Current box office receipts prove that there is significant interest in romantic comedies featuring an all Asian cast. Crazy Rich Asians has been drawing record-breaking crowds. Interestingly, the movie is based on Kevin Kwan's book with the same title. Jenny Han's YA classic To All the Boys I've Loved Before has been adapted for the screen and is available on Netflix. 

But let's not stop with these fantastic films developed from contemporary fiction. There could be more. Look at these three romantic YA novels written by Asian American authors. Each, in my humble opinion, would translate well to the screen. Can you picture some of your favorite actors assuming roles in these stories? I can. If I were a movie producer looking for a follow-up hit movie, I would consider these 2018 YA books.

​Pub date: May 8 2018       Publisher: ​Farrar, Straus and Giroux    ISBN: 978-0374304089

​Pub date: May 22, 2018       Publisher: ​Simon Pulse    ISBN: 978-1481495400

Romantic comedy films featuring Asian Americans are winners at the box office and in the hearts of viewers. 

Bowling has crammed this quirky little novel chock full of humor, intense life-threatening adventure, and a ton of vocabulary word entries cleverly inserted at important junctures in the narrative. 24 Hours in Nowhere will keep readers rapidly turning pages as the four thirteen-year-old kids try to stay alive, race against time, and remain friends. No small task. But in a place like Nowhere, Arizona anything can happen.

​​Conclusion: Adrian is lying!  She is sure of this. She tells her classmates, confides in her mother, even confronts Adrian with the evidence: Adrian does not, in fact, own a horse.
When she persists in arguing the point, mother decides that it is time to take a walk.  She walks with her daughter to the neighborhood where Adrian lives.  With fresh eyes and new insight our little protagonist comes to a stunning conclusion. What Adrian possesses is an incredible imagination.

As a child I was fascinated with Eleanor Estes The Hundred Dresses. I remember sitting spellbound, listening to my teacher read this story of the immigrant girl with only one dress who is mercilessly bullied by her classmates. The feeling I had on hearing that story has never left my heart.  Similarly, Marcy Campbell's picture book has the potential to touch the hearts of children in a profound way.  

Picture books on being different. Finding acceptance. Practicing kindness.

From the outset, Graham delivers. He is the master of the thoughtful pause. Each paragraph is given proper consideration without rushing on to the next chapter. The narrator creates a fluid narrative that moves the tale forward seamlessly. Individual voices are distinctive and imbue each character with a unique personality. From excitable Maisie, to self-assured and slightly sarcastic Catalina, to The Duke from Cuba, Graham's golden voice brings every individual to life. He handles tongue twisters such as "marauding mass moose" with aplomb. There is plenty of humor is his presentation. As he approaches the final chapters of the book (there are one hundred thirteen chapters) his voice hints at his increasing astonishment at the number of chapters, as he announces each subsequent number.
I enjoyed every sequence, every scene.  Gran, his family, Catalina, and the residents of Carousel with their endearing quirks won my heart. Thank you, Dave Eggers and Dion Graham for this delightful adventure.

I could listen to Dion Graham read literature indefinitely. His range is impressive and his body of work extensive. He delivers a superb performance in all genres and for every age of listener. Listen to a portion of his narration from The Lifters. Give your ears and your imagination a treat with these samples of his narrations. Click on the cover to hear an audiobook snippet.

The credits mention an aspect of the book that I missed: the art. The stunning cover is the work of the remarkable Fan Brothers. I know Aaron Renier from his Unsinkable Walker Bean graphic novel series. I was pleased to see his illustrations liberally scattered throughout the text. After listening to Graham’s brilliant narration, it was interesting to compare the pictures that I painted in my mind with Mr. Renier's interpretation of the story.

Rafael López illustrates with thoughtfully selected motifs.
Initially readers see several versions of a ruler: Angelina peeking around a ruler-measured door, a girl hugging her own lunch on a table marked in exact increments. A boy standing alone against a tree etched with calibrated lines.  Each of these images suggest the fear and uncertainty caused by measuring oneself against others. Later the characters break free of the rigid, self-imposed requirements, causing ruled illustrations to disappear from the pages.

Books are a recurring theme throughout the narrative. Before the story begins, readers are treated to an image of Angelina inside her apartment, reading a book. After going into detail to describe the many ways in which others are different from her, Angelina closes her book and looks longingly outside her window. Then we encounter a boy, apart from all the others, hiding a book behind his back. When he stands alone at the water's edge, the reflection is of the same boy, but now the book is open and he is enjoying this world of stories. It is with books that Angelina and her little sister can explore new worlds. It is because of books that Angelina has stories to share with her new friends. Books are both a refuge and a way to connect with others.

I love the birds, flying throughout the pages. The unique stories of others produce remarkable results: "the world opens itself up a little wider".  Readers can take flight and "go EVERYWHERE."

The Day You Begin exquisitely captures the experience of stepping into unfamiliar territory. This is an excellent choice for parents and caregivers to share with children as they start a new school year or begin attending a new group activity. Teachers and leaders of classes, extracurricular groups, and enrichment programs will find this book helpful in setting the stage for an inviting and inclusive experience.

For an added insight, carefully examine the end papers.  When initially opening the book and turning the cover to reveal the end papers, one sees a spring meadow with a single flower bud.  An insect and bird watch over the plants, waiting for blossoms. After reading The Day You Begin, the closing end papers present a different view of the same garden.  Now flowers are blooming.  A multiplicity of insects and birds take flight. Rafael López has created a mini story, beautifully bookending Jacqueline Woodson's wondrous text.

The value of this book will be enhanced with further exploration in the classroom. There are many themes here which would make excellent discussion points: 

• Freedom and what it means to be free. Consider the larger context of freedom in a world view and compare that with the granular from the standpoint of classroom rules.
• Familiar vs. the unknown
• Time: the passage of time and our perceptions of time. Consider the words “always” and “moment”
• Friendship: what it means to be a friend and the long-term effects of friendship
• Harbor: what is a harbor (this may be a new concept for students living in land-locked areas) and what does harbor mean in the larger sense.
• Poetry as a means of expression
• Tragedy: the place that tragic events have in our lives

References to Harmonic Convergence, Ailanthus tree, Francisco Alarcón and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn may be unfamiliar to young readers. They provide opportunities for further exploration and discussion.
I was also intrigued by the choice to forgo quotation marks and use italics to denote dialog. This stylistic decision is well-suited to the narrative.
As a former classroom teacher, I can easily see this as a class study, with a copy of Harbor Me for each student.  Reading and discussing together, the shared experience would help students create their own ​ARTT.

Introduce young readers to these classics mentioned in Harbor Me.

​Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

This little picture book posits that changing one's perspective changes not only one's view of the world but causes change to happen in the world.

it is interesting to observe the teacher’s demeanor. She appears unruffled by Penelope’s instinctive action, but firmly states the class rule. She makes it clear that Penelope must comply. The obedient little Rex acquiesces.  As the day progresses Miss Rex comes to the unhappy conclusion that her behavior is not conducive to making friends. However, it is not the teacher who ultimately solves the problem. Neither Penelope nor the other students can help her control her impulsive responses. Assistance in helping Penelope's develop friendship-making skills arrives from an unexpected source: the class pet.

Higgins’ illustrations are whimsical. Who knew that a tiny T- Rex in pink overalls and slurping up young children could be so adorable? The artist wisely chooses to make Penelope the central feature on each page. Backgrounds are sometimes monochromatic or eliminated entirely. The little Kinder-dino and her dilemma are the focus.  End papers are a delightful display of children’s art, featuring representations of various dinosaurs.  We Don't Eat Our Classmates tells a story rich in charm, wit and wisdom. Get ready. There will repeated requests to "read it again."  All kinds of kids (and adults) will eat it up.

This picture book arrives at an opportune time. I have worked with a class of adorable toddlers that is currently experiencing a change in the group dynamic. A two-year-old has suddenly, for no apparent reason, begun biting other children. It seems so bizarre. The youngster comes from a calm, stable, loving family where differences are settled in a gentle manner. Where did this impulse to bite others originate? And why? Is there a little bit of Penelope in children?

Care-givers who encounter disruptive childish behavior: take heart. Penelope made the change. There is hope.

Her epic cycling journey west is replete with ups and downs: a herd of stampeding pigs in Missouri, heat exhaustion in the Nevada desert, and the arduous scaling of the Rocky Mountains. Along the way she encounters the ghost of a young man killed in the Civil War who longs to return to his hometown of Green Marsh, a race horse named Cannibal, and the inventor of Wheels of Fortune 713-J, a fantastic bike equipped with everything from a climate-controlled tent to missile launchers. 

There is a lot of food in this book.  A cookie lady dispenses quantities of cookies along with sage advice. Paradise Pies features a constantly changing variety of hand-held pastry pockets encasing fillings such as tapioca muffin and chicken noodle.  SlowDown Cafe invites guests to travel by horse or bicycle and enjoy regional fare such as rainbow trout spaghetti, tumbleweed lasagna, and elk chops

The fertile imagination of Uss is a wonder.  Who would dream of a ghost from the Civil War, inhabiting a bicycle and entertaining his traveling companion with Stephan Foster melodies?  Who would have envisioned a bike with a sophisticated artificial intelligence system that can dispense restorative care to the rider and print cash?  

Bicycle is a sparkling young protagonist, filled with equal parts, determination, imagination, and fear.

Several underlying themes are woven throughout the narrative: the part that luck plays in our lives, the importance of staying the course when the odds are stacked against you, and the need to find one's own way even when it goes against prevailing wisdom.

The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle is an inventive and heart-warming novel for middle grade readers that is not-to-be-missed. A Sunflower Seed Burger to Christina Uss for this stellar debut. A scoop of Praline Scramble ice cream to Margaret Ferguson on the publication of her maiden novel for her new Holiday House imprint.

Hope Larson conjures up more stories featuring phenomenal adventures for young girls.