46 pages • 1 hour read
The Year of the Dog
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Written by Grace Lin in 2006, The Year of the Dog is a middle grade novel that follows Pacy as she searches for her place in the world. The daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, Pacy embraces her culture and navigates life in a community where not many of her classmates look like her. Written from the first-person perspective of Pacy and accompanied by the protagonist’s drawings, Lin’s novel explores the various challenges and rewards of a bicultural upbringing, along with the influence of community support and shared stories on Pacy’s developing identity. As Lin’s first children’s novel, The Year of the Dog was nominated to the TX Bluebonnet list.
Other works by this author include Starry River of the Sky, Where The Mountain Meets The Moon, and When the Sea Turned to Silver.
This guide refers to the 2006 Little, Brown and Company edition of the text.
Plot Summary
The novel’s protagonist and narrator, Pacy (who is also called Grace, her American name), begins the story on the first day of Chinese New Year. As her family prepares for the holiday, Pacy’s mother explains that the Year of the Dog is a time to celebrate friends and family and to seek out one’s true identity.
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By Grace Lin
