The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin (mg)
Unabridged audiobook on 3 compact discs, 3 hours. Read by Nancy Wu. Recorded Books, 2007. (Borrowed from the public library.)
Pacy LIn begins the Year of the Dog celebrating with her nuclear family in the United States and on the telephone with her extended family in Taiwan. She learns that people often "find themselves" during the Year of the Dog and since Pacy is currently struggling with being the only Taiwan-American girl in her school, she is hoping to discover who she is in the coming year. The Year of the Dog proves eventful for Pacy - a new girl moves in and she's Taiwan-American too. They become best friends and share a crush and enter a science fair together. Pacy also tries out for the school play, welcomes a new baby cousin and writes her first book.
This first-person narrative sounds like an eleven-year-old as readers learn a bit of Taiwan culture and also some of the struggles Pacy encounters while trying to fit into two cultures. She doesn't speak Taiwanese or Chinese and yet assumptions are made about her by her classmates. She also has the same worries and desires as they do.
Nancy Wu's performance is well-paced and pleasing. Reading with one's ears deprives the reader of the frequent black and white spot art.