“She thought again about the tightness in her throat and wondered if something was wrong with her. She hadn’t simply refused to speak at school. She couldn’t speak.”
—Excerpt from The Secret Voice of Gina Zhang
The Secret Voice of Gina Zhang
The Secret Voice of Gina Zhang, an award-winning book for readers age 10 and up, tells of a girl who moved from China to Seattle and lost her voice. The book’s message is about what a joy it can be to reach out to classmates who have trouble speaking English.
AWARDS
Winner of the 2000 Pleasant T. Rowland Prize for Fiction for Girls
Skipping Stones Honor Award, 2001
A Story of Overcoming…
Jinna has always been shy, but when her family moves from China to America, she vows to be the new “Gina”—brave, confident, and quick to learn English. If only her throat would cooperate.
Everyone is frustrated by Gina’s silence except Priscilla, a girl with her own need for understand. Gina wants to trust her, but can she let Priscilla in on her biggest secret, the private fairy-tale world inside her head?
Read a Short Excerpt
She struggled free and kept running, only to trip on her feet and fall in the middle of the library.
The librarian reached out to help her, but she pushed away the hands. A crowd of kids surrounded her, using strange words, reaching toward her. She got up and tried to ram through the bodies, but the librarian held her and guided her past the other kids
There is was! The front door! She tried to make a run for it. I’ve got to get out of here! Jinna thought. I can’t breathe.
Connecting generations and cultures through the lives of ordinary people
Dori Jones Yang is a writer who aims to build bridges between cultures and between generations. Author of a wide variety of books for different audiences, she loves to explore different countries, explain complex issues in understandable language, and make history come alive.
Dori Jones Yang
Author’s Comments
When my daughter was in second grade, her teacher told me it was hard to find good books about contemporary Chinese children. Later, I volunteered in a Seattle classroom, using my Mandarin language ability to help immigrant students adapt to an American school. When I learned that the American Girl book publishers were sponsoring a contest for books about contemporary American girls, I decided to write a book based on that experience, featuring an immigrant girl from China. This book won the contest!
Author’s Comments
When my daughter was in second grade, her teacher told me it was hard to find good books about contemporary Chinese children. Later, I volunteered in a Seattle classroom, using my Mandarin language ability to help immigrant students adapt to an American school. When I learned that the American Girl book publishers were sponsoring a contest for books about contemporary American girls, I decided to write a book based on that experience, featuring an immigrant girl from China. This book won the contest!
