By Callie De Smet
Hi, I’m Callie and I love to read! I especially love books written by AAPI authors. Here is a list of my favorite middle grade authors with links to the books I’ve enjoyed the most.
Also, if you have another AAPI author and/or book you’d like to recommend, please fill out this short survey to let us know.
Happy Reading!
 | KELLY YANG Kelly Yang was born on August 29, 1984 in Hong Kong and moved to the U.S. when she was six. She went to college at age 13 and law school at 17. Many of her books are based on her own real-life childhood experiences. Kelly is a New York Times #1 best-selling author and her Front Desk book was awarded the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature and the 2018 Parents’ Choice Gold Medal for Fiction. |
| MY FAVORITE BOOKS | – Front Desk Series (Books 1-5) – New From Here – Finally Seen – Finally Heard |
| BOOK REVIEW  | New From Here Published March 1, 2022 / 368 pages New From Here is a book about an Asian American boy who moves from Hong Kong to the U.S. right as the Covid-19 pandemic starts. He struggles with being the new kid and has difficulty making friends because his classmates think he brought the virus over from China. He worries about his dad, who had to stay behind in Hong Kong for work. As he continues hearing racist comments towards people he cares about, he tries to stand up to the bullies and adjust to his new home. |
 | LISA YEE Lisa Yee was born on August 27, 1956 in Los Angeles, CA. You might know her as one of the authors for the American Girl books, but she has also written several books featuring AAPI characters. Her debut book, Millicent Min, Girl Genius won the 2004 Sid Fleischman Humor award and Maizy Chen’s Last Chance won a Newbery Honor Award. |
| MY FAVORITE BOOKS | – Maizy Chen’s Last Chance – Millicent Min, Girl Genius – Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time – So Totally Emily Ebers |
 | WENDY WAN LONG SHANG Wendy Wan Long Shan grew up in Fairfax County, Virginia. She went to law school at the University of Virginia. Before she became an author, she worked as a juvenile justice attorney. Her debut book, The Great Wall of Lucy Wu, received the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. |
| MY FAVORITE BOOKS | – The Great Wall of Lucy Wu – The Way Home Looks Now – Not Your All-American Girl – Bubble Trouble |
 | ANDREA WANG Andrea Wang was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts but spent much of her childhood years in Ohio. She majored in Biology and Chinese studies at Wellesley College. She worked for more than ten years as an environmental consultant before attending Lesley University for an MFA in Creative Writing. Her debut middle grade book was The Many Meanings of Meilan and Summer at Squee is her newest book. |
| MY FAVORITE BOOKS | – The Many Meanings of Meilan – Summer at Squee |
 | ERIN YUN Erin Yun grew up in Texas and is half Korean, half Polish/Germanic. She received her BA in English at New York University and her Masters in Creative Writing at Cambridge. Her first book was Pippa Park Raises Her Game, which was followed by Pippa Park, Crush at First Sight, two years later. |
| MY FAVORITE BOOKS | – Pippa Park Raises Her Game – Pippa Park Crush at First Sight |
 | GRACE LIN Grace Lin grew up in Upstate New York, where she and her two sisters were the only Asian kids in their elementary school. She won 4th place in a national book contest when she was in 7th grade. Later, she attended the Rhode Island School of Design and received her BFA degree in children’s book illustration. Her book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon won the 2010 Newbery Honor Award. In 2022, the American Library Association awarded Grace with the Children’s Literature Legacy Award. |
| MY FAVORITE BOOKS | – Year of the Dog – Year of the Rat – Dumpling Days – Where the Mountain Meets the Moon |
 | GENE LUEN YANG Gene Luen Yang was born on August 9, 1973 in California. He attended the University of California at Berkeley for his undergraduate degree. He majored in computer science because his parents thought that majoring in art would not be practical. After college, he worked as a computer engineer and then as a high school teacher, while drawing comics on the side. His graphic novel, American Born Chinese, was published in 2006 and is now a TV series on Disney+. |
| MY FAVORITE BOOKS | – American Born Chinese |
 | NICOLE CHEN Nicole Chen was born and raised in the Bay Area to Taiwanese immigrant parents. She met her husband while living abroad in Spain. Her debut middle grade novel, It’s Boba Time For Pearl Li!, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Her latest book, Lily Xiao Speaks Out, was released on May 7, 2024. |
| MY FAVORITE BOOKS | – Lily Xiao Speaks Out – It’s Boba Time for Pearl Li! |