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Enjoy stories about Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander experiences, as well as tales inspired by their culture, history, and traditions. * Indicates that the title is appropriate for middle school readers. See grade recommendation in parenthesis. Graphic novels are included. To place a hold, click on a title or book cover. Click here for a printer-friendly list. |
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This Book Won't Burn by Samira AhmedAfter her dad abruptly abandons her family, Noor Khan is forced to start the last quarter of her senior year at a new school and plans to keep her head down until she discovers hundreds of books being removed from the library and speaks up to effect change. |
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by S. K. Ali
Struggling to secure her identity as an Arab Indian-American hijabi teen who loves pop culture and aspires to a career in photography, Janna Yusuf falls for a boy she cannot date and considers exposing a person with a monstrous nature who is pretending to be a saint in their tightknit Muslim community. |
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Himawari House by Harmony Becker
(Graphic Novel)When Nao returns to Tokyo to reconnect with her Japanese heritage, she books a yearlong stay at the Himawari sharehouse. There she meets Hyejung and Tina...The trio live together, share meals, and even attend the same Japanese-language school, which results in them becoming fast friends. But will they be able to hold one another up as life tests them with new loves, old heart breaks, and the everyday challenges of being fish out of water?
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Summer Bird Blue *by Akemi Dawn BowmanAfter her sister and songwriting partner, Lea, dies in an automobile accident, seventeen-year-old Rumi is sent to Hawaii with an aunt she barely knows while she and her mother grieve separately. (Gr.8+)
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Flamer
by Mike Curato
(Graphic Novel)
In the summer between middle school and high school, Aiden Navarro is away at camp where he navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can not stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance.
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American Panda
by Gloria Chao
A freshman at MIT, seventeen-year-old Mei Lu tries to live up to her Taiwanese parents' expectations, but no amount of tradition, obligation, or guilt prevent her from hiding several truths--that she is a germaphobe who cannot become a doctor, she prefers dancing to biology, she decides to reconnect with her estranged older brother, and she is dating a Japanese boy. Can she find a way to be herself, before her web of lies unravels?
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Yolk by Mary H. K. ChoiEstranged over disagreements about their respective life choices, a straitlaced older sister and a flaky younger sister test the limits of what they are willing to do for each other, including swapping identities, when one is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.
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Picture Us In the Light by Kelly Loy GilbertDaniel, a Chinese-American teen, must grapple with his plans for the future, his feelings for his best friend Harry, and his discovery of a family secret that could shatter everything.
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Throwback by Maurene GooSent back to the‘90s where she finds herself in high school with her 17-year-old mother, Samantha Kang finds the right romance at the wrong time while trying to fit into an analog world and make things right with her mom. |
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The Silence That Binds Us
by Joanna Ho
When her brother's suicide results in racial accusations being hurled against her parents for putting too much “pressure” on him, Maybelline Chen challenges these ugly stereotypes through her writing and decides to speak out despite the consequences.
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Blackbird Fly *by Erin Entrada KellyBullied at school, eighth-grader Apple, a Filipino American who loves the music of the Beatles, decides to change her life by learning how to play the guitar. (Gr. 6+)
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I'll Be the One
by Lyla Lee
A nuanced celebration of body positivity by the author of the Mindy Kim series follows the experiences of a plus-sized teen girl who shatters expectations on a televised competition to become the next big K-pop star. (Gr. 8+)
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The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. PanA teen grieving the loss of her mother travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time and search for her mother's spirit while uncovering tragic family secrets and struggling to reconcile the truth about how her mother's life really ended.
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Rani Patel in Full Effect by Sonia PatelRani Patel, almost seventeen and living on remote Moloka'i island, is oppressed by the cultural norms of her Gujarati immigrant parents but when Mark, an older man, draws her into new experiences red flags abound.
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You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali PerkinsTold in alternating teen voices across three generations, an exploration of sisterhood, first loves, friendship and the inheritance of culture traces a family that is shaped by Indian-American identity, a forbidden biracial love affair and social activism.
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Note Worthy *by Riley RedgateAfter learning that her deep voice is keeping her from being cast in plays at her exclusive performing arts school, Jordan Sun, junior, auditions for an all-male octet hoping for a chance to perform internationally.
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Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy RibaySetting aside his college ambitions when he learns that his cousin has been murdered as part of President Duterte's war on drugs, a high school senior travels to the Philippines to uncover the truth, and the part he may have played in it. By the author of After the Shot Drops.
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(Graphic Novel)
The team behind Skim presents the sumptuous graphic tale of a young teen whose latest summer at a beach lake house is overshadowed by her parents' constant arguments, her younger friend's secret sorrows and the dangerous activities of older teens. (Gr. 6+) |
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(Graphic Novel)
Real life isn't a fairytale. But Tiâãen still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It's hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tiâãen, he doesn't even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he's going through? Is there a way to tell them he's gay? (Gr. 7+) |
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Parachutes by Kelly YangA teen from a privileged Asian family navigates culture shock, unexpected freedom and a new relationship while attending school in California and renting a room from the family of an Ivy League hopeful whose debate coach has undermined her plans.
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Hungry Ghost
by Victoria Ying
After the sudden death of her father, 16-year-old Valerie Chu, who is hiding an eating disorder from her friends and family, reevaluates her life, her choices and her own body as she tries to find the strength to seek help. (Gr. 10+)
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Counting Down With You *by Tashie BhuiyanReserved Bangladeshi-American teen Karina Ahmed has a plan to get through through high school following her parents’ rules—even if it means sacrificing her dreams. When her parents go abroad to Bangladesh for four weeks, Karina agrees to break her rules and fake date her school’s resident bad boy, soon realizing that she may not want things to go back to normal. (Gr. 8+)
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Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. ChoiA chance encounter leads Penny and Sam to become each other's emergency contacts and they soon find themselves falling in love digitally, without the humiliating weirdness of having to see each other.
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To All the Boys I've Loved Before *by Jenny HanKeeping private love letters written to five secret crushes she has had, Lara Jean Song finds her personal life going from imaginary to out of control when the letters are unexpectedly mailed. (Gr. 8+)
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I Love You So Mochi *by Sarah KuhnKimi's mother objects to her fashion ambitions, so when her grandparents invite her to Kyoto for spring break, she takes the opportunity to escape her mother's disapproval. (Gr. 8+)
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A Pho Love Story *by Loan LeHigh school seniors Bàao and Linh, whose feuding families own competing Vietnamese restaurants, conceal their budding romance, as well as Linh's desire to become an artist. (Gr. 7+)
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I Hope This Doesn't Find You
by Ann Liang
Channeling her frustrations into email drafts—ones that she'd never send—seemingly perfect Sadie Wen finds her carefully crafted, conflict-free life turned upside down when the email is sent out accidentally, and the only person growing to appreciate the “real” Sadie is the only boy she's sworn to hate.
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When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya MenonWhen Dimple Shah and Rishi Patel meet at a Stanford University summer program, Dimple is avoiding her parents' obsession with "marriage prospects" but Rishi hopes to woo her into accepting arranged marriage with him. |
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(Graphic Novel)
High school senior Valentina adored Valentine's Day until a shocking revelation leads her to believe her love life is cursed, until a Lunar New Year celebration introduces her to charming lion dancer boys and a chance at breaking her family's curse. (Gr. 7+) |
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Frankly In Love by David YoonHigh school senior Frank Li takes a risk to go after a girl his parents would never approve of, but his plans will leave him wondering if he ever really understood love--or himself--at all.
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The Sun Is Also a Star *by Nicola YoonA scientifically minded girl who avoids relationships to help keep her family from being deported and a dutiful student who endeavors to live up to his parents' high expectations unexpectedly fall in love and must determine which path they will choose in order to be together. By the best-selling author of Everything, Everything. (Gr. 8+)
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Fantasy & Science Fiction |
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(Sea of Ink and Gold, Book 1)
by Traci Chee
Fleeing into the wilderness after her father's brutal murder, Sefia learns how to hunt, track and steal in order to survive before embarking on a quest to rescue the beloved aunt who is her mentor, an effort that is shaped by a magnificent book that is unheard of in her otherwise illiterate society. |
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by Rin Chupeco
Discovering her power for necromancy after accidentally resurrecting her brother from the dead, Tea is ostracized by her community but partners with an older bone witch who trains her as a wielder of elemental magic. (Gr. 8+) |
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by Chloe Gong
Set in 1920s Shanghai, a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet follows the star-crossed romance of a flapper-turned-gang leader who must set aside her prejudices to work beside a rival to protect their city from territorial gangsters. (Gr. 8+) |
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(Six Crimson Cranes, Book 1)
by Elizabeth Lim
After unleashing forbidden magic, being banished by her stepmother and unable to speak or her brothers will die, Shiori'anma must find a way to save them with the help of a paper bird, a mercurial dragon and the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. (Gr. 7+) |
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(Book of Tea, Book 1) by Judy I. Lin
To save her sister's life, Ning, a young tea-maker, enters a competition to win a favor from the princess, but soon finds herself the one in danger when she is faced with backstabbing competitors, bloody court politics and a mysterious boy with a shocking secret. (Gr. 8+) |
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(Sea of Ink and Gold, Book 1) by Marie Lu
After hacking into the Warcross Championships' opening game to track illegal betting, bounty hunter Emika Chen is asked by the game's creator to go undercover to investigate a security problem, and she uncovers a sinister plot. (Gr. 8+) |
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The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea *by Axie OhIn a land ravaged by deadly storms, Mina sacrifices herself to the Sea God to save her brother and, after being swept away to the Spirit Realm, finds him caught in an enchanted sleep and must awaken him to save her people. (Gr. 7+)
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Snowglobe *by Soyoung ParkGiven the opportunity to enter Snowglobe, the last place on Earth that's warm, where its residents, in exchange for fame, fortune and safety, broadcast their lives 24/7 to the less fortunate outside, Chobahm discovers reality is a lie?—?and the truth is out of reach. (Gr. 8+)
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(Graphic Novel)
Struggling to fit in at school, first-generation Filipino siblings JJ and Althea find their world turned upside down when the witches, ogres and other creatures from Filipino folklore come to life, forcing them to embrace who they really are to save their family. (Gr. 5+) |
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Jade Fire Gold *by June CL TanWhen Ahn, with no past and no family, meets Altan, a lost heir, she sees him as a way to unlock her past and understand her arcane magical ability but the price may be too high to pay. (Gr. 8+)
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(Graphic Novel)
When her family is targeted by the KKK after moving from Chinatown to 1946 Downtown Metropolis, misfit Roberta Lee uses her keen skills of observation to help Superman thwart a string of terrorist attacks.
(Gr. 7+) |
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Iron Widow
by Xiran Jay Zhao
Offering herself up as a concubine-pilot to assassinate the man responsible for her sister's death, 18-year-old Zetian discovers her true destiny as an Iron Widow and must use her strength to force her society to stop failing its women and girls. (Gr. 10+)
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We Are Not Free *by Traci CheeGrowing up together in the community of Japantown, San Francisco, four second-generation Japanese American teens find their bond tested by widespread discrimination and the mass incarcerations of people of Japanese ancestry during World War II. (Gr. 8+)
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A teenager is pulled back in time to witness her grandmother's experiences in World War II-era Japanese internment camps. (Gr. 6+)
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The Red Palace *by June HurIn 1758 Joseon (Korea), 18-year-old palace nurse Hyeon works closely with a young police inspector to uncover the truth surrounding the murder of eight palace nurses when all the evidence points to the Crown Prince himself. (Gr. 8+) |
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(Novel in Verse)
Through a series of poems, a young girl chronicles the life-changing year of 1975, when she, her mother, and her brothers leave Vietnam and resettle in Alabama. (Gr. 5) |
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The Downstairs Girl *by Stacey LeeWhen the advice column she secretly writes becomes wildly popular, a young lady's maid uses her influence to question her society's fixed ideas about race and gender. By the award-winning author of Outrun the Moon. (Gr. 8+) |
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Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda LoWhen Lily realizes she has feelings for a girl in her math class, it threatens Lily's oldest friendships and even her father's citizenship status and eventually, Lily must decide if owning her truth is worth everything she has ever known.
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The Joy Luck Club by Amy TanEncompassing two generations and a rich blend of Chinese and American history, the story of four struggling, strong women also reveals their daughter's memories and feelings. (Gr. 10+)
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Boxers (Boxers & Saints, Book 1) by Gene Luen Yang (Graphic Novel)
A graphically rendered account of China's Boxer Rebellion in 1898 is told from the perspective of Little Bao, who joins an army of kung fu-trained commoners who fight for freedom from the oppression inflicted by foreign missionaries and soldiers. (Gr. 6+) |
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Moving abruptly from Seoul to Alabama, a Korean teen struggles in a hostile blended home and a new school where she does not speak English before forging unexpected connections in a local comic drawing class. (Gr. 7+)
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(Graphic Novel)
In an action-packed modern fable about the problems young Chinese Americans face when trying to participate in American popular culture, the lives of three apparently unrelated characters--Jin Wang, Monkey King, and Chin-Kee--come together with an unexpected twist. (Gr. 7+)
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by Christine Mari Inzer
The author, who was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and an American father, and grew up in the United States, recounts in graphic novel format her visit to her grandparents in Tokyo the summer before she turned sixteen. (Gr. 7+) |
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(Graphic Novel)
The memoir of a twelve-year-old boy who grew up in North Korea looks at how he was forced to live on the streets, fend for himself, and live with a gang after his parents disappeared. (Gr. 6+)
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Family Style: Memories of an American From Vietnam
by Thien Pham
(Graphic Novel)
Told through the lens of meaningful food and meals, this graphic novel chronicles the author's childhood immigration to America where food takes on new meaning as he and his family search for belonging, for happiness and for the American dream.
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In Limbo: A Graphic Memoir
by Deb J. J. Lee
(Graphic Novel)
Set between New Jersey and Seoul, this coming-of-age story follows the author as she goes to South Korea, where she realizes something that changes her perspective on her family, her heritage and herself.
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(Graphic Novel)
A young girl describes her experiences growing up in China, beginning with the death of Chairman Mao in 1976. (Gr. 5+) |
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(Graphic Novel)
Seamlessly toggling between past and present, this funny graphic memoir follows a queer Chinese American's immigration to Texas where she just wants to make the basketball team, escape Chinese school and figure out why she is attracted to girls. (Gr. 7+) |
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(Graphic Novel)
Bullied by her classmates, Sarah, a Korean American girl growing up in a rural community with few Asian neighbors, channels her rage into her art and cosplay until it threatens to explode.
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Sachiko: a Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story *by Caren StelsonTells the story of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki through the eyes of Sachiko Yasui, who was six when the devastation was wrought, describing her experiences in the aftermath of the attack as well as her long journey to find peace. (Gr. 5+)
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Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune *by Pamela S TurnerThe award-winning author of Life on Earth—and Beyond documents the true story of the legendary samurai who was raised in the household of the enemies who killed his father before being sent to live in a monastery where, against the odds, he learned and perfected his fighting skills.
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They Called Us Enemy
by George Takei
(Graphic Novel)
Takei's firsthand account of years spent in a Japanese concentration camp, the joys and terrors of growing up under legalized racism, his mother's hard choices, his father's faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future. (Gr. 10+)
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Attacked!: Pearl Harbor and the Day War Came to America *by Marc FavreauThis gripping narrative, told through the stories of real people who experienced the attack and its aftereffects firsthand, sheds new light onto a history we think we know, what it means to be American and the enduring lessons from an event we never saw coming. (Gr. 5+)
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Let's Make Ramen!: A Comic Book Cookbook by Hugh AmanoPlayful and instructive, this hybrid cookbook/graphic novel introduces the history of ramen and provides more than 40 recipes for everything you need to make the perfect bowl at home including tares, broths, noodles, and toppings. |
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