Milly Lee

When Sun learns that it is time to make the journey to America, he begins to prepare for his interrogation at Angel Island. Sun studies hard, but he often gets the directions of the compass mixed up. What will happen if he can’t remember if the school is east or west of his house? Based on the story of her father-in-law, Milly Lee provides a touching look at the story of Chinese immigrants who came through Angel Island, complemented by Yangsook Choi’s lovely and evocative paintings.

Nim, a young girl living in San Francisco’s Chinatown during World War II, is determined to collect the tallest stack of newspapers to support her school’s newspaper drive and the national ongoing war effort. The story and its evocative illustrations depict the cultural traditions and quiet determination of a Chinese American family trying to embrace their American identity while the country is at war with Japan.