This simple act takes old Henry Lee back to the 1940s, at the height of the war, when young Henry’s world is a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who is obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. While “scholarshipping” at the exclusive Rainier Elementary, where the white kids ignore him, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student. Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, Henry and Keiko forge a bond of friendship – and innocent love – that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. And after Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end, and that their promise to each other will be kept.
Forty years later, Henry Lee is certain that the parasol belonged to Keiko. In the hotel’s dark dusty basement he begins looking for signs of the Okabe family’s belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot begin to measure. Now a widower, Henry is still trying to find his voice – words that might explain the actions of his nationalistic father; words that might bridge the gap between him and his modern, Chinese American son; words that might help him confront the choices he made many years ago.
Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart.
By 1886 many of Eliza Jane McCully’s neighbors are concerned that the growing immigrant Chinese population is threatening their comfortable way of life. But it is a young Chinese boy named Wah Chung who saves Eliza and her pet goat from being swept into the sea by a deadly wave. This makes Eliza wonder: Are the Chinese really people to be feared, as her father and their neighbors believe? Or are the Chinese immigrants people with whom the townspeople in Crescent City could live peaceably, with a little tolerance and understanding? 
Showdown in Chinatown Jim wants to be a normal American kid. The only problem: His grandfather is the meanest, ugliest man in Chinatown. Grandpop has no patience for his native born, no brains grandson, and Jim is not all that interested in hearing about old Chinese customs and superstitions. But then a nasty green imp shows up, determined to settle an ancient family feud. The imp is making Jim’s life miserable, and Grandpop seems to be the only one who can help. Could Grandpop really be the reincarnation of an ancient Chinese warrior– the world’s only hope against one mean gree imp?
In 1852, during the height of the California Gold Rush, ten-year-old Wong Ming-Chung makes the dangerous trip to America to join his uncle on his hunt for a fortune. The true treasure for Ming-Chung, though, is America itself. In the midst of the lawless, often hostile environment, he is able to forge an international community of friends.
Will the Lees celebrate Christmas?Everyone else in their small town in West Virginia is getting ready for Christmas, but Joan’s parents won’t let her and her siblings celebrate: Christmas is not Chinese. Then their father finally promises they can go to a neighbor’s Christmas party, but only if none of them misbehaves at all in the weeks before the holiday. If only he was as generous as Joan’s friend Victoria’s father!
A retelling of seventeen Chinese American folktales from a variety of Chinese communities in the United States.
Steve can hardly believe it. With his new paintbrush, whatever he paints becomes real. Now he, Grandfather, and Uncle Fong can wish for anything they want. Uncle Fong uses the paintbrush to return to China, to the village of his childhood, and Grandfather wants to visit the Lady on the Moon. Steve wonders if the paintbrush can bring his parents back. But they all soon realize the paintbrush might have its own agenda. . (less)
Robin, a young ballet dancer who is half Chinese and half white, works in a fish store for Mr. Tsow, a brusque Chinese who accuses her of being a half-person and who harbors a bitter secret. Robin and her grandmother decide to help and end Mr. Tsow’s nightmare.
Twelve-year-old Amy finds her family responsibilities growing and interfering with her ballet practice when her mother takes a job outside the home.
As her parents’ arguments become more frequent, Robin looks forward to the visits that she and her grandmother make to Chinatown, giving Robin new insights into her Chinese heritage.
