Red Means Good Fortune: A Story of San Francisco's Chinatown (Once Upon America) [Mass Market Paperback]

Barbara Diamond Goldin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996 | Age Level: 7 and up | Series: Once Upon America

Jin Mun cannot wait for the Chinese New Year and hopes that he will find good fortune in the future, until he meets Wai Hing, a poor slave girl, and must come up with a way to set her free. Reprint. SLJ.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-Jin Mun, 12, lives in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1869. His older brother is helping build the Central Pacific Railroad in Nevada, and his mother and sisters are still in China. The boy works in his father's laundry, studies English in a missionary school, and learns to write Chinese characters well enough to write letters home for his father and for other men in the community. Soon he is on a mission of his own, to help a young girl who was kidnapped in China and sold into slavery in San Francisco. Well-researched and clearly written, Red Means Good Fortune offers readers a glimpse into a fascinating chapter of American history. The turn of events, if somewhat improbable, is by no means impossible. Goldin offers insight into her background investigation in a brief afterword.
Carla Kozak, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-5. Written for the Once Upon America series of historical fiction, this book reflects research into the lives of Chinese Americans in the nineteenth century. Jin Mun helps his father at their laundry in San Francisco while his older brother works on the transcontinental railroad and the rest of the family remains in China. Delivering laundered clothes to a nearby house, Jin Mun meets and befriends a Chinese slave girl and resolves to help her. Readers will learn about San Francisco in the 1860s and the physical, financial, and social hardships of Chinese immigrants. The characters and story are involving, but the book's too short and the ending will leave readers wondering what happened next. To be illustrated. Carolyn Phelan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140360824
• ISBN-13: 978-0140360820
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,306,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara Diamond Goldin has written picture books, story collections, non-fiction, retellings, and historical fiction. In 1997, she received the prestigious Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award from the Association of Jewish Libraries. This award is presented to the author whose collected works are a distinguished contribution to Jewish literature for children. "Goldin's consistently commendable and recommendable books combine talented writing, solid research, personal commitment and deep caring".

Barbara is currently a children's librarian. She also leads writing workshops and speaks about being a writer to school and library groups all over the country.

For ten years she taught language arts and creative writing to 5th through 8th graders and for eleven years before that she was a preschool teacher. Her B.A. is in psychology from the University of Chicago and she did post-graduate work in teaching and school library media at Western Washington University and Boston University.

Barbara Diamond Goldin says, "As a child, I was an avid reader, letter-writer, and frequenter of the public library. When I reached babysitting age, I discovered I loved making up and telling stories to my charges who would ask to have me back so they could hear the sequels to my stories. Later as an adult I turned the stories I told into written stories.

"When writing, I dig into my past, my childhood, my family, and my personal experiences for material. I also research my subjects thoroughly and feel this adds depth to what I write. I love folklore and religion and the psychology of why people act the way they do. I find that often during the process of writing, I touch on questions and feelings that are closest to me.

"My ideas often come from my own past and my family's past, from experiences I have had and from conversations I overhear or participate in. The ideas can also come from dreams and visual images that pop into my mind, sometimes while I'm driving. Then I have to pull over, get out my pencil and paper and write feverishly, hoping I'll be able to read my handwriting later.

"My favorite place to work is in the college library near my house. I always heave a sigh of relief when I step into the peace and quiet of the library, knowing I have a few uninterrupted hours of writing ahead of me.

"I still love to write and research and discover new worlds on paper. I even discover things about myself and my family. Writing is an exciting process for me. I'm never certain when I sit down to write what the next few hours will bring."