The Year of the Dog was a very quick read. The chapters were very short (only about 4 pages long) and each chapter was a different story in Grace's life. There were little drawings on the sides of the pages and every so often Grace (the main character) would add a story related to the chapter that another person had told her. It reminded me of a diary because it was about her own feelings and opinions and finding herself. The story was based within a year and was very progressive. The part I enjoyed most was that the main character didn't always get what she wanted and things didnt' always go her way, like in many children's novels I have read. Grace explained a lot of Chinese traditions and how it was to be a minority living in the United States. She explained a lot of confusion that she felt being Chinese-American. I think it was a great book for young girls to read but I wouldn't suggest it to a male beceause it was from a female point of view and very girly.
I haven't heard of this book, but your description intrigues me. Also, did you think it was well written? Did you like the stories, or were they boring? Did you think that the main character was realistic? I can see you point about the "girliness," but I often think that kids enjoy books from different points of view (i.e. I enjoy Catcher in the Rye and Huck Finn!)
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