AAPI Reads for Older KidsLike this list

14 items

• Amina's Song

  Khan, Hena,

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  "A monthlong family trip to Pakistan wraps up as summer ends. Although the trip was dotted with moments when she didn't feel Pakistani enough, as Amina returns home to Wisconsin it's as though she's leaving a piece of her heart behind. Seventh grade…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Finding Junie Kim

  Oh, Ellen,

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  "Following a series of racist incidents at her largely white middle school, including graffiti targeting Black, Jewish, and Asian students, Korean American student Junie Kim, 12, falls out with her friend group and into a fatalistic spiral,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Legend of Auntie Po

  Khor, Shing Yin,

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  "In 1885, following the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese American Mei, 13, works alongside her father at a California logging camp, feeding 100 white lumberjacks and 40 Chinese workers. In her free time, Mei regales the women and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• We Belong

  Everman, Cookie Hiponia,

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  "Half-Filipino, half-white Stella, nine, and her younger sister Luna request a bedtime story from their mother, Elsie Aguila. Elsie tells the Tagalog myth of Mayari, goddess of the moon, and her siblings, Apolaki and Tala—god and goddess of the sun…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Many Meanings of Meilan

  Wang, Andrea,

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  "Meilan Hua's family runs a bakery in Boston's Chinatown, but when the family fractures, Meilan, her parents, and her grandfather move to small-town Ohio in search of a fresh start. At her new school, the principal decides it's best for Meilan to go…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• That Thing About Bollywood

  Kelkar, Supriya, 1980-

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  "As far as 11-year-old Sonali is concerned, 'feeling nothing is better than feeling sad or angry or crushed.' She works hard to maintain a posture of impassivity, no matter the occasion or the emotion it warrants. This is ironic, considering her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Boys in the Back Row

  Jung, Mike,

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  "Matt feels he can handle anything sixth grade dishes out so long as he has his best friend, Eric. But when Eric learns his family is moving at the end of the school year, Matt's world is rocked. The friends cook up one last adventure that will…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Unsettled

  Faruqi, Reem,

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  "At home in Karachi, Pakistan, Nurah Haqq enjoys a life surrounded by family, friends, and visits to the ocean. A perfect day at the beach becomes the worst day when Nurah's father announces that he has accepted a job offer in America. Her immediate…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Shape of Thunder

  Warga, Jasmine,

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  "Twelve-year-old Cora's older sister, Mabel, was killed in a school shooting; Cora's best friend Quinn's older brother was the shooter. Told in alternating perspectives, this novel chronicles Cora and Quinn's desperate attempt to unlock the secret…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Measuring Up

  LaMotte, Lily,

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  "Newly transplanted to Seattle, 12-year-old Cici does her best to blend in at her new middle school, even though she misses her beloved A-má, her paternal grandmother who she left back in Taiwan. Cici is desperate to bring her grandmother to America…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Girl Giant and the Monkey King

  Hoang, Van, 1989-

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  "After moving to a new town with her mother and leaving her best friend behind, 11-year-old Thom Ngoh adjusts to life in a new middle school, where she struggles to make friends and, afraid of being teased, finds herself hiding her Vietnamese…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Stargazing

  Wang, Jen, 1984-

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  "With her surreal drawings, her penchant for bright nail polish, her lax study habits, and her inability to speak Chinese, Moon Li is nothing like the other kids in her Chinese American community. And she couldn't be more different from…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Front Desk

  Yang, Kelly,

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  "Through the story of fifth-grader Mia Tang, readers experience the courage, hard work, and dreams of a young Chinese immigrant. A small room behind the office of the Calivista Motel is home for Mia and her parents. Hired by the rich, coal-hearted…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Red, White, and Whole

  LaRocca, Rajani,

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  "It's 1983, and 13-year-old Indian American Reha feels caught between two worlds. Monday through Friday, she goes to a school where she stands out for not being White but where she has a weekday best friend, Rachel, and does English projects with…Read moreRead more of this annotation