The Amah [Paperback]

Laurence Yep (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Amy feels conflicted when her mother becomes an amah (a nanny) for the perfect Miss Stephanie. While her mother's at work, Amy has to watch her younger brothers and sisters, which means missing ballet practices. Amy wants to be a good daughter, but she also wants to keep her role in the upcoming dance production. Can she find a way to balance family obligations with her desire for independence?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-Life mirrors art when Amy Chin, 12, begins to feel like Cinderella's mean stepsister, the part she is rehearsing in ballet class. Her mother has accepted a job as an Amah, or nanny, which results in increased responsibilities at home for the girl. Feeling resentful, Amy decides she won't like her mother's charge, 12-year-old Stephanie. However, her meeting with the girl and a family heirloom disaster help her realize that Cinderellas aren't always as perfect as they appear and that real magic is the ability to change yourself. A friend's grandmother provides a caring intergenerational relationship as well as information about Chinese culture. Readers will enjoy the ballet references as they explore the universal feelings of jealousy and relationships. A realistic story of a contemporary Chinese-American family with flaws and strengths.
Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Things have been tough in the Chin household since Amy's father died, but her mother's new job as an amah (nanny) for 12-year-old Stephanie, who is just Amy's age, may help. Unfortunately, it means that Amy must take on more responsibility for the house and her four younger siblings, and that she will have less time to prepare for her role as a wicked stepsister in her ballet school's performance of Cinderella. As it turns out, Amy begins to feel and act like the role she's getting ready for when it appears that sweet, "perfect" Stephanie is trying to take over the Chin family. The strained relationship between Amy and her "old world" mother is one of the strongest elements in this story, which clearly delineates the sort of struggle that can occur between generations in an immigrant family as well as what it feels like to be an outsider, even in your own home. A solid read. Stephanie Zvirin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (March 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0698118782
• ISBN-13: 978-0698118782
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,561,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laurence Yep has been fascinated with tales of sibling rivalry from the day he was born. His older brother, Tom, chose his name Laurence - after a saint who died a particularly gruesome death. Laurence has been trying to get even ever since. Laurence Yep now lives in Pacific Grove, California, with his wife and is one of children's literature's most respected authors. His award-winning titles include Newbery Honor Books Dragonwings and Dragon's Gate.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book by Laurence Yep, March 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Amah (Novel) (Hardcover)

As with many of Yep's books, THE AMAH takes place in the San Francisco China Town. It is about a girl name Amy. Amy's mother has found work as an "Amah" for an American girl named Stephanie. Amy gets jealous of her mother's love for Stephanie. Amy also needs to sacrifice some of her ballet lessons for her mom to work. This book is a companion to Ribbon

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amy and Stephanie, March 21, 2003

By 

J. ... (Cerritos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Amah (Paperback)

The Amah
By: Laurance Yep
Reviewed by: J. ...
Period: 6
This book is about a girl named Amy Chin and how her family doesn't have enough money until her mom gets a new job as a amah. Amy has to baby sit her sisters and brothers, which cause her to have to miss her ballet classes. The girl Mrs. Chin watches over is Miss Stephanie. Miss Stephanie seems to be taking away Amy's family and Amy starts to get jealous. But the worst thing is that Stephanie is going to move in with the Chin's while her dad is away at a business trip. Later, Amy and Stephanie start to get along and Amy finds out why Stephanie is so kind to her family.
I liked this book because it shows how friendships shouldn't be based on what the person look or acts on the outside but how the person is on the inside. In the beginning, when Amy first hears about Stephanie, she is already starting to hate her because she takes away her family, especially her mom, and also her time for ballet practices. Then when Amy is asked to go to a ballet performance with Stephanie, Amy questions about it because it's a performance that she really wants to see but doesn't want Stephanie thinking that she likes her. Then when Amy finds out that Stephanie is going to live with her and she has to clean the whole house for Stephanie, Amy becomes furious. "And I'm looking forward to staying with you," Stephanie said. When Stephanie comes to live with Amy, Amy finds out that Stephanie isn't the way she thinks she is. Stephanie is actually a really nice person that tries to get people to like her so that was why she always gave her things to Amy's family, So Amy and Stephanie become good friends.
I also liked this book because it shows how a family has to work together. Since Amy found out that her mom got a new job and that she had to give up her ballet practices to baby sit her brothers and sisters she was not happy about it but listened to her mother anyway. After the first day of her mom's job Amy was already feeling sick of Miss Stephanie. Amy's mom always said good things about Miss Stephanie and it made Amy look bad. Amy soon started to question her mother's love towards her. Finally, I had a name for the ache inside. "Mama, don't you love me?" In the end, Amy and her mom started to work things out between them and everything got better.
My favorite part of the book is when Amy stands up for Stephanie against Stephanie's father. After Stephanie's father found out about the things that Stephanie was taking from him to give to the Chin's, he was furious. He fired Mrs. Chin but Stephanie didn't think that was right. So Amy took charge and stepped in front of Stephanie's father and started to question him about Stephanie and he didn't know the answers. Amy finally got Stephanie's father to admit that he needed Mrs. Chin and that he needed to spend more time with is daughter. So in the end, Stephanie and her father start to get to know each other better and Amy and her mom also do the same.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars It wasn't a good ballet book, May 31, 2006

By 

SheHen - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Amah (Novel) (Hardcover)

I thought the story and the basic idea of this book was ok but it really isn't something I could relate to. I wanted to read it because I thought it would be more about ballet but it really wasn't. A few parts were about ballet but te majority of the book was just her complaining which got really old after a while. I would recommend this book to someone who doesn't want to read a ballet story.