Plot Summary: This series of short stories follows several Chinese-Canadian teens through their intertwining lives in Ontario, Canada. The teen protaganists are all immigrants and the stories deal with the issues they are facing in their day to day lives - ranging from dealing with homosexuality, sex, religion, parental expectations and adjusting to the Canadian culture. Set to a backdrop of the history of Chinese immigration and workers in Canada, these teens offer a fresh perspective on issues facing teens everywhere.
Critical Evaluation: This short story collection is a wonderful read. Yee paints a realistic, and at times heartbreaking, picture of the life of Chinese teen immigrants in Canada and the issues they face. The use of intertwining characters and changing perspectives and time periods makes it hard to follow the flow at times, but the tales are wonderful and the reader is left wanting to know more about every character. A worthwhile addition to any library, offering the under represented viewpoint of asian immigrants to North America.
Reader's Annotation: Dealing with parental pressure is hard, especially if your parents are recent immigrants who have sacraficed everything to give you a life in Canada - and they remind you of it all the time. Follow a group of Chinese-Canadian teens as they figure out how to get by in the New World.
About the Author: Paul Yee was born in Saskatchewan, Canada in 1956. After receiving a BA and MA in History from the University of British Columbia, Yee became an archivist and analyst for the Canadian government. He wrote his first YA short story collection in 1983 and since then has written several other short story collections, novels and plays.
He writes primarily about Chinese immigrants in Canada as those are the people he knows and cares about. He currently lives in Toronto, Canada where he uses his history background to research new material for his fiction works.
Information retrieved from http://www.paulyee.com/
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Curriculum Ties: Civics
Booktalking Ideas: How has the immigrant experience changed from the 1950s to today? How would the protaganists in What Happened This Summer be different if they lived in America?
Reading Level: 11+
Interest Age: 14+
Challenge Issues: Homosexuality, Alcohol Use, Sex
Challenge Response: To defend this title, I would interview recent immigrant young adults and have their responses to the title on file, further I would point to a lack of books written about this group and the need for titles like this. Beyond that I would work with immigrant groups in the community to showcase the power of books like this and would cite interviews with the author where he defends his titles and showcase his awards and literary excellence.
Why is This Included: This title is included because it offers two rare viewpoints: relatable male teen narrators and the asian immigrant perspective.
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