ashwise360's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
annewithabook's review against another edition
3.0
This is a really enjoyable coming-of-age story. I really enjoyed understanding Casey's American upbringing as she goes to stay with her grandmother and find meaning in her Chinese heritage. Saying that, partially because this book is written for a younger audience, I never felt the book examined the differences of Chinese and American cultures in deep ways. The biggest differences seemed to be that Chinese people are superstitious and American people aren't (which isn't exactly true) and Chinese culture is much older and steeped in tradition, which simplifies both societies extremely. Saying that, Paw Paw is honestly my favorite character and such a great grandmother, teaching Casey meaningful lessons. Every quirky character Casey meets along the way was also enjoyable. A sweet book, but would have been better with more deeper examination of both cultures.
pussreboots's review against another edition
4.0
Laurence Yep has been a favorite author of mine since my teens. I have been reading his books when I've had the opportunity. My local library has a huge collection of his novels and I've decided to work my way through them as time permits. Child of the Owl (1977) is my first revisiting of Yep in about a decade and I'm currently reading Sea Glass (1979).
Child of the Owl is told in the first person perspective of a 12 year old girl named Casey. She's a native born Chinese American but doesn't even think of herself in terms of her Chinese heritage. Like many first generation native born Americans, she only speaks English. Just as Yep describes in his autobiography The Lost Garden (1996), Casey is "too American to fit into Chinatown, and too Chinese to fit in anywhere else." In fact, that turmoil of balancing cultures is a recurrent theme in Yep's books.
The book, though written in the 1970s, takes place in 1965. When Casey is forced to move in with her Grandmother, Paw-Paw, in Chinatown (San Francisco) we get to learn about Chinese culture as Casey does. All of Yep's descriptions of San Francisco have a delicate balance of Western and Chinese details. The Beatles, old time radio shows, and hamburgers coincide with Chinese opera, Kung fu movies and dim sum.
Child of the Owl is told in the first person perspective of a 12 year old girl named Casey. She's a native born Chinese American but doesn't even think of herself in terms of her Chinese heritage. Like many first generation native born Americans, she only speaks English. Just as Yep describes in his autobiography The Lost Garden (1996), Casey is "too American to fit into Chinatown, and too Chinese to fit in anywhere else." In fact, that turmoil of balancing cultures is a recurrent theme in Yep's books.
The book, though written in the 1970s, takes place in 1965. When Casey is forced to move in with her Grandmother, Paw-Paw, in Chinatown (San Francisco) we get to learn about Chinese culture as Casey does. All of Yep's descriptions of San Francisco have a delicate balance of Western and Chinese details. The Beatles, old time radio shows, and hamburgers coincide with Chinese opera, Kung fu movies and dim sum.
booknerdlyn's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
bashbashbashbash's review
5.0
As a shy, lonely 3rd generation kid growing up in San Francisco, Child of the Owl meant everything to me. I read it again and again and again. I'm not Chinese-American but it resonated with me nonetheless. I think about it several times a week.
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