Angelfish - Hardcover

Yep, Laurence

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399230416 ISBN 13: 9780399230417

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 2001

Synopsis

Working in a pet fish store after ballet class to pay for the damage she accidently caused, Robin must tolerate cruel racial remarks from Mr. Tsow, the cranky owner, who is amazingly gentle with the fish, which sparks Robin's curiosity of how he became so mean.

About this title

About the Author:

Laurence Yep is a two-time Newberry-Honor winning author.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 5-8-An appealing sequel to Ribbons (1996) and The Cook's Family (1998, both Putnam). Robin has just won the plum role of Beauty in the Beauty and the Beast segment of her San Francisco dance school's production of Ravel's Mother Goose Suite. As she and her friends are leaving the school, she playfully tosses her book bag at one of them and it goes through the plate-glass window of a pet store. The manager comes storming out, and Robin offers to work for him until the window is paid off. At first, he is rude to her because she is a "bunhead," and then because she is only half-Chinese. The relationship between Robin and Mr. Tsow parallels the relationship between Beauty and the Beast, as the girl slowly comes to discover that he is not the monster he pretends to be. Eventually, she discovers that he was the most famous dancer in China until the Cultural Revolution, when his toes were cut off as punishment for his "crimes." When the woman who is supposed to design the costumes and sets for the production suddenly leaves, Robin convinces Mr. Tsow to take over. The conclusion is a bit pat, but Yep does offer some insightful and amusing insights into the life of a young Chinese American as well as some historical facts about the Chinese Cultural Revolution. An entertaining read with an engaging and resourceful protagonist.

Marlyn K. Roberts, Torrance Public Library, CA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0399230416
• ISBN 13: 9780399230417
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224