Laurence Yep,
The Journal of Wong Ming Chung, a Chinese Miner (My Name is America Series) Scholastic Scholastic Books, 2000.

Part of the popular series of fictionalized accounts of periods in American history - written as diary entries by girls (as the "Dear America" series), and as journal entries by boys (as the My Name is America series) - this story of a young boy's adventures on the Gold Mountain is wonderfully entertaining and compelling Yep paints a vivid picture of the China that Wong Ming-Chung, or Bright Intelligence (but usually called Runt), leaves as a 10-year-old. That part of the story is often left out of the history books, but will provide children with a much clearer understanding of the immigrant's experience. Runt goes on a dangerous journey to join his uncle and to find gold in California. In America he finds there is no such thing as the Gold Mountain, but he learns that clever and resourceful people can survive and even thrive in this rough land.

This isn't the first time Yep has written about early Chinese immigration, and the depth of his knowledge about the subject brings the story to life and keeps readers engaged. My favorite character is Runt's boss, whom he calls "The Fox." Even though Runt is small, his ability to write and use an abacus help him become a valued member of the crew of Chinese miners that he and his uncle work with looking for gold. As the Fox begins to trust Runt and Runt learns the Fox's way of doing business, it is clear why the Fox is called the Fox. As with all the books in this series, a collection of historical illustrations and photos are included in the book.

Sumi Hayashi