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The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin

Summary

It’s the Chinese Year of the Dog. The Year of the Dog is considered a good year for friends and "finding oneself." Pacy starts right away to search for her talent and make new friends but doesn’t find it easy going. After a struggle to find her talent and learning to cope with disappointment, Pacy makes a new friend and learns that the year of the dog was a lucky one after all!

Booktalk

If you’ve been to a Chinese restaurant you may have seen a placemat about the Chinese Zodiac. It’s the Asian calendar that uses 12 animals to describe what the year will be like. This book is about the Year of the Dog and Chinese-American girl named Pacy. While helping her mother prepare for the Chinese New Year dinner party, Pacy learns what the Year of the Dog means. It’s a good year to find a best friend because dogs are man’s best friend. Dogs are faithful, so during this year friends and family will be important. And dogs are also honest and sincere, so it’s a good year to decide what you value and want to do with your life. In other words, learning what talent you have. Pacy immediately starts to search for that her talent, the one thing that will set her apart from everyone else. Is she able to sleep standing up like her mother did when she was young? Could she be the first Chinese Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz or become a great scientist and win the science fair? Or maybe she could write a book and become rich? To find out which of these possibilities might be true for Pacy read The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin.

134 pages, 3-5th grade.

Discussion questions

Warning! Some of the questions contain key elements of the plot. Do not read if you don't want to know what happens!

  1. When does the Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) occur? Is it the same day every year? How is it different from New Years Day?
  2. What are some of Pacy’s family traditions? What traditions are important to you and your family?
  3. Pacy and Melody become best friends. What is similar about their backgrounds?
  4. What did Pacy and Melody learn from their science fair project, even though it was flawed?
  5. Pacy decides not to try out for the part of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz because she’s Asian. Do you think it was a good reason? How you feel if you were Pacy?
  6. What was your favorite story about Pacy’s family? Do you have a favorite story from your family?
  7. Do you know in what lunar year you were born? What are the characteristics of that year? Does it describe you well?
  8. Pacy doesn’t speak Taiwanese or Chinese and girls at camp made fun of her. Why do you think they did? Was this right? How would you feel if you were Grace?
  9. What did Pacy decide was her talent? What is your talent?

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