The Legend of Auntie Po

By Shing Yin Khor,

Book cover of The Legend of Auntie Po

Book description

A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
 
Part historical fiction, part fable, and 100 percent adventure. Thirteen-year-old Mei reimagines the myths of Paul Bunyan as starring a Chinese heroine while she works in a Sierra Nevada logging camp in 1885.

Cover may vary.
 
Aware of the racial tumult in the years after…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Legend of Auntie Po as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I love learning about life in another time period through a story. This one transported me to a logging camp in 1885. I learned about the life of the camp, the hard and dangerous work, and the treatment of the Chinese workers. 

Mei is the daughter of a Chinese cook. She dreams of studying at the university, but doubts she will ever be able to, because of her Chinese origins. 

I loved the deep but complex friendships between Mei and the foreman’s daughter and between Mei’s father and the foreman himself. I loved the affection between Mei and her father,…

Shing Yin Khor is one of my all-time favorite artists and creators. They have several works out and you should read all of them. The Legend of Auntie Po is a graphic novel about historical racism and trauma that focuses on the perspectives of the people affected by these issues, and the humanity we all share.

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