Lawrence Yep's Dragonwings
Place on classics list: Yep's novel is a Newbery Honor book published in 1975.  As historical fiction it is notable for both it's attention to historical context for the Moonshadow's trip to the "Golden Mountain" and it's discussion of Americans' racism toward Chinese immigrants.  The novel is unique in its ability to give a voice to a ethnic minority often left out of children's literature and to directly address and criticize the behavior of Caucasian Americans.  The text is part of a larger series, The Golden Mountain Chronicles, and allows readers to trace a family movements between countries.  Each text is labeled with the year it begins and has an acute awareness of historical time, in order to allow readers to understand major historical events, such as the San Francisco earthquake and immigration laws.  This novel continues to be read as a classic because of its careful balence of historical authenticity and entertaining plot.  The novel does not read simply as a piece of historical fiction, but also is successful as the story of a young boys search for his father and new home. (gsb)

Discussion Questions:
1.  Yep includes references to many historical events, but does not provide extensive information about any of these events.  How do these historical references function within the novel and how do they change the reader's understanding of Moonshadow's journey to a new home. (gsb)
2.  Dragonwings specifically address the racism of many Americans toward Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century, even referring to white characters as "demons."  What is the function of this term within the novel?  What effect does this have on readers? (gsb)
3.  Yep notes in his afterword that he would classify the novel as historical fantasy. How would you classify the novel?  Support your conclusion with specific examples from the text as well as genre conventions. (gsb)
4. What stereotypes of Chinese Americans are portrayed in this book, positive and negative? Does the presence of positive stereotypes mitigate the negative ones? (ksc)
5.  In what ways does this book promote greater understanding and tolerance of diversity, and in what ways does it perpetuate racial division? (ksc)