The Year of the Three Sisters

The text is sprinkled with simple Chinese words and includes a pronunciation guide. There's information about migrant workers in China who come from the countryside to work in urban factories. Throughout, there's clear modeling of writing: Fan keeps a notebook of new English vocabulary words, the girls write each other letters, emails, cards, and write in journals. There's also frequent mention of classic children's books that Anna's reading (The Little Engine That Could, The Snowy Day, and more) or that she picks out for Fan at the library (Charlotte’s Web, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Superfudge), as well as books appropriate for a seventh grader like Anna (To Kill a Mockingbird, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl). Anna's history teacher talks about tracing history through a single product such as sugar, which contributed to the rise of the slave trade. Information on how to make Chinese dumplings.

Anna's a sensitive, thoughtful, and accepting friend and a keen observer of her friends' behavior and emotions. She's an avid reader, weaving discussions about books into her narrative and relating them to her own experience. Fan studies hard to learn English so she can help her family. Anna and Andee are in a community service club and do projects to help others. The girls value handmade presents and make Fan a good-bye scrapbook of their experiences together.