You don't need me to tell you that it's been a really hard year, or that it has been especially hard for the Asian-American Pacific Islander community. Occasions like AAPI Heritage Month, in a year such as this, aren't just a reason to celebrate our diversity, they're also a reminder that representation matters. And one way to increase representation is through books!
Feel like your bookshelves don't have enough AAPI characters or authors? Check out these great Spitfire-approved titles:
Eyes that Kiss in the Corners (Joanna Ho) is a brand new title that is a beautiful, poetic celebration of identity.
A Big Mooncake for Little Star (Grace Lin) is a modern-day folktale, whimsically offering an alternate explanation for why the moon changes shape each month.
Gondra's Treasure (Linda Sue Park) is technically about dragons, but it's fun to explore and appreciate the heritage of Gondra's multicultural dragon family.
In Always Anjali (Sheetal Sheth), our protagonist gets bullied and wants to change her name to something more common, but with some support and a little creativity, she realizes her name is beautiful and it's the best one for her.
The Jasmine Toguchi series is a HUGE hit in Spitfire and author Debbi Michiko Florence is a friend of ours. Jasmine is certainly a modern-day Ramona Quimby who is sure to delight your readers.
Front Desk and Three Keys by Kelly Yang are fantastic, complex novels - you can't help but deeply connect with protagonist Mia Tang as she navigates the complexities of being an immigrant to the United States. The third installation of the series, Room to Dream, is due out soon.
The Cilla Lee Jenkins series is so fun and imaginative. In Cilla Lee Jenkins, Future Author Extraordinaire, spunky Cilla will leave readers in stitches as she earnestly and desperately tries to become a best-selling author before her baby sister arrives and renders her irrelevant.
Stand Up, Yumi Chung (Jessica Kim) is such a universally-relevant novel, as shy and outcast Yumi brings you into her hilarious inner life, navigating an accidental, out-of-control web of fibs that's a bit hard to untangle.
Do you know of other great books with Spitfire-y protagonists? We'd love to hear about them!
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