to Shanghai, China to visit family and that she will be her messenger. She is nervous about going since she is only half Chinese. Xiao Mei suffers a bit with homesickness, and then slowly begins to get information and appreciate her Chinese culture. When she leaves she feels like she is locking memories of having little of China back. This book shows how many students can be struggling to find self-identity. Xiao Mei is half Chinese and it’s understandable to lose your culture and need to find it. The boom it set up in an interesting way that it a bit confusing. This book talks about the Chinese culture which educates on it and helps you to see the other student’s culture that they may not even be aware of. This book can be used to teach another culture and teach students the importance of other cultures and how they are different.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Chinese American girl journeys to Shaghai, China to meet her extended family. Part travel journal, part family reunion this tale is told in free verse poetry combined with illustrations rendered in pastel, ink, dye, charcoal, and Conte crayon.

This would be an interesting book for discussion with upper elementary school students, possibly for use in a study of the country China. I liked the changes the main character underwent from apprehension to homesick to missing her relatives back in China.

The struggles the main character endures with being half Chinese, half American felt very authentic. This would make an interesting recommendation for young readers who are also of mixed heritage.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eleven-year-old Xiao Mei is sent to Shanghai for a couple of weeks to meet her Chinese relatives. I wanted to like this more, as I generally enjoy Andrea Cheng's writing. However, I felt this novel in verse should have been much longer, and gone into more detail about Xiao Mei's reaction to meeting all her relatives in Shanghai, and her experiences there. For example, at one point she is sick with a fever, but no explanation is offered as to what it was. Ed Young's paintings, of course, certainly enhanced the story, which was good but should have been more fleshed out.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

May Johnson [Xiao Mei] (11) travels from Ohio to China to meet her mother's family. She experiences the expected parts of a travel book such as home sickness, sightseeing, and meeting new people but also has some unexpected ones such as taking a moped to do laundry, trying tai chi, and cooking wantons on a hotplate in a hallway.

I'm a sucker for hot plates.

A pleasant, documented trip to China with breathy illustrations that focuses on description. Can't say I was that drawn into it but I didn't see any faults either.

[Xiaohui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Xiao Mei, or May in English, went to China for the first time, grudgingly, to visit her family there and to be a messenger for Nai Nai (grandma). Like May in Tea With Milk, Mei disliked China at first and thought herself “half and half everywhere in the world.” But later she loved this country and her family there and missed them when she came back to America. Lives in China are well recounted realistically by the 11-year-old messenger.

[Tonia Sandersfeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in verse and framed by the red pattern of lines that you see on the cover, the book tells the story of a young American born girl who goes to visit her family in China. Her father is not Chinese, so she worries that she will feel like she doesn't belong in China, but admits that sometimes she already feels that way in Ohio too. Ed Young's soft illustrations add to the beauty of the story.

[Cws]

JEAROS3-Che Being Chinese in two countries

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the point of view of the story. Interesting and easy to read.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about China. Told through the eyes if an 11 year old girl from America who is sent to visit her Chinese relatives in Shanghai.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing expressive art with lyrical verse to match.