The Year of the Rat

Lin, G. (2007). The Year of the Rat. New York, New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Brief Annotation: A Taiwanese girl named Pacy lives in upstate New York and learns many things during the Year of the Rat. Change comes so rapidly that she struggles to find happiness. Pacy has trouble knowing who she really is: is she Taiwanese, Chinese or American? Pacy loses her best friend, Melody who is also Taiwanese, as she moves to California. Pacy must learn how to deal with a new Taiwanese family moving into Melody’s house, relationships with girls at school and family relationships. Pacy grows up during the Year of the Rat and realizes that life may change but it is her who needs to be consistent and happy throughout whatever may come.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Grade Level: 5-8

Readers who will like this: Readers who like reading about different cultures and how hard it is for families to come and “fit in” American culture.

Response/Rating (1-4):*** This was a great novel book because it gave insight into the Chinese culture, I learned information I never knew before. I also liked reading about the difficulties Pacy had throughout the Year of the Rat and how those difficulties made her a stronger person.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: What do you know about Chinese New Year?

Reading Strategies Connection: Quickwrites

For this activity, teachers can have a question or statement ready for students to write about. The question is related to The Year of the Rat and the question should allow students to explore a topic or respond to a question. The students will write what they feel about the prompt and this activity focuses on generating ideas, reflecting on the story, and making connections.

This is a wonderful activity for students to engage in because this story holds lots of information about the Chinese culture and can generate questions about Taiwan and how the cultures are related. Students will be able to reflect and think about what they read and how they feel about the prompt, which will lead students to generate questions and to have discussions about the book.