Author Study - Landed

Landed is a historical fiction picture book that tells the story of Sun, a twelve-year-old boy that is living in China. Now that he's turned twelve, it is his responsibility to study hard so that he—like his older brothers—can move to the United States to tend to his father's store in San Francisco. Moving to a new country, however, is not an easy task and Sun quickly learns that it takes a lot of effort. He begins studying with a tutor because he will be interviewed and will need to prove that he is not lying about his family and his background. 

As a reader, we soon find out that new Chinese immigrants are kept at a place named Angel Island before being admitted to the United States. At Angel Island, officials ask each person specific, detailed questions about their families, their extended families, their homes in China, and their village. These questions are intended to ensure that Sun is actually his father's biological son. Some children were sent as "paper sons"—they were not biologically related to the family that claimed them and they were intending to illegally enter the country to begin a new life in America. 

Although Sun is not a "paper son," he is still nervous about the interviews. He is particularly bad at directions (north, south, east, and west). He answers all of the questions confidently, until he is asked a question about the direction of his house. His interview is cut short two other times as a result of his inability to answer the question. Finally, he's surprised with a gift from his father—a compass. It helps him visualize his home and determine the answers to the questions. As a result, Sun is finally released from Angel Island and reunites with his father and brothers! 

I enjoyed this book, though I thought that its prose was a little boring and lacked emotion. I could definitely see myself using this in a classroom, however. I think it would work well for upper elementary students that are learning about the immigration process and different cultural groups. It would be interesting to talk to students about their own personal backgrounds, as many United States citizens can trace their roots to another country outside of the United States. 

Landed
By: Milly Lee  
Illustrated by: Yangsook Choi 

Published in 2006