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Young Adult Fiction Coming Of Age

Henry Chow and other stories

by (author) Evelyn Lau & Paul Yee

Publisher
Tradewind Books
Initial publish date
Sep 2010
Category
Coming of Age, Own Voices, Friendship
Recommended Age
12 to 18
Recommended Grade
8 to 12
Recommended Reading age
12 to 18
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781896580333
    Publish Date
    Sep 2010
    List Price
    $12.95

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

Set around the world—in Canada, the UK, India, Japan and Jamaica—these fascinating stories by emerging and established writers, such as Evelyn Lau and Governor General's Award winner Paul Yee, will captivate and entertain teens of all ages.

About the authors

Evelyn Lau has been publishing poetry and prose since she was thirteen. Now eighteen, she has her poetry appear in Prism International, Queen's Quarterly and Canadian Author and Bookman, among other literary magazines. Her prose has been published in MacLean's, Vancouver Magazine and The Antigonish Review. And she has won six awards for her poetry.

For two years, Evelyn lived on "the streets" in a world of drugs and prostitution recording these experiences in a journal. She left the streets in 1988 at the age of seventeen and extracts from this journal became the best-selling Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid, which stayed on bestseller lists across Canada for months.

Evelyn is now a freelance writer for the Province and the Globe and Mail as well as working on a collection of short stories. She lives in Vancouver.

Evelyn Lau's profile page

Paul Yee is one of Canada's finest writers for children. He was raised in Vancouver and has worked in the archives at the Vancouver Museum. He won the Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Literature for Ghost Train. He now lives in Toronto.
Ghost Trainbr>    Winner of the Governor General's Literary Award 1996br>    Winner of the Ruth Schwartz Children's Book Award 1997br>    Finalist for the Toronto IODE Book Award 1997
The Bone Collector's Sonbr>    Winner of the City of Vancouver Book Award 2004br>    Finalist for the Rocky Mountain Book Award 2006br>    Finalist for the Stellar Book Award (BC Teen Readers' Choice Award) 2005-6br>    Chosen as Best of 2004, Resource Links.ca
Bamboobr>    Finalist for the Chocolate Lily Award 2007 (BC Readers' Choice Award)br>    Chosen as Best of 2006, Resource Links
The Jade Necklacebr>    Finalist for the Mr. Christie's Book Award 2002

Paul Yee's profile page

Editorial Reviews

"Refreshing [in] that the stories are are not specifically about clash of cultures or the prevalence of racism."

Resource Links

“The stories in Henry Chow have been well chosen, reflecting a diversity of experiences and offering a taste of what's out there by Asian Canadians.”

Paper Tigers

"With its broad range of themes, this collection should appeal to a variety of readers."

School Library Journal

"Teen readers will enjoy this collection's engaging stories... Due to its themes and intended readership, this collection will be a good addition to a school or public library as well as an academic library's secondary education collection. Highly recommended."

CM Magazine

"Each perspective is unique and captivating...The thirteen short stories in this slim volume range from heartbreaking to empowering. Recommended."

Library Media Connection

Librarian Reviews

Henry Chow and other stories

Chosen by Ricepaper magazine and the Asian Canadian Writers' Collective, these stories by emerging and established writers such as Evelyn Lau and Governor General Award winner Paul Yee reflect the experiences and sentiments of North-American Asian teenagers.

Teachers and librarians can offer this book to students to help them learn more about the short story format. Significant too, is that each author in this collection is Asian, amplifying youth voices from different parts of these cultures. Students can each read a story independently and then share what they read by retelling the story to others. Students can then make comparisons between the characters’ experiences and their own lives.

Source: Association of Canadian Publishers. Top Grade Selection 2016.

Henry Chow and other stories from the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop

Henry Chow is a collection of short stories chosen by Ricepaper magazine and the Asian Canadian Writers Workshop, from both established and emerging writers. All the stories, except Paul Yee’s “The Dark Room”, feature teenage protagonists of Asian descent who not only contend with the tensions inherent in moving towards adulthood, but also with insensitive and racist attitudes (including their own inappropriate attitudes towards other people), and with the effects of cultural heritage and physical difference on acceptance into their community. This collection will engage many adolescent readers, even though they may not be familiar with specific cultural references and historical circumstances. The universal theme of growing up is explored through romance, racial differences, social marginalization, economic difficulties, supernatural elements and cultural disorientation in language appropriate for the targeted age group.

Caution: Evelyn Lau’s “Working the Corner”, a story about teen prostitution, includes non-standard language, references to drug use, oral sex, and joking about orally castrating clients.

Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. BC Books for BC Schools. 2010-2011.

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