The Year of the Rat (A Pacy Lin Novel, 2) Paperback – January 1, 2009

I recommend reading Year of the Dog first, but in some ways this #2 in the series is even better.The thing is, I don't know why the covers show kids who look like they're about 7. You could certainly read these aloud to 7 year olds, but it would have to be a fairly precocious 7 year old who who, if reading it themselves, would not struggle with a few words on every page. And many of the concepts, superbly presented by Grace Lin, such as prejudice, self-consciousness, self-motivation, crushes, etc., are a bit advanced for most 1st and 2nd graders. In the first book, Year of the Dog, the main characters are 11 years old, and in this book they are 2 years older, so, again, I think the cover artist blew it.

I read this with my 7 and 9 year olds. We all really enjoyed it. We love Grace Lin’s books. We loved how the parents taught through storytelling interwoven through the book. We enjoyed learning about Chinese and Taiwanese culture and traditions. Lots of good topics to talk about like dealing with peer pressure in a way relatable for elementary aged kids.

Especially recommended for 6-12-yr-old kids with Taiwanese/Chinese background.After realizing how important it is for kids to "see themselves" and read about other kids/people who are "like" them in the books, I began to look books that are highly relatable to my kids. In English books, I found those written (illustrated) by Grace Lin.My kids (10 and 6, a girl and a boy) are only beginning to learn English, so I always read English for them to listen to and also translate for them in Mandarin for them to fully understand. My kids could totally empathize with "Pacy", the heroin, in the book. My kids also see their culture (Taiwanese) represented in the book and actually get to know it better as it is placed against the backdrop of a foreign culture and environment. They also get to imagine what it would be like growing up in a different country.Our experience in reading Grace Lin's books is amazing.

It was a gift for my grandnephew who said it was ok and he learned about the year of the rat and rat symbolism.

My daughter loves the Pacy books! They are funny and she learns valuable lessons from each one. We just met Grace Lin and my daughter was able to attend a workshop with her. She talked about her books and she is a genuinely lovely person. My 7 year old is now a bigger fan than before now that she "knows" the author. We highly recommend any and all Grace Lin books!

Write this review here:Consider:Why did I rate it this way?What do I like or dislike?This is fun

His teachers read the first of the series aloud, and he came home talking about the main characters. We read this book by kindle, enjoyed the drawings and autobiographical vignettes embedded in the story.

You can learn Taiwan tradition from the book. It’s fun.

Excellent

Wir fingen mit "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" an. Danach entdeckten wir "The Year of the Dog" und "The Year of the Rat" von Grace Lin. In unseren Dorf gibt es viele Kinder der asiatischen Herkunft. Die Pacy Lin Romane haben neue Weltanschauungen in unseren Töchtern geschafft und dazu ein neuen Respekt ihre Zweisprachigkeit entwickelt. Schöne Bücher vorm Schlafengehen zusammen zu lesen.

This book is good and sad in many ways, I feel bad for Pacy when her BFF leaves for California,Because i know how it feels D:Whats good about the book is that she survives a whole year without melody.