From my week notes:

I first read this nine years ago when I took the class [that I’m teaching right now]; I remember enjoying it and finding the twist novel. This time around, I flew through and was surprised by how much of it I remembered — in my head, it was a lot longer and more complicated. It’s a book I would have considered for my middle school curriculum if I was staying at the grade level.

I’d recommend American Born Chinese to anyone who likes middle grades coming of age stories that blend in classic mythology and folktales.