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YA & Children’s books with Asian characters
Books with Asian main characters
Asian writers books
Below is a list to recognize the stories about Asian lives and Asian characters. Stories range from children to young adult readers. You can discover picture books with Asian characters and novels for teens.
INFANT-PRESCHOOL READERS
My Love for You is Always by Gillian Sze
Bee-Bim Bop! Linda Sue Park
Binny’s Diwali by Thirty Umrigar
Laxmi’s Mooch by Shelly Anand
Tomatoes for Neela by Padma Lakshmi
The Colors of Tết / Màu của Tết Bilingual Vietnamese English Book by Tiny Wrist
Green and Preen: A Broken Crayon Cosmic Adventure by Linda Sue Park
One Hug by Katrina Moore
5-8 YEARS OLD, PRIMARY READERS
Words to Make a Friend: A Story in Japanese and English by Donna Jo Napoli
Two girls become friends despite not speaking the same language.
The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor
The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee by Julie Leung
What I See: Anti-Asian Racism From The Eyes Of A Child by Christine T Leung
Friends in the Mail by Fran Manushkin
Katie Woo’s Neighborhood Series
How to Cath a Dragon by Adam Wallace
Spring Festival or Chinese New Year Celebration
BIOGRAPHY
Be Water, My Friend: The Early Years of Bruce Lee by Ken Mochizuki
Honda: The Boy Who Dreamed of Cars by Weston
8-12, MIDDLE GRADE READERS
FICTION
The Many Meanings of Meilan by Andrea Wang her identity about being Chinese-American
How to Win a Slime War by Mae Respicio https://www.maerespicio.com/
Stargazing by Jen Wang
Generation Misfits by Akemi Dawn Bowman
We Belong by Cookie Hiponia
The main characters are from the Philippines. Story of fitting into a new culture and other experiences.
Room to Dream by Kelly Yang
Amal Abound by Aisha Saeed
Unsettled by Reem Faruqi
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
Graphic Novel about a basketball allstar
HISTORICAL FICTION
Soul Lanterns by Shaw Kuzki
A Song for Cambodia by Lord
13+, YA READERS
Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach
The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim
A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen
Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, graphic memoir
Everything Sad Is Untrue: (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri
An autobiographical novel about an Iranian Refugee; National Indie Bestseller
