American Sisters Pacific Odyssey to California 1905 by Laurie Lawlor

For 11 year old Su-Na from Korea, Hawaii seems like a paradise.  The beach, trees, and acres of sugar cane are so different from Korea and bring hope that her family can find their fortune.   But with the good comes the bad including racism among the different Asian cultures in addition to the terrible treatment of Asians by Caucasians.

Ms. Lawlor writes a poignant story of a young girl and her sisters who travel with their parents to Hawaii for a better life.  But when that life turns out to be less than they hoped, they make another decision and travel to California to look again for that better life.  

California looks to be a better place to live.  The Korean community is waiting and excited about Su-Na's family arriving, preparing a small place for them.  And once they are settled, more surprises awaited.  School with children of other cultures, mother cooking for all the single Korean men in the community and a slow change in the girls thinking about who they are now that they live in the United States. 

The most startling changes happen at the end of the book and affect the entire family.  Definitely not the ending one would expect but truly symbolic of the great melting pot.  Ms. Lawlor writes a fun book about a tween girl who struggles with changes in her life.   Regardless of the differences in those changes, all girls can relate to her life as she works to find her place in society and fit in.

Age range: 9 to 12

Lawlor, L. (2001). Pacific odyssey to California, 1905 . New York: Pocket Books.