Frustrated at her seeming lack of talent for anything, a young Taiwanese American girl sets out to apply the lessons of the Chinese Year of the Dog, those of making best friends and finding oneself, to her own life.

With her inspired works, acclaimed author Grace Lin has earned a Geisel Honor and a Newbery Honor. In Dumpling Days, Pacy's family travels to Taiwan for a month. This is Pacy's first trip to Taiwan, so she's extremely excited. But soon, she realizes that everything about this trip is difficult: speaking the language, following her art teacher's directions-even making friends. Fortunately, it's not long before Pacy sees that the trip isn't all bad-and...