Summary: In the year 1947, the year of the Boar, a young girl named Shirley Temple Wong leaves China and immigrates with her mother to America in order to live with her father. At first, when Shirley enters fifth grade in Brooklyn, she struggles to adjust with the language, the cultures, foods, and more associated with America. As the year passes, Shirley learns to become more adjusted to English and American culture through neighborhood stickball, the Dodgers and Jackie Robinson, friendships with rough athletes to shy nerds, babysitting while learning to remember her past and Chinese culture.
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Characters:
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Shirley Temple Wong (Bandit/Sixth Cousin): The main character of the story. Shirley is a young girl who has immigrated from China with her family and learns to adjust to American culture with her newfound love of baseball.
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Mother: Mother is Shirley Temple Wong's mom and immigrates to America with her. She is often anxious in everyday situations but calm during important situations.
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Father: Father is Shirley Temple Wong's dad and has already been in America when Shirley and Mother arrive in the United States. He is very accepting of Shirley.
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Fourth Cousin: Shirley's cousin and best friend in China.
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Ninth Cousin/Precious Coins: Shirley's cousin and the baby of the family
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Mrs. Rappaport: Shirley's teacher in fifth and sixth grade. She compliments Shirley for her work and questions.
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Mabel: One of Shirley's friends in America. She gives Shirley two black eyes when they first meet, but later bond over baseball.
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Emily: Another one of Shirley's friends in America. Emily is a quiet and smart student who plays the cello. She later becomes elected school representative for the Christmas Assembly, but later gives the position to Shirley.
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Señora Rodriguez: Shirley's piano teacher who has false teeth. She has a parrot named Toscanini, who Shirley finds annoying.
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Mrs. O'Reilly: A women who hires Shirley to babysit her children (Sean, Seamus, and Stephen).
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Tommy: A classmate of Shirley who plays pranks on all the classmates.
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Discussion Questions:
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Why does Shirley face hardships when she moves to America? Where is she most unaccustomed to?
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Which sport does Shirley enjoy listening and playing? Who is her role model/her0?
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In what ways does Shirley lose connection to her Chinese culture as she lives in America?
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What instrument does Shirley start to play in the United States? Why does she start playing?
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What are some of the luxuries that Shirley's father shows to his family in America?
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How does Shirley make some of her friends?
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What are some the similarities between Shirley's life in China and America? Differences?
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What does Shirley learn in her life in the United States?
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Nonfictional Topics in the Book:
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Chinese Immigration: Chinese immigration is one of the center topics mentioned in the book. Shirley and her family are all Chinese immigrates. Teachers can mention that the start of immigration from China began around the Gold Rush and continued to form large communities, specifically Chinatowns in San Francisco and New York. Also explain the discrimination that Chinese people and Asians faced in America. Shirley was mocked at school for her different culture and customs. There are many acts of discrimination against Asians in the past (The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882) and even today (Asian Hate Crimes).
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Baseball Culture: Baseball culture in the United States started and gained popularity in the late 19th Century and the 20th Century. Major League Baseball as we know it today (with the World Series) began in 1903 and has an annual season. In its widespread popularity, baseball is considered a national pastime in the United States and fans from all over the country and the world watch the games.
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Jackie Robinson: Jackie Robinson was an important figure in baseball history as he was the first African American person to play in the Major Leagues (for the Brooklyn Dodgers). Robinson was also an important activist regarding African American rights, which he advocated along with people such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As to Shirley, Robinson was a hero many adults and children.
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Street Games: In the 1900s, especially the mid-1900s, children played many games on the streets after school or during the summer. Some of these games are mentioned in book include stickball, marbles, and others. They were a vital part of life for children during this time.
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Chinese Culture: Because Shirley is from China, there are mentions of Chinese culture in the book. There are holidays (Chinese Lunar New Year), mooncakes (a sweet treat usually eaten in the fall), the Chinese Zodiac Signs (the year of the Boar), and more.
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Shirley Temple: Shirley's name comes from the famous child actress named Shirley Temple, who was famous for her singing, dancing, and jokes during the era of the Great Depression.
