Dream Soul

By Laurence Yep

Book Overview

All Joan Lee and her younger siblings, Bobby and Emily, want for Christmas in 1927 is to be allowed to celebrate it. Joan longs to be just like everyone else, even if she is Chinese, but this will be the Lees' first Christmas in West Virginia! Miss Lucy, their landlady and friend, innocently invites the family to celebrate Christmas with her. Joan's parents resist at first, but that changes when Papa realizes he can turn it to his advantage. The children can have Christmas, but only if they are good--all the time. Joan, Bobby, and Emily quickly become aware of how hard this will be as each day brings new temptations of sledding, playing in the snow, and spending time with friends. Joan is particularly intrigued by the glamorous Victoria Barrington and her father, who have a mysterious past and are so unlike her own family. But a crisis forces Joan to gain a new understanding of her parents and her heritage, and she must look to her past in order to help her family before it's too late. Continuing the story of the Lees begun in The Star Fisher, winner of the Christopher Award and the West Virginia Literary Award, Dream Soul is a touching story of love, loyalty, and the importance of family. Books for the Teen Age 2001 (NYPL)

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060283890
• ISBN13: 9780060283896
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.9" x 5.5"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Wonderful!!!!

The main character in this book, Joan, is a young Chinese-American girl trying to fit in with the rest of the children her age. She has chores and responsibilities that her American friends do not have. She also does not have as much money as some of the snobby girls she goes to school with. Her and her little brother and sister want to have Christmas more than anything. Their nosey neighbor Miss Lucy (a retired teacher) asks the children to have Christmas with her. Their father tells them they can only have Christmas (since it's not a Chinese holiday) if they behave perfectly up until Christmas. This story is a wonderful example of why children should appreciate their parents. Although Joan's father is not like American father's, he does love her and he shows that love by working hard to provide for the family. This book has many exciting parts as the children are trying to not get in trouble. I liked the book so much I couldn't put it down. The book provides a real insight to what it is like to live within a minority culture. It is also just a wonderful and entertaining story for anyone looking for a good book! :)