Paper Daughter - Hardcover

Ingold, Jeanette

3.48

283 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 015205507X ISBN 13: 9780152055073

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010

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An engaging mystery...a love letter to journalism -Seattle's Child
Oppenheimer Gold Seal

Teen journalist Maggie Chen wants to be a great reporter. Fai-yi Li still hides behind the identity he used to evade Chinese Exclusion Era immigration laws. Their goals collide in this poignant young adult mystery that's both contemporary and historical fiction.

Maggie's search for her Asian-American family will appeal to readers who wonder how their own lives have been shaped by their ancestors' choices. The Chinatown of Fai-yi's Seattle will make 20th century history buffs want to know more about an almost-forgotten time in the United States' past. Challenges at the modern newspaper where Maggie works will speak to those who care about journalism and ponder how it's changing.

From the Christopher Award-winning author of Hitch, Mountain Solo, and The Big Burn

"I love Paper Daughter, as I do all of Jeanette's books. They're smart, savvy, and full of heart" -Kathi Appelt, author of Newbery Honor Book The Underneath

"I thoroughly enjoyed this novel! Ingold did a wonderful job of tying history to a contemporary issue" -Mississippi Trial, 1955 author Chris Crowe

"Ingold brings together past and present in this fascinating mystery set in Seattle" -Washington Parent

"A rich, inspiring story about using research and tenacity to uncover the truth" -Horn Book Review

"A must read for those who love mysteries and family history" -VOYA

"I devoured Paper Daughter...a short read and perfect if you want to lounge around with a contemporary book on a slow afternoon" -Books and Wine

"The tried and true theme of a parent's mysterious background will keep readers invested, and fans of Laurence Yep may want to ponder how Chinese Exclusion of years past could come back to haunt the present" -Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"This novel cleverly weaves together intrigue and family drama into an engrossing story that is difficult to put down" -Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children

"Great contemporary and historical characters and an intriguing, interwoven plot make this a great summer read" -Bewitched Bookworms

"Offers insights into the sacrifices and secrets involved in emigration from China during this period and their ripple effects" -Publishers Weekly

"A lesson on 'paper sons' and 'paper daughters'...Ingold doesn't sugarcoat the lengths people would go through to come to the States and the fear they had about being caught" -Asian Weekly

"A wonderful addition to regional historical fiction, this compelling page-turner explores the painful loss--and discovery--of identity" -Seattle Public Library System Library Talk

Manages to be both about Chinese-Americans and identity without being *about* race -The YA YA YAs

"Readers will want to know more about the historical elements of the story after reading this realistic tale" -Children's Book and Play Review/BYU Families & Literacy Book of the Week

"The open-ended conclusion feels realistic and highlights Maggie's elemental questions about how family history influences personal identity" -Booklist

"It was neat to learn more about the lives of journalists and the Exclusion Era" -Booktalking at the Bronx Library Center

Praise from readers:

"A touching and emotionally tearing story of a girl who has her life laid open"

"Like (Louis Sachar's) Holes, it weaves a story from generations ago into the present"

"A remarkable job integrating accurate history with an exciting modern story that a middle school girl would want to read"

"A great story...A quick read"

"A coming of age/discovering who you thought you knew/mystery...a great young adult read"

"Short, to-the-point book...I read it in a single sitting and will be encouraging the teens that I know to check it out as well"

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About the Author:

JEANETTE INGOLD, the author of seven young adult novels, began her writing career as a reporter on a daily newspaper. Her novel Hitch was a Christopher Award winner. She lives in Montana.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 7–10—The summer before her senior year, Maggie Chen begins her internship at a Seattle newspaper only weeks following the shocking death of her beloved reporter father. While sorting through his papers, she discovers that his heritage is not what she and her mother had always believed. At the Herald, Maggie finds herself unraveling a story involving murder and a local government scandal. However, she is taken off the story when leads suggest a connection to her father's death. Frantically, Maggie searches for clues to her father's past in order to clear his name. Raising questions about the nature of truth, Maggie struggles to understand the parent she thought she knew, and her own cultural heritage. Maggie's story is broken up by the 1930s voyage of Li Fai-yi, a Chinese teen who immigrates to America under a false identity to avoid the Chinese Exclusion Act. Ingold's picture of Seattle's early-20th-century Chinatown is haunting and convincing, offering a snapshot of the hardships of early American Chinese. Maggie is quiet and unassuming, but determined and intelligent. Still somber over her father's sudden death, she is fiercely proud of his accomplishments. This is a milder exploration of cultural identity than some other teen offerings, and is well documented. Ingold offers both a modern and historical look at the Chinese-American experience, but little else. Undeveloped side characters and overly successful genealogy research drag it down a bit.—Richelle Roth, Boone County Public Library, KY
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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