Title: American Born Chinese
 Author: Gene Luen Yang
 Genre: Multi-Cultural Graphic Nove
Number of pages: 223 
Lexile level: GN530L
Reading Level: 3rd grade
Interest Level: 7th - 12th



        Born of a rock, the Monkey King ruled over Flower-Fruit Mountain as a deity. However, when he tries to attend a dinner party with the other Gods, Goddesses, Demons, and Spirits, he is not accepted because he is a monkey. Angry and determined, the Monkey King practices ways to increase his power until he can change form and force his fellow deities to respect him though it only results in further isolation. The Monkey King just wants to fit in.
      Born and raised in San Fransisco, Jin is having to adjust to his family's move to a new town and to his new school. Where starting a new school is tough for anyone, it's particularly tough when you are the only Chinese-American student, having to convince other kids that you aren't eating dog for lunch, and having to fight a million other stereotypes. He's even reluctant to become friends with another boy, FOB (fresh off the boat), from Taiwan. Jin just wants to fit in.
        Your classic white-male-American character, Danny, loves basketball and girls. He normally doesn't have a problem making new friends when he changes schools every year. But every year the same thing happens; his cousin Chin-Kee - the epitome of negative Chinese stereotypes - comes to visit and goes to Danny's school. Chin-Kee is such an embarrassment that Danny eventually has to go to a new school. Danny just wants to fit it.
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 I believe the most basic of lessons that can be used for this book is the use of Venn diagrams to compare and contrast the 3 story lines. The contrasting should be easy enough, but the comparing may take a bit more guidance.

Another idea, would be to split the class (or a lit. circle group) into four jobs. Three of the jobs are to become experts in the one of the three story lines while the fourth studies how the three intertwine throughout the book. Their findings can be shared with the class through either a jigsaw method or as a literature circle.