Little House on the Prairie fans rejoice! PRAIRIE LOTUS is just the book you are looking for. Hopefully, author Linda Sue Park will be writing about more of Hanna's adventures in the North Dakota territory.
Hanna is half-half as her mother would say. Her Chinese mother met and married Hanna's white father in the1800s despite the California law against it. Hanna doesn't remember much about her mother other than the love she shared with Hanna's father and the amazing sewing skills she shared with Hanna. Now Hanna is fourteen and hoping to follow in her mother's footsteps to become a talented seamstress and design dresses for the women in the prairie town where she just moved with her father.
Taunted and called a Chinaman has become familiar to Hanna. She is determined to finish her schooling and earn her diploma, but some folks in their new town are just as determined to make things difficult. A supportive teacher and a new friend make it a bit easier to tolerate the open prejudice of most of the townspeople. Hanna wants to keep focused on her studies and help her father set up the new dress shop business she hopes she will one day run.
PRAIRIE LOTUS by Linda Sue Park is filled with pioneer struggles, encounters with Indians, and facing irrational hatred. Readers will be immediately charmed by Hanna and thrilled at her gutsy courage and drive. This book is perfect for upper elementary and middle grade readers or any reader looking for a glimpse into the past. PRAIRIE LOTUS could be used as a read-aloud supplement in a social studies/history classroom.
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