Fake Chinese Sounds

Illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong
Ebook
5-1/2"W x 8-1/4"H
On sale Apr 30, 2024 | 208 Pages | 9780525554127
Grades 4-7
Reading Level: Lexile HL420L | Fountas & Pinnell V
A middle-grade graphic novel about a Taiwanese American girl navigating identity, bullying, and the messy process of learning to be comfortable in her skin.

Between homework, studying, and Chinese school, Měi Yīng’s summer is shaping up to be a boring one. Her only bright spots are practice with her soccer team, the Divas, and the time spent with her năi nai, who is visiting from Taiwan. Although Měi Yīng’s Mandarin isn’t the best and Năi Nai doesn’t speak English, they find other ways to connect, like cooking guōtiē together and doing tai chi in the mornings.

By the end of the summer, Měi Yīng is sad to see Năi Nai go—she’s the com­plete opposite of Měi Yīng serious professor mother—but excited to start fifth grade. Until new kid Sid starts making her the butt of racist jokes. Her best friend, Kirra, says to ignore him, but does everyone else’s silence about the harassment mean they’re also ignoring Sid . . . or her? As Sid’s bullying fuels Měi Yīng's feelings of invisibility, she must learn to reclaim her identity and her voice.

Perfect for fans of American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor, Measur­ing Up by Lily LaMotte, and The New Kid by Jerry Craft.
Jing Jing Tsong is a New York Times bestselling illustrator who has worked on many picture books such as the Hawaiin Legends for Little Ones series, Aloha Zoo, A Small Bucket of Blessings, and more. Past projects have included the United State Postal Service Winter Fun Forever stamps and Lunar New Year posters for McDonald's. Her images are a digital collage of color, traditional printmaking techniques, and pattern. When not growing kale or surfing, Jing Jing spends her time translating the world through her words and pictures. Find her at jingjingtsong.com.
Praise for Fake Chinese Sounds By Jing Jing Tsong:

★ "Earnest, engaging, and relatable." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Relatable and authentic...With clean, aesthetically pleasing line drawings and endearing, witty dialogue, the author communicates her message purposefully. Readers will learn the meaning of tolerance and empathy through this compelling story." —School Library Journal

"Features panels and full pages of expressive black-and-white drawings highlighted with a different color...Tsong’s debut novel is a well-crafted portrayal of a girl asking crucial questions." —The Horn Book

About

A middle-grade graphic novel about a Taiwanese American girl navigating identity, bullying, and the messy process of learning to be comfortable in her skin.

Between homework, studying, and Chinese school, Měi Yīng’s summer is shaping up to be a boring one. Her only bright spots are practice with her soccer team, the Divas, and the time spent with her năi nai, who is visiting from Taiwan. Although Měi Yīng’s Mandarin isn’t the best and Năi Nai doesn’t speak English, they find other ways to connect, like cooking guōtiē together and doing tai chi in the mornings.

By the end of the summer, Měi Yīng is sad to see Năi Nai go—she’s the com­plete opposite of Měi Yīng serious professor mother—but excited to start fifth grade. Until new kid Sid starts making her the butt of racist jokes. Her best friend, Kirra, says to ignore him, but does everyone else’s silence about the harassment mean they’re also ignoring Sid . . . or her? As Sid’s bullying fuels Měi Yīng's feelings of invisibility, she must learn to reclaim her identity and her voice.

Perfect for fans of American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor, Measur­ing Up by Lily LaMotte, and The New Kid by Jerry Craft.

Author

Jing Jing Tsong is a New York Times bestselling illustrator who has worked on many picture books such as the Hawaiin Legends for Little Ones series, Aloha Zoo, A Small Bucket of Blessings, and more. Past projects have included the United State Postal Service Winter Fun Forever stamps and Lunar New Year posters for McDonald's. Her images are a digital collage of color, traditional printmaking techniques, and pattern. When not growing kale or surfing, Jing Jing spends her time translating the world through her words and pictures. Find her at jingjingtsong.com.

Praise

Praise for Fake Chinese Sounds By Jing Jing Tsong:

★ "Earnest, engaging, and relatable." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Relatable and authentic...With clean, aesthetically pleasing line drawings and endearing, witty dialogue, the author communicates her message purposefully. Readers will learn the meaning of tolerance and empathy through this compelling story." —School Library Journal

"Features panels and full pages of expressive black-and-white drawings highlighted with a different color...Tsong’s debut novel is a well-crafted portrayal of a girl asking crucial questions." —The Horn Book

Celebrate 100 years of James Baldwin

We’re celebrating the centennial of James Baldwin’s birth by sharing a collection of his work. Explore titles and learn more about the literary legend and civil rights champion.   James Baldwin (1924–1987) was a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, appeared in 1953 to excellent reviews, and his

Read more

The New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

The New York Times recently published their list “100 Best Books of the 21st Century.” We are pleased to announce that there are 49 titles published from Penguin Random House and its distribution clients included in this list. Browse our collection of Penguin Random House titles here. Browse the full list from The New York

Read more

2024 Middle and High School Collections

The Penguin Random House Education Middle School and High School Digital Collections feature outstanding fiction and nonfiction from the children’s, adult, DK, and Grupo Editorial divisions, as well as publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Peruse online or download these valuable resources to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: English Language Arts,

Read more

PRH Education High School Collections

All reading communities should contain protected time for the sake of reading. Independent reading practices emphasize the process of making meaning through reading, not an end product. The school culture (teachers, administration, etc.) should affirm this daily practice time as inherently important instructional time for all readers. (NCTE, 2019)   The Penguin Random House High

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more

PRH Education Classroom Libraries

“Books are a students’ passport to entering and actively participating in a global society with the empathy, compassion, and knowledge it takes to become the problem solvers the world needs.” –Laura Robb   Research shows that reading and literacy directly impacts students’ academic success and personal growth. To help promote the importance of daily independent

Read more