The Year of the Dog

Lin, Grace. 2006. THE YEAR OF THE DOG. Ill. by Grace Lin. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
ISBN 0316001805

*Plot Summary

When Grace learns about the Year of the Dog, she begins looking for a lucky year and one in which she can find herself – find her talent in life.

*Critical Analysis

Grace, a young Taiwanese American girl, is the main character and narrator of THE YEAR OF THE DOG. Through the dialogue and narration of the story, readers get to know Grace as a believable and likable character. As she deals with realistic, contemporary situations, her strengths and weaknesses are revealed. For example, she and her best friend Melody have to contend with liking same boy in school. Similarly, Grace must recover from her dismal failure at the science fair, and she feels the sting of being left out at summer camp. The worries, fears, and interests of Grace make her character accessible to readers.

Through cultural markers, Grace’s Taiwanese heritage plays a prominent role in her characterization. Grace’s actual name is Pacy, but she and her sisters have “American” names for school. Her family participates in many traditions, such as the Red Egg party for her newborn cousin Albert. Details about foods, language, and clothes all reflect Grace and her family’s Taiwanese heritage.

The episodic, true to life events of the plot are interesting and move the story along. Grace’s quest to find herself in the Year of the Dog dictates the action of the plot. Episodes of the book show the progression of time throughout the year and Grace’s growth and changes. Readers will find the situations familiar and accessible. The events of the plot are logical, and the book ends with a satisfying, realistic conclusion.

Cultural markers drive the plot as Grace’s expectations and beliefs about the Year of the Dog stem from her culture. Several events in the book revolve around her Taiwanese culture. Grace attend Taiwanese American Convention (camp), she gathers with her family to celebrate the birth of her cousin, and she goes on a shopping trip with her family to Chinatown in New York City. The novel also includes stories shared with Grace about her family’s past; for example, one story her mother tells is about how her grandfather got rich. Because these stories are about her family’s history, many of them contain cultural marker as well.

The contemporary setting of the novel is a town in upstate New York – New Hartford. Most events take place in common places like school and home. This familiar setting is very important to the book; it works well with elements of the plot as Grace explains and learns about her heritage. The novel shows the Taiwanese culture in a modern day light – not a culture that only existed long ago. Another cultural marker is that some of the family stories told in the book take place in Taiwan.

Themes of the book include friendship, family, self-discovery, and traditions. They are revealed through Grace’s interactions with other characters and the situations of the story. Lin’s style of writing is casual and light-hearted even as it addresses more serious matters, such as Grace’s mistreatment at camp. The dialogue is natural and believable.

The narration features great style in the form of figurative language. “Melody and I became best friend. Like two chopsticks, we were always together.” The images conveyed through the figurative language are playful and add interest to the story. Likewise, Lin’s small, simple illustrations drawn throughout the book put a personal touch on the narration. The family stories add to the style of book and convey the importance of family and history to Grace’s family. All of these elements work together to make an entertaining story.

*Response

I really enjoyed this book. Somehow Lin is able to create a story that is absolutely full of markers of her culture, and yet so easy for a reader outside the culture to relate to. My favorite parts of the book are the drawings and Grace’s relationships with her family members. I will definitely recommend this book in the library; I only wish that I had read it sooner!

*Review Excerpts

“With a light touch, Lin offers both authentic Taiwanese-American and universal childhood experiences, told from a genuine child perspective. The story, interwoven with several family anecdotes, is entertaining and often illuminating. Appealing, childlike decorative line drawings add a delightful flavor to a gentle tale full of humor.”
Horn Book

“This comfortable first-person story will be a treat for Asian-American girls looking to see themselves in their reading, but also for any reader who enjoys stories of friendship and family life.”
Kirkus Review

“A lighthearted coming-of-age novel with a cultural twist.”
School Library Journal

*Connections

-Write a journal entry. Explain your feelings about the way the girls at TAC (camp) treated Grace. Would you have handled the situation differently than Grace did? Why or why not?
-Perform an excerpt of the novel as a Readers Theater.
-Lin features many vivid descriptions of food throughout the book. Using her writing as inspiration, write a short, detailed description of your favorite meal.-Conduct research on one of the traditions mentioned in the book (Chinese New Year, red envelopes, Red Eggs, “tiger chasing the pig” remedy from grandmother).