Thursday, March 14, 2019

Brainstorm 171: International Reads Pt 2: Asia

We're continuing our look at books set in countries and cultures around the world. This week the focus is Asia. To see the parameters I've set for the selection of books in this International Reads series, please visit International Reads Pt 1: Africa. I'm not including summaries or reviews today in the interest of space. Clicking on the title of the books will take you to either my review of the book or a general summary and other reviews.

Enjoy your visit to Asia!


AFGHANISTAN


The Breadwinner (Breadwinner, #1) by Deborah Ellis
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade
Note: There is also a graphic novel adaptation of this book now.

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements, ill. by Mark Elliott
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade

In the Land of Blue Burqas by Kate McCord
Genre: Memoir, Religious Literature, Adult Nonfiction

CAMBODIA


Church Behind the Wire: a Story of Faith in the Killing Fields by Barnabas Mam with Kitti Murray
Genre: Autobiography, Religious Literature, Adult Nonfiction

The Last King of Angkor Wat by Graeme Base
Genre: Folklore, Animal Stories, Picture Book

The Secret of the Sacred Temple: Cambodia (Secret Agent Jack Stalwart, #5) by Elizabeth Singer Hunt
Genre: Suspense Fiction, Adventure Stories, Middle Grade

CHINA


Bronze and Sunflower by Cao Wenxuan, translated by Helen Wang
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade

Jade Dragon Mountain (Li Du, #1) by Elsa Hart
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Adult

Living in…China by Chloe Perkins, ill. by Tom Woolley
Genre: Lower Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book, Leveled Reader

Red Butterfly by A.L. Sonnichsen
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade

Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges, ill. by Sophie Blackall
Genre: Biographical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Picture Book

Zheng He, the Great Chinese Explorer: a Bilingual Story of Adventure and Discovery by Li Jian, translated by Yijin Wert
Genre: Picture Book Biography

Specific Chinese Culture: Hong Kong


Hong Kong! (Recipe for Adventure, #3) by Giada de Laurentiis, ill. by Francesca Gambatesa
Genre: Fantasy Fiction, Foodie, Lower Grade

INDIA


Gandhi: a Manga Biography by Kazuki Ebine
Genre: Biography, Manga, Young Adult Nonfiction

Living in…India by Chloe Perkins, ill. by Tom Woolley
Genre: Lower Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book, Leveled Reader

Manjhi Moves a Mountain by Nancy Churnin, ill. by Danny Popovici
Genre: Picture Book Biography

A Tiger for Malgudi and The Man-Eater of Malgudi by R.K. Narayan
Genre: Historical Fiction, Indian Classic, Adult Fiction

A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Dance Stories, Young Adult

The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk by Kabir Sehgal & Surishtha Sehgal, ill. by Jess Golden
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Songs, Picture Book

INDONESIA


Eruption!: Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives (Scientists in the Field) by Elizabeth Rusch, photos by Tom Uhlman
Genre: Natural Disaster Stories, Science, Middle Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction

Indonesian Children’s Favorite Stories by Joan Suyenaga, ill. by Salim Martowiredjo
Genre: Folklore, Fairytales, Short Story Collections

Indonesia, Etc.: Exploring the Improbable Nation by Elizabeth Pisani
Genre: Travel Stories, Cultural Studies, Adult Nonfiction

JAPAN


Chi’s Sweet Home, Volume 1 by Kanata Konami
Genre: Animal Stories, Contemporary Fiction, Manga, All Ages

Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
Genre: Historical Fiction, Biographical Fiction, Sea Stories, Adventure Stories, Middle Grade

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Adult Fiction

My First Book of Japanese Words: an ABC Rhyming Book by Michelle Haney Brown, ill. by Aya Padron
Genre: Lower Grade Nonfiction, ABC Book, Foreign Language, Picture Book

One Leaf Rides the Wind: Counting in a Japanese Garden by Celeste Davidson Mannis, ill. by Susan Kathleen Hartung
Genre: Lower Grade Nonfiction, Counting Books, Poetry, Picture Book

Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein, ill. by Ed Young
Genre: Animal Stories, Contemporary Fiction, Poetry, Picture Book

KAZAKHSTAN


How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz
Genre: Picture Book Memoir

Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Animal Stories, Middle Grade

MALAYSIA


Malaysian Children’s Favourite Stories by Kay Lyons, ill. by Martin Loh
Genre: Folklore, Fairytales, Short Story Collections

Sherlock Sam and the Vanished Robot in Penang (Sherlock Sam, #5) by A.J. Low
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary Fiction, Lower Grade/Middle Grade

The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf
Genre: Historical Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Young Adult

MONGOLIA


Gobi: a Little Dog with a Big Heart by Dion Leonard, ill. by Lisa Manuzak
Genre: Biographical Picture Book, Animal Stories, Sports Stories
Note: There are also Middle Grade and Adult versions of this story available.

Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: an Expedition among Snow Leopards in Mongolia (Scientists in the Field) by Sy Montgomery, photos by Nic Bishop
Genre: Animal Stories, Science, Travel Stories, Middle Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction

Yak and Dove by Kyo Maclear, ill. by Esmé Shapiro
Genre: Animal Stories, Leveled Reader, Picture Book

MYANMAR (aka Burma)


Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Middle Grade

The Lady and the Peacock: the Life of Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma by Peter Popham
Genre: Biography, Adult Nonfiction

The River of Lost Footsteps: a Personal History of Burma by Thant Myint-U
Genre: History, Adult Nonfiction

NEPAL


A Dog Named Haku: a Holiday Story from Nepal by Margarita Engle with Amish Karanjit and Nicole Karanjit, ill. by Ruth Jeyaveeran
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Holiday Story, Picture Book

Second Suns: Two Doctors and Their Amazing Quest to Restore Sight and Save Lives by David Oliver Relin
Genre: Medical Stories, Inspirational Stories, Biographies, Adult Nonfiction

NORTH KOREA


Every Falling Star: the True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea by SungJu Lee with Susan Elizabeth McClelland
Genre: Autobiography, Survival Stories, Suspense, Young Adult Nonfiction

In the Shadow of the Sun by Anne Sibley O’Brien
Genre: Suspense Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade

A Kim Jong-Il Production: Kidnap, Torture, Murder… Making Movies North Korean Style by Paul Fischer
Genre: Biography, History, Film Studies, Adult Nonfiction

Year of Impossible Goodbyes (Year of Impossible Goodbyes, #1) by Sook Nyul Choi
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade/Young Adult

PAKISTAN


Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Middle Grade

Free as a Bird: the Story of Malala by Lina Maslo
Genre: Picture Book Biography
Note: There are many other biographies of Malala available, but of most interest is the original adult autobiography by Malala herself and a middle grade adaptation of that.

Let Her Fly: a Father’s Journey and the Fight for Equality by Ziaddin Yousafzai with Louise Carpenter
Genre: Autobiography, Adult Nonfiction

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade
*Parts also in India

PHILIPPINES


Filipino Children’s Favorite Stories by Liana Romulo, ill. by Joanne de Leon
Genre: Fairytales, Folklore, Short Story Collections

Project Seahorse (Scientists in the Field) by Pamela S. Turner, photos by Scott Tuason
Genre: Conservation Stories, Nature, Science, Middle Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction

Smaller and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction

SINGAPORE


A Boy Named Harry: the Childhood of Lee Kuan Yew by Patrick Yee
Genre: Picture Book Biography

The Frangipani Tree Mystery (Crown Colony, #1) by Ovidia Yu
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction

Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong (Sherlock Sam, #1) by A.J. Low, ill. by Drewscape
Genre: Mystery Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Lower Grade/Middle Grade

Singapore Children’s Favorite Stories by Di Taylor, ill. by L.K. Tay Audouard
Genre: Folklore, Fairytales, Short Story Collection

SOUTH KOREA


The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World through Pop Culture by Euny Hong
Genre: Pop Culture Studies, Adult Nonfiction

Living in…South Korea by Chloe Perkins, Tom Woolley
Genre: Lower Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book, Leveled Reader

No Kimchi for Me by Aram Kim
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Animal Stories, Foodie, Picture Book

Please Look after Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin, translated by Chi-Young Kim
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Adult Fiction

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade

Where’s Halmoni? by Julie Kim
Genre: Folklore, Mystery Fiction, Graphic Novel, Picture Book, Foreign Language

TAIWAN


Dumpling Days (Pacy, #3) by Grace Lin
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade

THAILAND


B is for Bangkok by Janet Brown, ill. by Likit Q. Kittisakdinan
Genre: Lower Grade Nonfiction, Tour Books, Picture Book

A Child of the Northeast by Kampoon Boontawee, translated by Susan Fulop Kepner
Genre: Biographical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction

Four Reigns by Kukrit Pramoj, translated by Tulachandra
Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult Fiction

Hush!: a Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho, ill. by Holly Meade
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Animal Stories, Picture Book

Mela and the Elephant by Dow Phumiruk, ill. by Ziyue Chen
Genre: Animal Stories, Fables, Picture Book

Tua and the Elephant by R.P. Harris, ill. by Taeeun Yoo
Genre: Animal Stories, Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade

TIBET


The 14th Dalai Lama: a Manga Biography by Tetsu Saiwai
Genre: Biography, Manga, Young Adult Nonfiction

The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong: the Untold Story of My Struggle for Tibet by Gyalo Thundup & Anne F. Thurston
Genre: Autobiography, History, Adult Nonfiction

Running on the Roof of the World by Jess Butterworth
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Survival Stories, Adventure Stories, Middle Grade

VIETNAM


The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Genre: Memoir, History, Graphic Novel, Adult Nonfiction

The First Journey by Phùng Nguyên Quang & Huỳnh Kim Liên
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Picture Book

In a Village by the Sea by Muon Van, ill. by April Chu
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Picture Book

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Genre: Historical Fiction, Novel in Verse, Middle Grade

Ten Cents a Pound by Nhung N. Trans-Davies, ill. by Josée Bisaillon
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Picture Book

Where the Wind Leads: a Refugee Family’s Miraculous Story of Loss, Rescue, and Redemption by Vinh Chung with Tim Downs
Genre: Autobiography, History, Adult Nonfiction

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