Title: Dead Man's Gold and Other Stories
Author: Paul Yee
Illustrator: Harvey Chan
Publish Date: Nov 1 2003
Publisher: Groundwood
Pages: 112
IBSN: 0888995873
Ages: Ages 9 and up
Grade/Reading Level: Grades 4 to 6
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Historical Fiction/Horror
Annotation: Ten historical fiction based ghost stories that dramatize the early tales of Chinese immigration.
Summary: This book contains ten ghost stories that all surround Chinese immigration from about the 1850s-1950s. The illustrations are dark an eerie and add to a general creepy factor that is grounded in historical fiction. Issues about immigration that like the idea that perhaps the conditions for immigrants were so harsh that the only the ghosts could fully experience it freely and in its pristine form. It is not out of the question to consider that other immigration groups experienced similar displacement, family, and immersion problems whether or not they were asian.
Reading Log: An interesting, visual, and haunting tale of Canadian immigration that will capture the attentions of young readers! I especially love illustrated books and graphic novels and feel that Harvey Chan's work is extremely effective side by side with the stories. I also love the immigrant experience and find that even historical books are riveting. So, the dramatization and addition of ghost is both a stunning metaphor as well as a fun way to catch a child's attention!
Check out Paul Yee's Website: http://www.paulyee.ca/
Check out Harvey Chan's Artwork: http://www.harveychan.ca/
