Most Popular Books by Laurence Yep

THE STORY: At the turn of the century, a young boy living in China with his mother, travels to San Francisco, California, Land of the Golden Mountain, to be with his father, Windrider, a kite maker who immigrated there a few years earlier to take

On the planet Harmony, Tyree and his people are fighting to survive. In this richly inventive novel, acclaimed children''s author Yep creates a haunting and powerful story set in a future world. Illustrations.

"Culled from 69 stories collected in a [1930s] WPA project, [these 20] tales are organized into sections with themes like ''Tricksters'' or ''Virtues and Vices,'' each with a thoughtful introduction placing the individual stories in the context of feelings and background of the original tellers. Yep''s telling is vigorous, often poetic, imbued with earthy humor and realism touched with fatalism. A handsomely designed collection." —K. Notable Children''s Books of 1989 (ALA) The USA Through Children''s Books 1990 (ALA) 1989 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Nonfiction 1990 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book) 1989 Children''s Editors'' Choices (BL) Notable 1989 Children''s Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC) Children''s Books of 1989 (Library of Congress) 1989 Children''s Books (NY Public Library) "The Best Books" 1989 (Parents Magazine)

Twelve-year-old Casey is waiting for the day that Barney, her father, hits it big -- ''cause when that horse comes in, he tells her, it''s the penthouse suite. But then hr ends up in the hospital, and Casey is sent to Chinatown to live with her grandmother, Paw-Paw. Now the waiting seems longer than ever. Casey feels lost in Chinatown. She''s not prepared for the Chinese school, the noisy crowds, missing her father. But Paw-Paw tells her about the mother Casey never knew, and about her family''s owl charm and her true Chinese name. And Casey at last begins to understand that this -- Paw-Paw''s Chinatown home, her parents'' home -- is her home,too.

If you asked her, Robin would say that ballet means everything to her. But no one''s asking Robin. Not her parents, who can no longer afford ballet lessons because all of their money is going toward bringing Robin''s Chinese grandmother to America. Not her grandmother, a demanding woman who can barely walk. And now, Robin is even losing touch with her ballet friends, who are moving on without her. It''s hard for Robin to hide her resentment of this foreign grandmother who''s changed her whole life. Then Robin uncovers a secret that leads to a new understanding of the many ways in which she and her tough old grandmother are alike. "An appealing story that draws readers into the world of ballet, while offering an authentic and sometimes amusing look at the dynamics of Chinese-American family life."—School Library Journal "Kids who appreciate a story about fighting for one''s dream will enjoy Robin''s saga."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children''s Books

Newbery Honor winner Laurence Yep draws upon his memories of growing up in San Francisco''s Chinatown to create an unusual story of sibling rivalry and self-discovery. When Teddy buys an alligator for his younger brother Bobby as a spiteful birthday present, he never imagines how much they will both come to love the beast.

Young Laurence didn''t really where he fit in. He thought of himself as American, especially since he didn''t speak Chinese and couldn''t understand his grandmother, who lived in Chinatown. But others saw him as different in the conformist American of the 1950s. In this engaging memoir, the two-time Newbery Honor author tells how writing helped him start to solve the puzzle.

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.

Did you want to go to America? Pop: Sure. I didn''t have a choice. My father said I had to go. So I went. Were you sad when you left your village? Pop: Maybe a little . . . well, maybe a lot. Ten-year-old Gim Lew Yep knows that he must leave his home in China and travel to America with the father who is a stranger to him. Gim Lew doesn''t want to leave behind everything that he''s ever known. But he is even more scared of disappointing his father. He uses his left hand, rather than the "correct" right hand; he stutters; and most of all, he worries about not passing the strict immigration test administered at Angel Island. The Dragon''s Child is a touching portrait of a father and son and their unforgettable journey from China to the land of the Golden Mountain. It is based on actual conversations between two-time Newbery Honor author Laurence Yep and his father and on research on his family''s immigration history by his niece, Dr. Kathleen S. Yep.

Angira is a primitive, violent planet -- and young Prince Vikram returns from Earth filled with new ideas. When Sulu and Spock accompany Vikram home, they walk into a bloodbath: reactionary forces, afraid of any modernization, have seized Vikram''s rightful throne. Suddenly the men from the Enterprise are on an underground journey with a Prince who is coming of age. The future of Angira is at stake, and each man''s survival depends on his skill -- and daring -- with a sword!

But now she''s living it. Amy feels like one of the evil stepsisters when her mother becomes an amah (a nanny) for Miss Stephanie. While her mother''s at work, Amy has to watch her younger brothers and sisters. That means missing ballet practices, which jeopardizes Amy''s role in the recital. And when Amy''s mother is home she can''t stop talking about how perfect Stephanie is-and how less than perfect Amy is. All Amy wants is for things to go back to the way they were before her father died, before her mother had to work. But maybe the solution to Amy''s problems lies not in changing the circumstances of her life, but in changing herself. Book jacket.

From a two-time Newbery Honor author comes a skillfully crafted historical novel of friendship, community, and acceptance. Illustrations.

Fifteen-year-old Joan Lee and her family find the adjustment hard when they move from Ohio to West Virginia in the 1920s.

A family crisis threatens Mia''s chance to compete in the Regional Ice Skating competition.

A retelling of seventeen Chinese American folktales from a variety of Chinese communities in the United States.

Best friends Cal and Barney are down and out in Chinatown. In the America of 1939, they are trapped by invisible barriers created by racial prejudice. With no jobs and no real homes, it''s only their wizardry with a basketball that''s let them survive this long. That same skill suddenly flings a door open to fame and fortune when a professional basketball team, the Dragons, invites them to join the team. Soon they''re barnstorming across America and taking on all comers—from local amateurs to other professional teams like the Harlem Globetrotters. On that long, difficult road, they must battle rowdy teams and their even rougher fans on makeshift courts. Cal, aka Flash, and the team must also overcome terrible weather, crumbling highways, and their own disintegrating car. As the tour starts to fall apart, the tension between Cal and the team''s jealous captain comes to a head. Suddenly Cal must choose between loyalty to his teammates and the pursuit of his own celebrity. Inspired by the pioneering professional Chinese American basketball team the Hong Wah Kues, Newbery Honor author Laurence Yep re-creates a colorful era of barnstorming basketball and leads readers through the heartache and glory of the dragon road.

In 531 A.D., a fifteen-year-old princess of the Hsien tribe in southern China keeps a diary which describes her role as liaison between her own people and the local Chinese colonists, in times of both peace and war.

Soon to be an animated movie! Don’t miss this middle grade fantasy adventure about a boy, a magical tiger, an outlaw dragon, and a mischievous monkey who carry the fate of the world on their shoulders. From two-time Newbery Honor-winning author Laurence Yep (Dragonwings, Dragon’s Gate), now with an all-new cover and introduction! Tom Lee’s life changes forever the day he meets a talking tiger named Mr. Hu and discovers that he has magical powers and great responsibilities that he never imagined. Despite his doubts and fears, Tom joins Mr. Hu’s ragtag band of creatures in their fight to keep an ancient talisman out of the hands of the worst possible enemy. This action-packed fantasy from two-time Newbery Honor-winning author Laurence Yep reveals a hidden world within our own where animals take human form, where friendship is the final weapon in the battle between good and evil, and where a young boy is responsible for saving the world he knows . . . and the one he is just discovering. This updated edition includes an all-new introduction by Laurence Yep!

Eight-year-old Henry and nine-year-old Chin love to read about heroes in popular "penny dreadful" novels, until they both witness real courage while trying to survive the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

The Weaving Maid wove robes of silk for Heaven, but when she met the Cowboy, she abandoned her loom to be with him. But Heaven would not allow this, and put the Milky Way in between them. Silk binds the lives of four girls from different generations with the fate of the Weaving Maid. Across a span of seventy-five years both in China and America, each girl shows the strength and courage of a dragon as she fights and sacrifices for the survival of her family and the pursuit of passion. In this masterfully woven conclusion to the series that includes two Newbery Honor Books, Dragonwings and Dragon’s Gate, award-winning author Laurence Yep brings the acclaimed Golden Mountain Chronicles full circle and pays tribute to the love of family, art, and heritage.

When a poor farmer falls into the clutches of a dragon, only Seven, his youngest daughter, will save him—by marrying the beast. Publishers Weekly praised "Yep''s elegant, carefully crafted storytelling" and Mak''s "skillfully and radiantly rendered illustrations" in this captivating and luminous Chinese variation of the beauty and the beast tale. A 1998 Notable Children''s Trade Book in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC) A 1997 Pick of the Lists (ABA)

Steve can hardly believe it. With his new paintbrush, whatever he paints becomes real. Now he, Grandfather, and Uncle Fong can wish for anything they want. Uncle Fong uses the paintbrush to return to China, to the village of his childhood, and Grandfather wants to visit the Lady on the Moon. Steve wonders if the paintbrush can bring his parents back. But they all soon realize the paintbrush might have its own agenda. .

An ex-movie star turned publicist, Auntie Tiger Lil can''t seem to stay away from the big screen''or from danger! When she takes her niece Lily to the set of TV''s hottest show, tempers flare and fuses ignite as a loaded gun finds its way into the scene. Somebody is trying to cause trouble, and everyone is suspect. Auntie Tiger Lil and a new cast of characters are once again in the enter of action as they travel from Chinatown to the dangerous Tenderloin District of San Francisco in search of clues. They follow a trail of firecrackers, gangs, bad food, and gambling to dead ends. How will they ever find the real culprit? 01-02 Young Hoosier Book Award Masterlist (Gr 4-6)

When Mia grows tired of skating in her brothers'' shadows, she decides to pursue her passion for figure skating.

On the morning of August 6, 1945, an American bomber, the Enola Gay, roars down the runway of the Pacific island, Tinian. Its target is Hiroshima, Japan. Its cargo is an atom bomb. The same morning, twelve-year-old Sachi and her classmates tear down houses. It is their way of contributing to the war effort. Suddenly, a teacher yells "B-29! B-29!" There is a blinding light like the sun, a boom like a giant drum. The Enola Gay has dropped an atom bomb over Hiroshima. Will Sachi ever see her family again? Book jacket.

Two-time Newbery Honor Award-winning author Laurence Yep returns with the action-packed sequel to the critically-acclaimed City of Fire From the islands of Hawaii, Scirye and her loyal companions pursue the villainous Mr. Roland and evil dragon Badik all the way to the city of Nova Hafnia in the Arctic Circle. With the help of a trader, Prince Tarkhun, and his daughter Roxanna, the companions chase their enemies into the vast and desolate Wastes. Scirye and her friends are determined to stop Mr. Roland from getting his hands on the second of the Five Lost Treasures of Emperor Yü, which will give him the power to alter the very fabric of the universe. But few who enter the Wastes ever return, and Scirye has no choice but to call on the spirit of the North for help. As wild and unpredictable as the Arctic itself, will the spirit turn out to be friend or foe?

Will the Lees celebrate Christmas? Everyone else in their small town in West Virginia is getting ready for Christmas, but Joan''s parents won''t let her and her siblings celebrate: Christmas is not Chinese. Then their father finally promises they can go to a neighbor''s Christmas party, but only if none of them misbehaves at all in the weeks before the holiday. If only he was as generous as Joan''s friend Victoria''s father! Continuing the story of the Lees begun in The Star Fisher, Dream Soul is a touching story of love, loyalty, and the importance of family.

A Chinese-American boy whose father wants him to be good in sports finally asserts his right to be himself.

Newbery Honor author Laurence Yep''s incredible JOURNAL OF WONG MING-CHUNG is now in paperback with a stunning repackaging! In 1852, during the height of the California Gold Rush, ten-year-old Wong makes the dangerous trip to America to live with his uncle, exchanging the famine and war of his native country for brutal bullies and grueling labor in America, Wong joins his uncle and countless others in the effort to strike it rich on the great "Golden Mountain." Unfortunately, he, and most of the rest of the dreamers, soon discover that there''s no such thing as a Golden Mountain, only dirt, mud, and occasionally tiny flecks of gold dust--flecks that are to be turned over to the owners of the mines, in return for barely livable wages. However, someone as clever and resourceful as Wong will have to find other ingenious ways of making money if they''re going to make it in America. But can they overcome the bitter, racist white Americans to find success?

When $2000 is stolen during the opening of a restaurant, Lily and her aunt, a Chinese American movie actress, search for the thief throughout San Francisco''s Chinatown.

Late one night, a man named Sung travels a dark, deserted road. Sung, who is not afraid of anything, encounters a ghost along the way who is determined to teach him a lesson. When Sung turns the tables on this trickster, a funny, lively adventure unfolds that will have young readers cheering for the hero. Full-color illustrations.