This book is about a twelve-year old Chinese girl, Casey, whose father has a major gambling problem. She ends up having to live with her grandmother, Paw-Paw, in Chinatown. The story tells about her adjustments to living there, which are made more difficult by the fact that she doesn't even speak Chinese.
Her grandmother is a very nice person who tells Casey about a Chinese legend of an Owl that became a human. Although, matters become quite complicated when she and her grandmother come home one day and find a burglar in their apartment. The grandmother is injured, and Casey and some others set out to find out who the burglar was and get back an owl charm that was stolen.
They eventually find the burglar, but it turns out to be someone Casey knows.
The story is written very well and remains interesting throughout. I also like the way the story spends a lot of its time on Casey's emotions; how she handles living in Chinatown, how she handles have a father addicted to gambling, and how she relates to others. Many kids can associate with these types of problems.
The thing that I enjoyed most about this book is the way that Casey and her grandmother interact and learn from each other. In my opinion, an opportunity to know a grandparent is a blessing that many people take for granted. In many cases, grandparents are a valuable key to our own personal histories and the source of much wisdom and strength. Like Casey, I have learned a lot about myself just by listening to stories that my grandparents have told and, through their stories, have a better understanding of where I come from. This understanding of my past and ancestors helps to give me more confidence in the direction I should go in the future. I think that Casey experiences these same feelings in Child of the Owl.
Laurence Yep is the author of many other books for young readers including Dragon wings, Dragon's Gate, Cockroach Cooties, Hiroshima, and The Magic Paintbrush. Yep has also written non-fiction works such as The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Yep also writes American Girl books about the character Mia.
Her grandmother is a very nice person who tells Casey about a Chinese legend of an Owl that became a human. Although, matters become quite complicated when she and her grandmother come home one day and find a burglar in their apartment. The grandmother is injured, and Casey and some others set out to find out who the burglar was and get back an owl charm that was stolen.
They eventually find the burglar, but it turns out to be someone Casey knows.
The story is written very well and remains interesting throughout. I also like the way the story spends a lot of its time on Casey's emotions; how she handles living in Chinatown, how she handles have a father addicted to gambling, and how she relates to others. Many kids can associate with these types of problems.
The thing that I enjoyed most about this book is the way that Casey and her grandmother interact and learn from each other. In my opinion, an opportunity to know a grandparent is a blessing that many people take for granted. In many cases, grandparents are a valuable key to our own personal histories and the source of much wisdom and strength. Like Casey, I have learned a lot about myself just by listening to stories that my grandparents have told and, through their stories, have a better understanding of where I come from. This understanding of my past and ancestors helps to give me more confidence in the direction I should go in the future. I think that Casey experiences these same feelings in Child of the Owl.
Laurence Yep is the author of many other books for young readers including Dragon wings, Dragon's Gate, Cockroach Cooties, Hiroshima, and The Magic Paintbrush. Yep has also written non-fiction works such as The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Yep also writes American Girl books about the character Mia.
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