Shanghai Messenger

Lasting Connection Title, Book Links
Junior Library Guild Selection, Junior Library Guild
Notable Books for a Global Society, International Reading Association (IRA)
Asian/Pacific American Award Honor for Literature, Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA)
CALA Book Award, Chinese American Librarians Association
Children’s Crown Award Masterlist, National Christian School Association
Original Art Show, Society of Illustrators
Recommended Award Winner, Parents’ Choice Foundation

A story in verse of a biracial Chinese American girl’s journey to self-discovery and love of family as she visits her extended family in Shanghai, China. For middle grade readers.

You are my messenger. Look everything. Remember. Grandma Nai Nai tells eleven-year-old Xiao Mei as the girl heads off to Shanghai, China, to visit their extended family. Xiao Mei is both excited and apprehensive. She will meet many new relatives, but will they accept her, a girl from America who is only half Chinese?

Xiao Mei is eagerly embraced by her aunties, uncles and cousins and quickly immersed in the sights, smells and hubbub of daily living in Shanghai. At first battling homesickness, Xiao Mei soon ventures on her own, discovering the excitement of a different way of life and a new appreciation of her Chinese heritage. When it is finally time to leave, Xiao Mei must gather up her memories and bring a little bit of China back home.

Ed Young’s exquisite drawings touchingly highlight Andrea Cheng’s lyrical story of adventure, self-discovery, and the strong bonds that tie families together.