Throwback Thursday | AAPI Readathon

Throwback Thursday

Remember our KPop Demon Hunters painting and singalong events from back in January? I sure do! The influence of this movie seems to keep growing and growing. In fact, this year’s AAPI Readathon prompts are inspired by several songs from the soundtrack (which you can stream on Hoopla using your Maplewood library card, by the way).

AAPI Readathon Prompts

For this reading challenge, you can choose one book per prompt or read books that satisfy more than one prompt. It’s up to you! Readathon creator Cindy Pham (Instagram: @readwithcindy) challenges you to read books by Asian American and Pacific Islander authors that meet any of the following criteria:

1. A book featuring a confident, skilled, or highly capable main character OR a book that teaches you something (inspired by the song "How It's Done")

2. A book about a character chasing a dream OR a book that has gold on the cover (inspired by the song "Golden")

3. A book that is light and fun OR a book with stylish, bold elements (inspired by the song "Soda Pop")

4. A book where characters balance two different identities OR fight a hidden or internal struggle (inspired by the song "Free")

5. A book that has dark themes OR a book about friendship or chosen family (inspired by the song "Your Idol/This Is What It Sounds Like")

Here are my suggested books for each prompt. Click any cover to request the book with your library card. I also showed off these books on the brand new Maplewood Library Teen Services Instagram account: @sincerelymmlteenservices.

1. Here to Stay by Iranian American author Sara Farizan | Sports Fiction
   Bijan, the protagonist of this book, is definitely highly capable, so much so that he scores the winning basket at his varsity basketball team’s playoff. After spending much of the season warming the bench, Bijan is catapulted into the popular crowd thanks to his talents as an athlete. Not everyone is pleased with his rise through the ranks, however. In fact, an anonymous cyberbully emails a photo of Bijan labeled “terrorist” to the entire school. Bijan just wants to focus on enjoying his time in high school, but he decides to track down the cyberbully when the school administration is unable to do so.

2. The Downstairs Girl by Chinese American author Stacey Lee | Historical Fiction
   Set in 1890s Atlanta, The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee follows Jo, likely the only Chinese woman for miles. Orphaned and raised by Old Jin—one of many Chinese laborers who built railroads and labored on plantations in the South after the abolition of slavery—she is not a US citizen and can’t rent or own property, thanks to the 1883 Chinese Exclusion Act. So, Jo and Old Jin don’t rent, instead living in a secret cellar beneath a struggling family newspaper, The Focus. After being fired from her milliner (hatmaker) job for being a “saucebox,” Jo puts her sassy opinions in print, writing an advice column as "Miss Sweetie." Miss Sweetie is an overnight success, and the popularity of her column might be enough to save The Focus and protect her secret household.

3. A Bánh Mì for Two by Vietnamese American author Trinity Nguyen | Romance
   Content-wise, this book is not super light (one romantic lead is grieving her late father), but it certainly does have a stylish and bold cover. The hardcover edition also has a lovely floral design on the page edges. In this love letter to Vietnamese cuisine, our two romantic leads are Lan, a street food vendor and food blogger born and raised in Saigon, and Vivi, a Vietnamese American girl who is visiting the city as a study abroad student. Lan has been processing the death of her father, so she hasn’t written in some time. Meanwhile, Vivi is in Saigon without her parents’ knowledge, looking for family secrets. Lan agrees to show Vivi around Saigon, while Vivi helps Lan get back her inspiration for writing.

4. Just Happy to Be Here by Indian American author Naomi Kanakia | Realistic Fiction
   Tara is a newly out trans girl, and she’s taking classes at Ainsley Academy, the all girls counterpart to the boys’ school she used to attend. A fan of the classics, Tara decides to apply to the Sybils, a secret society for a select group of Ainsley girls. She’s also hoping her parents will allow her to begin medically transitioning. They love Tara, but they don’t fully understand the difficulties of gender dysphoria. Over the course of the book, Tara seeks acceptance, community, and self-knowledge.

5. I’d Rather Burn Than Bloom by multiracial Filipinx American author Shannon C.F. Rogers | Realistic Fiction
   This book includes dark themes (the death of a parent), as well as budding friendships. No one could stoke Marisol’s anger like her mother. Then her mother dies in an accident. With grief mixing with her already complicated feelings, Marisol begins struggling in school and acting out. Through her friends and family, works to process her grief and practice self-forgiveness.

It was a challenge to keep this to 5 books. I hope you like them! On the new teen services instagram page, let me know what books by AAPI authors you’re reading, this month and all year round!

Sincerely,

Your Teen Librarian