Chinese – ACHUKA Children's Books UK

This Place is Still Beautiful by XiXi Tian

June 15, 2022 By achuka Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 16 June 2022

“About much more than just racism toward Chinese Americans, this novel deftly tackles the precarious moments surrounding the end of high school and the beginning of college, when romantic and familial relationships are complicated, changing, and all-consuming. Quiet yet powerful, complex, and grounded in the reality that nothing will ever be completely resolved.” KIRKUS

Two sisters. A shocking racist incident. The summer that will change both of their lives forever.

Annalie and Margaret are sisters who agree on only one thing — that they have nothing in common. Annalie is seventeen — sweet, content, and looking forward to a summer of flirting with the most popular boy in school. Margaret is nineteen — ambitious, a warrior for social justice, and desperate to forget her ex-boyfriend in New York City. When their family is the victim of a racial attack, Annalie tries to pretend it never happened but Margaret wants to fight back. Suddenly their relationship is hanging by a thread. And then a crushing secret threatens to tear them apart forever…

A beautiful and powerful story about family, identity and the secrets we keep.

Xixi (pronounced like two c’s) Tian was born in China and grew up in central Illinois. She attended the University of Illinois and then Harvard Law School before becoming a tech lawyer. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, cat Umberto (see the Instagram post) and young baby. She has written on Instagram about contemporaneously becoming a new mother and a debut author. “Publishing, I guess, is a lot like motherhood. Great but also bad. I decided, like a major dumbass, to have a debut novel and a debut baby within 3 months of each other, thinking, how hard can it be? I’ll be on 6 months of maternity leave; it’ll be like a half year vacation with my baby; it’s a rollercoaster that only goes up!!!! Friends, I would not recommend. I’m begging y’all to wrap it up until WELL AFTER you’ve worked through your first book ennui.”

Follow the author on Instagram (here you see Umberto alongside the US cover of the book):

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A post shared by XiXi Tian (@xixiwrites)

Playing with Lanterns by Wang Yage ill. Zhu Chengliang tr. Helen Wang

January 3, 2022 By achuka Leave a Comment

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Zhao Di and her friends are excited to go out at night with their paper lanterns and celebrate Chinese New Year. Each holding a unique colorful lantern with a lit candle inside, they admire the breathtaking colours while doing their best to avoid the wind and the sneaky boys in the village. Every night, until the fifteenth day of New Year, Zhao Di and her friends take part in this fun tradition, experiencing the thrill of nighttime in their village. And then―it’s time to smash the lanterns!

In this cheerful book first published in China, readers are invited along with Zhao Di and her friends as they experience all the joy and excitement of this folk Chinese custom. Details about the paper lantern tradition are also included in an author’s note at the end of the book.

Last Night At The Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

April 6, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 7 Apr 2021

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“This standout work of historical fiction combines meticulous research with tender romance to create a riveting bildungsroman. San Francisco, “with its steep stairways and sudden glimpses of the bay between tall, narrow buildings,” is almost a character itself. Interspersed flashbacks that detail the personal histories of Lily’s parents and Aunt Judy and timelines of world events further put the 1950s Chinese American experience into context for readers.” HORN BOOK
“Lo’s lovely, realistic, and queer-positive tale is a slow burn, following Lily’s own gradual realization of her sexuality while she learns how to code-switch between being ostensibly heterosexual Chinatown Lily and lesbian Telegraph Bar Lily. In this meticulously researched title, Lo skillfully layers rich details, such as how Lily has to deal with microaggressions from gay and straight women alike and how all of Chinatown has to be careful of the insidious threat of McCarthyism. Actual events, such as Madame Chiang Kai-shek’s 1943 visit to San Francisco, form a backdrop to this story of a journey toward finding one’s authentic self. Beautifully written historical fiction about giddy, queer first love.” KIRKUS
“Smoothly referencing cultural touchstones and places with historic Chinese American significance, Lo conjures 1950s San Francisco adeptly while transcending historicity through a sincere exploration of identity and love. Back matter includes an author’s note explaining Lo’s personal connection to the story.” PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

The award winning author of Ash gives us a very different story of love and duty set in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the 1950s. Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father – despite his hard-won citizenship – Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.

Follow the author on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malindalo/

The Weaver by Qian She

February 3, 2018 By achuka Leave a Comment

Chinese illustrator Qian Shi makes her picturebook debut with The Weaver (Andersen Press, £10.99, 2+), a story about a spider called Stanley and his quest to weave a web he can call home. Shi integrates facts about the natural world with this unusual arachnid adventure to great effect, underscoring the fragility of life and habitats in the natural world. She also has great fun animating the simple spider shapes with hilarious expressions and unusual poses. Sara Keating IRISH TIMES

Waterstones

Andersen Award Winner criticizes low quality of children’s books in China

April 12, 2016 By achuka Leave a Comment

Novelist Cao Wenxuan, who won the Hans Christian Anderson [sic] Award several days ago — making him the first Chinese writer to do so, revealed his concerns regarding the quality of contemporary children’s books during a press conference at Peking University, Beijing, on Monday.
“There are so many children in China who make great demands for these books. Therefore, the industry attracts a lot of unqualified writers and earns them tremendous amounts of money,” Cao said.
In his remarks, Cao said that he is expecting writers of children’s books to concentrate on their creations rather than on commercial gimmicks.

via Novelist criticizes low quality of children’s books – China.org.cn.