Peiling and the Chicken-Fried Christmas

by Pauline A. Chen

Book Overview

Christmas season is in full swing, and eleven-year-old Peiling Wang can't take another minute of it. She feels completely left out Her family is from Taiwan, and even though they have been living in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1599901226
• ISBN13: 9781599901220
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.8" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

An engaging story about a Chinese-style Christmas!

As the population of the US becomes more diverse, with various ethnic communities having their own celebrations, this book is quite timely. The Hindus have Diwali, the Sikhs have Vaisakhi, and the Chinese have Chinese New Year. This book explores how young Peiling, whose family immigrated to the US from China, struggles to adapt to the hectic and happy preparations for Christmas as celebrated by her peers at school, but not her. She is pleasantly surprised when her parents decide to celebrate Christmas after seven years in the US, but is then disappointed when they take a Chinese approach to it. The rest of the story centers around how Peiling comes to appreciate the differences between her and her classmates, and takes pride in her unique cultural traditions whilst coming together with her friends and celebrating Christmas. Its a unique but timely tale that is sure to appeal to readers, both young and old.

Engaging and Entertaining--a tale for all

My 10 year old daughter and I found this story engaging and entertaining. From the beginning we found ourselves relating to Peiling and feeling her anxiety, despite the fact that we have no personal immigrant experience. Chen describes the school setting vividly and I felt like I was there. Peiling's classmates and friends were also extremely believable. My favorite was her quirky friend Grace.

A Rare Book

Someone gave my 11-year-old niece this as a gift, and at first I thought it was too old for her. But then we decided to try it together, and I have to say this is a fantastic book to read before the holidays, especially now that kids are encouraged to start drawing up Christmas lists before Thanksgiving and the whole season has lost so much meaning. Essentially the author manages to make the holidays seem magical, as they should in a kid's book, while saying something serious about their purpose and how they apply to the rest of the year. If that sounds "heavy," it's not. Most of the books the kids in my family tend to enjoy are pretty braindead, which is fine up to a point, like watching a not-unlimited amount of tv. The thing that's harder to find is a book they enjoy which also puts some ideas in their head, like E.B. White and Roald Dahl. One more thing -- this book is actually quite funny, and dead-on about the anxiety kids, not to mention adults, feel about the holidays. A great idea for an adult looking to make a meaningful gift.

A Special Book

There's a lot of talk about "multiculturalism", but rarely does anyone specify what the "other" cultures actually are. This book attempts (successfully) to show the coherence and relevance of Taiwanese-American culture and not just to present it as some generic "non-white" alternative, while touching on other "other" cultures as well. However, the book's themes should be of interest to a very broad audience...coming of age, individuality vs. conformity, fitting in, wondering if the grass is truly greener. This is a well-written, clever, and charming story that is both moving and funny. It would make a great holiday present for an adolescent because it's a Christmas book with a new spin, but it's also just a good book with a valuable educational message for any child. It seems like every celebrity is writing a childrens' book these days, and most of them are best sellers because the author is famous, not because they're any good. This author isn't a celebrity and she's written a very good book. Buy it.

A funny and touching story

My eight year old son and I both loved this book. The characters are vividly drawn, and the book is beautifully written. It is a wonderful, universal story that will make your child laugh and think. My son kept talking about the characters and their situations well after we had finished the book. While it would certainly make a good Christmas present, it is not just for Christmas. Any child between the ages of seven and thirteen will enjoy this book, anytime of the year.