Asian and Pasifika Voices: Books for Middle Grade

Alternates three interrelated stories about the problems of young Chinese Americans trying to participate in the popular culture. Presented in comic book format.

Keiko, Audrey, and Jenna have always been best friends, and Keiko desperately wants it to stay that way, but now they are starting seventh grade, and everything seems to be changing; Audrey is obsessed with the idea of them all securing boyfriends, but when she and Jenna focus on the same boy their friendship starts to break apart--and then Keiko finds herself attracted to Audrey's brother, Conner (who has generally been cast as the enemy), and suddenly...

Chloe Cho is a Korean American seventh-grader who would like to get in touch with many of the aspects of her heritage, but her parents are unwilling to talk about it--then when a class assignment forces Chloe to confront them directly, they finally tell her the truth about her family, which may just be too much for one girl to handle.

"Eleven-year-old Thom Ngho is keeping a secret: she's strong. Like suuuuper strong. Freakishly strong. And it's making it impossible for her to fit in at her new middle school. In a desperate bid to get rid of her super strength, Thom makes a deal with the Monkey King, a powerful deity and legendary trickster she accidentally released from his 500-year prison sentence. Thom agrees to help the Monkey King get back his magical staff if he'll take away...

As the only Indian American kid in her small town, Lekha Divekar feels like she has two versions of herself: Home Lekha, who loves watching Bollywood movies and eating Indian food, and School Lekha, who pins her hair over her bindi birthmark and avoids confrontation at all costs, especially when someone teases her for being Indian. When a girl Lekha's age moves in across the street, Lekha is excited to hear that her name is Avantika and she's Desi,...

"A Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her family's vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school after tragedy strikes her community"-- A Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her family's vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school. After her local mosque if vandalized, she is devastated. Her friend Soojin is talking about changing her name. Does Amina need to become more "American"...

Twelve-year-old Scirye and her companions travel to Houlani, a new Hawaiian island created by magic, where they enlist the help of volcano goddess Pele in an attempt to stop an evil dragon and a mysterious man from altering the universe.

After being sold as a bride to a wealthy family that treats her poorly, eleven-year-old Jing, with the help of her animal friends, runs away.

After a family tragedy results in the loss of both father and home, 12-year-old Nora lives with her mother in Manila's North Cemetery, which is the largest shantytown of its kind in the Philippines today. When her mother disappears mysteriously one day, Nora is left alone. With help from her best friend Jojo and the support of his kindhearted grandmother, Nora embarks on a journey riddled with danger in order to find her mom. Along the way she also...