Shining Star

The Anna May Wong Story
By Paula Yoo, Lin Wang
Paperback: $11.95

The true story of Chinese American film star Anna May Wong, whose trail-blazing career in Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s broke new ground for future generations of Asian American actors.

Front cover for La historia de la estrella de cine Anna May Wong by Paula Yoo; Eida del Risco and Lin Wang
This book is also available in Spanish
La historia de la estrella de cine Anna May Wong
By Paula Yoo, Lin Wang, Eida del Risco
Front cover for The Story of Movie Star Anna May Wong by Paula Yoo and Lin Wang
This book is also available in English
The Story of Movie Star Anna May Wong
By Paula Yoo, Lin Wang

Description

Born in 1905, Anna May Wong spent her childhood working in her family’s laundry in Los Angeles’s Chinatown. Whenever she could afford it, Anna May slipped off to the movies, escaping to a world of adventure, glamour, and excitement. After seeing a movie being filmed in her neighborhood, young Anna May was hooked. She decided she would become a movie star!

Anna May struggled to pursue an acting career in Hollywood in the 1930s. There were very few roles for Asian Americans, and many were demeaning and stereotypical. Anna May made the most of each limited part. She worked hard and always gave her best performance. Finally, after years of unfulfilling roles, Anna May began crusading for more meaningful roles for herself and other Asian American actors.

Anna May Wong-the first Chinese American movie star-was a pioneer of the cinema. Her spirited determination in the face of discrimination is an inspiration to all who must overcome obstacles so that their dreams may come true.

About the Creators

Paula Yoo

Paula Yoo is an author and screenwriter whose children's books for Lee & Low include Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds, Shining Star, and several titles in the Confetti Kids series. Her titles have been recognized by the International Reading Association, the Texas Bluebonnet Award Masterlist, and Lee & Low's New Voices Award. She and her husband live in Los Angeles, California, where she works in television. You can visit her online at paulayoo.com.

Lin Wang

Lin Wang has illustrated several books for children, including Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story and The Crane Girl for Lee & Low Books. She is a classically trained portrait painter with an MFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design, and her work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show. Wang lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their children.

Awards

  • Best Children's Books of the Year

    Bank Street College of Education

  • Carter G. Woodson Award

    National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

  • CCBC Choices

    Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Reviews

  • "This is an excellent introduction to a one-time celeb little known to today's children... Readers will be entranced by the actress's rags-to-riches story, and her efforts at confronting racial discrimination will resonate with all ethnic minorities. An author's note fleshes out the biography, making this a fine choice for both school and public libraries."

    - School Library Journal
  • "A fascinating account of the life of a determined actress."

    - Publishers Weekly
  • "Wang's watercolor-and-acrylic pictures are ... quite lovely set pieces, like a graceful adult Anna May with floral hat and tea cup... Yoo's earnest text illuminates the actress's life and times."

    - Kirkus Reviews

Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781600602597
  • Price $17.95
  • Publication Date Jun 01, 2009
  • Trim Size 8.25 × 11 in
  • Weight 0.4375 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Word Count 2082
  • Paperback

  • ISBN 9781620142578
  • Price $11.95
  • Publication Date Jun 01, 2009
  • Trim Size 8.25 × 10.75 in
  • Weight 0.375 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Interests

  • Imprint Lee & Low Books
  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JNF / Social Topics / Prejudice & Racism
  • BISAC Category 2 JNF / Asian American & Pacific Islander
  • BISAC Category 3 JNF / Biography & Autobiography / Performing Arts
  • Themes Art, Asian / Asian American / AAPI, Biography / Memoir, Breaking Gender Barriers, Conflict resolution, Discrimination, Dreams & Aspirations, Fathers, History & Civics, Identity / Self Esteem / Confidence, Imagination, Immigration, Informational / Expository Nonfiction, Integrity / Honesty, Nonfiction, Occupations, Optimism / Enthusiasm, Overcoming Obstacles, Persistence / Grit, Pride, Responsibility, Self Control / Self Regulation, United States History
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 6 - 11
  • Grade Range Grades 1 - 6
  • Guided Reading W
  • ATOS Book Level 6
  • DRA 60
  • Interest Level Grades 1 - 6
  • Lexile Level 970
  • Reading Level Grades 3 - 4
  • SRC 7.6
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
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