Puzzle of the Paper Daughter: A Julie Mystery (American Girl Mysteries (Quality))
Gr 3-5–While helping her mother in her secondhand shop, Julie finds a mysterious note written in Chinese. That night, she and her friend Ivy discover that their beloved dolls are missing. While searching through San Francisco's Chinatown for them, the girls discover a connection between the note and their missing dolls. Now Julie is focused on solving this mystery rather than preparing her bedroom for an unwanted visitor. Though set in 1974, the story relies heavily on Chinese immigration to Angel Island in the early 20th century and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which is why there is a focus on “paper daughters” (children that legal immigrants claimed as their own in order to help them enter the country). The “Looking Back” section at the end of the book offers more information on Angel Island and what Chinese immigrants were forced to endure during this time, while the story itself also touches on family issues.Elizabeth Swistock, Jefferson Madison Regional Library, Charlottesville, VA© Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.