A closely knit quintet of Asian American teens have remained together throughout their high school years. Stellar students and high achievers, each hopes to attend a prestigious university. All apply to several schools throughout the U.S. Beth Claire harbors the dream that all five will remain together, attending the University of California at Berkeley.
Musically inclined, they are members of the local youth orchestra. Beth is second chair violin to the technically precise Jason Tsou, first chair.

Beth lives with her Asian mother and has limited contact with her white father who remains aloof. Her maternal grandparents live nearby but she rarely sees them.
Her four friends are her anchor, her source of security and validation. Senior year exposes underlying stresses and fissures in their bond. They witness a father’s brutal physical abuse of his son. One tries to bring her romantic interest into the friendship circle. Another attempts suicide. When college acceptance notifications begin arriving, it is evident that the five will soon be geographically separated. Things are not the same. They will never be the same.

Love the gorgeous book jacket. Note the sumptuous colors that wash over Beth as she turns away to face a future different from what she expected. An apt metaphor.

I wept as I read the final pages. When We Were Infinite is exquisitely written, simply elegant, yet intriguingly complex.

Good news for those who love Yang's Front Desk. There are more stories and further adventures at the Calivista Motel. 

​Mia Tang is growing up, dealing with complex issues as well as daily frustrations. Sixth grade is not what she expected. She and best friend Lupe are in a classroom located in a temporary building. This year her teacher seems more critical of Mia and her writing style.

Set in the 1970's during the reelection campaign of Pete Wilson, Mia is devastated by her teacher’s support for a ballot measure that will deny educational opportunities to children of undocumented workers.

Yang delves into the plight of immigrants from a variety of viewpoints: Classmate Jason appears to have achieved the American dream of financial success. Lupe, Mia's best friend and the daughter of a Calivista employee, confides that she and her family are undocumented and risk deportation.

The Tang family hopes Proposition 187 will be defeated. Their motel's marque proudly displays the notice "Immigrants welcome."

First book in the Front Desk series. Meet Mia Tang, her family, and friends.

Third book in the Front Desk series. Room to Dream follows Tang Family's visit to Beijing.

Enter a futuristic world of violence, corruption, deception. The Karensa Federation, seeking total domination, is invading the last free nation of Mara and crushing any resistance it encounters. The Federation has created a cadre of grotesque zombie-like Ghosts, programmed to hunt down and destroy all enemies.

A select group of highly trained Mara fighters are dedicated to fighting back. Warrior pairs, consisting of a Striker and a Shield, battle in tandem. In addition to their extensive combat skills, Strikers have at their disposal an arsenal of weapons including daggers, guns, bows and arrows. Talin is a remarkably adroit Striker.  She grieves the loss of her Shield and best friend. When he is infected by a Ghost, she is required to kill her close companion to prevent him from becoming a Ghost. His death haunts her.

Talin is mute. As a young girl her vocal cords were damaged by chemicals released during a Federation attack on her home. She remains physically and emotionally scarred by the trauma. Gradually, her suppressed memories begin to return. Secrets from her past come to light.

The book's exploration of women’s empowerment, class structure, and the corrosive effects of absolute political control are relevant today.

Sandhya Menon has this covered with Of Curses and Kisses, the first volume in St Rosetta's Academy, her new YA romance series. Set in an exclusive boarding school nestled in Colorado’s gorgeous snow-capped mountains, a girl from India and boy from England meet. Is it destiny?

Princess Jaya Rao and her younger sister Isha are sent off to boarding school, hoping to escape a scandalous rumor that a rival family has circulated about Isha. Jaya hopes to protect the Rao reputation from further damage and exact revenge on the family that is responsible for publishing the vicious gossip. She finds the perfect opportunity. Lord Grey Emerson, a member of the dynasty that has delivered centuries of indignities to the Rao family, is a student at St. Rosetta’s. Her plan: she will make him fall in love with her and then break his heart.

Like Scheherazade, ​Nayeri weaves a thousand and one tales into an opulent Persian tapestry: a story of mythology and memoir, of lineage and loss. A story that is as true as what you see with your own eyes and as real as what you cannot see.
The saga begins as a ten-year-old Iranian refugee stands up in an Oklahoma schoolroom and tells classmates his story, his history.
There are so many things going on in this narrative. Several pages are devoted to considerations of poop. It should not be surprising. This is not some esoteric philosophical treatise, although there are ample references to God and religion, anxiety and resilience, dignity and prejudice. At its core, it is a story of basic human needs. It's a story of survival. Nayeri lays bare his heart, his devotion to his mother, his complicated relationship with his father. It’s a guidebook for navigating a strange western culture and for methodically escaping the cruelty of others. It’s all of it. 

A middle grade tale that is funny, heartwarming and painfully honest. Daughter of immigrant parents, eleven-year-old Yumi Chung constantly feels parental pressure to excel academically.
Mom has decided that Yumi will spend her summer with tutoring sessions in preparation for the SSAT, Secondary School Admission Test. ​​​Yumi grudgingly heads off for morning test prep sessions combined with three hours of afternoon study at the library.
Then something amazing happens.
​She discovers a comedy club adjacent to the library.  YouTube sensation Jasmine Jasper is facilitating a comedy camp. Yumi succumbs to temptation and steps inside. She is mistaken for a camp registrant who failed to show. Here’s Yumi’s chance to shine. Performing using another identity frees her from stage fright. She is a success!

Late 1930's were perilous times in Europe. The Nazi party was ascending to power and invading surrounding nations.
Twelve-year-old Esther’s family are Polish Jews. They face a future filled with uncertainty and fear. Bravely Esther leaves her mother, siblings, and grandmother to join her father in Cuba. The plan: father and daughter will secure funds for the entire family to escape the dire conditions in their homeland and emigrate to Cuba.
Through a series of letters to her sister, Esther describes her life in this new country. Her correspondence is infused with sensory descriptions: luscious tropical fruit, beautiful countryside, eloquent Spanish language, and the poetry of José Matí. ​She tells of heartbreaking setbacks and small triumphs.
​Initially, the two earn money peddling religious statues in the predominantly Catholic villages. It seems an unusual thing: Jews selling religious statues. Sadly, this venture produces little income.

Siblings Sara and Emiliano Zapata are on the run, hoping to elude an international human trafficking cartel. Illegal continues their story which began with Disappeared. After leaving Juárez, Mexico, the two separately cross the Rio Grande River, hoping to outpace and outsmart the syndicate.
The story is told in the alternating voices of the brother and sister. Sara opts to legally request asylum as she believes that ample documentation will support her amnesty claim. Emiliano chooses to go underground, hiding in the back of a horse trailer to evade detection and eventually living in the basement of his father’s home in a Chicago suburb.
​​The two share an dangerous secret: a cell phone containing damning photographs and documents detailing human trafficking that originates in Mexico and extends into the United States. Sara entrusts the phone to her brother. Sara and Emiliano must protect this valuable piece of evidence without endangering one another.

Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed's When Stars Are Scattered introduces readers to the reality of survival for displaced individuals, an existence filled with deprivation, uncertainty, and boredom.
Jamieson chronicles the childhood of Somali refugees Omar Mohamed and his younger brother Hassan.
​The narrative is based on Omar’s memories. He and Hassan escaped Somalia's civil war, lost contact with their parents, and were given shelter at a camp located in Kenya. Looked after by a kind woman, they subsist on meager rations and sleep in a tiny tent. Omar assumes responsibility for disabled brother's daily care. Life changes when a UN worker suggests that Omar attend a school organized for the camp's children. Education becomes his lifeline and an escape from the grim reality of camp life. Fifteen long years later, the two resettle in Arizona.

A comic book set in 1946 with 2020 sensibilities features the traditional superhero trope: Man of Steel versus an archenemy. Metropolis is plagued with a sinister influence. It’s up to the caped crusader with an assist from a couple of kids to defeat evil and protect the city’s citizens.
​Inspired by the 1940s Superman radio series “Clan of the Fiery Cross,” Gene Luen Yang chronicles a lesser-known aspect of bigotry and racism in American history: Chinese Americans targeted by white supremacists.
​​​The narrative has two plot threads. Alternating stories chronicle a Chinese American family's move from Chinatown to a new neighborhood. This is juxtaposed with the tale of a superhero arriving to earth from another planet. ​Both threads explore the plight of individuals who are perceived as different. ​Both are stories of immigrants. Stories of aliens.

Addition books featuring immigrants. The titles include a variety of immigrant experiences.
Some stories are memoirs, others offer fictionalized narratives. The assortment includes various formats: picture book, poetry, prose, and graphic novel. There are titles for elementary school, middle grade, and young adult audiences.
Sample several different titles for a deeper understanding of the immigrant story.

Omar Mohamed's initiative helps students in an African refugee camp succeed in school  Refugee Strong.

Inspiring stories from the people who have welcomed refugees. International Rescue Committee offers specific suggestions to support refugees.

Danbi’s off for her first day of Kindergarten. A momentous occasion. For this little charmer, the day is even more significant. It's her first day of school in America.
New day. New school. New country.

For a girl from Korea, everything is strange and puzzling. A blonde teacher with very pale skin, and a cluster of children, many who do not look like her, stare in wonder at the newcomer. Things are off to a difficult start.

Everything is foreign. New language. Baffling writing system. Dancing is strange. Games don't follow any rules that she knows.  Saddest of all, she is without a friend.

​Like Scheherazade, Nayeri has a gift. He weaves a thousand and one tales into an opulent Persian tapestry: a story of mythology and memoir, of lineage and loss. A story that is as true as what you see with your own eyes and as real as what you cannot see.

The saga begins: a ten-year-old Iranian refugee stands up in an Oklahoma schoolroom and tells classmates his story, his history.

There are so many things going on in this narrative. Several pages are devoted to considerations of poop. It should not be surprising. This is not some esoteric philosophical treatise, although there are ample references to God and religion, anxiety and resilience, dignity and prejudice. At its core, it is a story of basic human needs. It's a story of survival. Nayeri lays bare his heart, his devotion to his mother, his complicated relationship with his father. It’s a guidebook for navigating a strange western culture and for methodically escaping the cruelty of others. It’s all of it.

​But it’s more. Inspired by the 1940s Superman radio series “Clan of the Fiery Cross,” Gene Luen Yang chronicles a lesser-known aspect of bigotry and racism in American history: Chinese Americans targeted by white supremacists.

​​​The narrative has two plot threads. Alternating stories chronicle a Chinese American family's move from Chinatown to a new neighborhood. This is juxtaposed with the tale of a superhero arriving to earth from another planet. ​Both threads explore the plight of individuals who are perceived as different. ​Both are stories of immigrants. Stories of aliens.

Dr Lee, his children Tommy and Roberta, and mandarin-speaking wife move from Chinatown to a suburban Metropolis home. Tommy is excited. He is quickly invited to play with the local youth baseball team. Roberta is apprehensive. She wonders if she will fit it and make new friends.
Sadly some people do not welcome the Lee family. They are subjected to subtle and overt racism. One night Tommy and Roberta watch in horror when hooded Klansmen chant “One Race! One Color! One Religion!" and burn a cross in their neighborhood.
Baseball teammate Chuck takes part in this cross burning. His uncle is the Klan’s Grand Scorpion. Chuck is uneasy about the Klan’s activities, yet wants to please his uncle.

Hurrah! A middle grade book that is funny. And heartwarming and painfully honest. Bonus: It is served with a side of tasty Korean barbecue.

Meet Yumi Chung, eleven-year-old daughter of immigrant parents. Pressure. She constantly feels parental pressure to excel academically. It's particularly difficult because her older sister Yuri is the embodiment of the ideal Korean daughter: accelerated educational advancement and currently a medical school student.

Not Yumi. Earning high marks and academic accolades are not that important. What she really loves is stand-up comedy. This seems bizarre, as she is painfully self-conscious.

Mom has decided that Yumi will spend her summer with tutoring sessions in preparation for the SSAT, Secondary School Admission Test. ​​​Yumi grudgingly heads off for morning test prep sessions combined with three hours of afternoon study at the library. 

Yumi picked up a tip from her comedy idol Jasmine Jasper. She maintains a journal, recording her observations and reactions to events in her life. These entries could be the basis for possible jokes and comedy routines.
Readers will find several pages from Yumi’s notebook scattered throughout the first person narrative. Yumi accompanies her entries with personal emojis that express her current mood .