American Born Chinese by Gene Luen YangGraphic Novel Challenge
Jin Wang is having a hard time fitting in as the only Chinese-American at his high school.
The Monkey King, ruler of the monkeys in the world, is based on an old Chinese fable. The Monkey King wants to be king of all creatures, not just monkeys.
Chin-Kee is every stereotypical Chinese attribute you can imagine, all rolled up into one. He comes to visit his cousin Danny every year, and completely ruins Danny's life each time.
All three stories are interesting and compelling, and then they come together in the coolest way, with a moral of knowing and liking yourself above all else. There are plenty of other connections with Chinese fables and gods, and regular old teenage angst as well. The first graphic novel I read, Persepolis was all done in black and white, but this was in color and I liked the drawings. I'm not sure how many graphic novels I would ever read, but I did enjoy this one. I gave it to my friend who teaches high school English to see if she liked it. She's not sure yet about graphic novels and I thought this was a good one for her to try. This was a cool book, quick to read, and the winner of the 2007 Printz Honor book for Young Adults.
I really, really liked this one!
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