Prairie Lotus
- Downloads：2907
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-01 08:52:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Linda Sue Park
- ISBN：0358454638
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Prairie Lotus is a powerful， touching， multilayered book about a girl determined to fit in and realize her dreams: getting an education， becoming a dressmaker in her father’s shop， and making at least one friend。 Acclaimed， award-winning author Linda Sue Park has placed a young half-Asian girl， Hanna， in a small town in America’s heartland， in 1880。 Hanna’s adjustment to her new surroundings， which primarily means negotiating the townspeople’s almost unanimous prejudice against Asians， is at the heart of the story。 Narrated by Hanna， the novel has poignant moments yet sparkles with humor， introducing a captivating heroine whose wry， observant voice will resonate with readers。 Afterword。
Reviews
Jennifer Sullivan
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Little House on the Prairie with a twist。 The main character is half white， one quarter Chinese， and one quarter Korean， though she is referred to as being half Chinese through out the book， and confronts racism from the residents of her new home in the midwest after growing up in much more diverse California。 This story confronts not only bullying and anti-Asian bigotry， but also colonialism， persecution， and bigotry towards Native Americans。 Though I did enjoy the book， I did feel it was lacki Little House on the Prairie with a twist。 The main character is half white， one quarter Chinese， and one quarter Korean， though she is referred to as being half Chinese through out the book， and confronts racism from the residents of her new home in the midwest after growing up in much more diverse California。 This story confronts not only bullying and anti-Asian bigotry， but also colonialism， persecution， and bigotry towards Native Americans。 Though I did enjoy the book， I did feel it was lacking in character development， particularly Hanna's father， who just seemed like a off-stage voice reminiscent of the way adults are portrayed in the Peanuts comics。 I really wish the author had humanized him a bit more and made him seem more real。 。。。more
Jessica
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Very good。 The author successfully captured the environment of the Little House books with an enjoyable story， while tackling racism head on。 I hope S。 will let me read it again with her so we can talk about it。
Kim
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GSF nominee。 Author has a great author's note about the Little House on the Prairie series and it's derogatory language at times。 （I don't take it like this-these books were from a different time and shows how society acted at that time）。 Well written story about how difficult it was for Asian people to be equal in the late 1800's society。 This book would be a great book to use in discussions about race and prejudice。 Right now with the critical theory being such a controversy and the way that t GSF nominee。 Author has a great author's note about the Little House on the Prairie series and it's derogatory language at times。 （I don't take it like this-these books were from a different time and shows how society acted at that time）。 Well written story about how difficult it was for Asian people to be equal in the late 1800's society。 This book would be a great book to use in discussions about race and prejudice。 Right now with the critical theory being such a controversy and the way that teacher's are being banned from teaching divisive concepts， making them afraid to teach history， it would be a challenge to use this book in the classroom。 Too bad。 。。。more
Lindsay Wilcox
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This was an excellent retelling of “Little House on the Prairie” with a half-Chinese narrator。 I loved it so much and can’t wait to give it to my kids when they’re a bit older。
Leah Gannon
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Such a great middle great novel that spot lights the prejudice Chinese Americans faced during westward expansion
Shahira8826
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"Prairie Lotus" by Linda Sue Park made for an incredibly enjoyable read。I wish a book like this had been around back when I was a kid！ I used to literally devour novels about pioneers and the Wild West， but at the same time I always felt something was off， pretty much like the author explains in the afterword of "Prairie Lotus"。I'm so glad that a new generation of young readers is going to get better， more empathetic， and diverse role models in novels like this--on the one hand so true to the or "Prairie Lotus" by Linda Sue Park made for an incredibly enjoyable read。I wish a book like this had been around back when I was a kid！ I used to literally devour novels about pioneers and the Wild West， but at the same time I always felt something was off， pretty much like the author explains in the afterword of "Prairie Lotus"。I'm so glad that a new generation of young readers is going to get better， more empathetic， and diverse role models in novels like this--on the one hand so true to the original material， and on the other hand so modern and innovative in their approach to the genre。 。。。more
Cathy
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This is a wonderful story and Hanna's struggles and accomplishments keep us rooting for her！ I love the author's note about "fan fiction" for the Little House books which were some of my favorites。 Many opportunities to talk with young people about both current and historic racism and settlers。 This is a wonderful story and Hanna's struggles and accomplishments keep us rooting for her！ I love the author's note about "fan fiction" for the Little House books which were some of my favorites。 Many opportunities to talk with young people about both current and historic racism and settlers。 。。。more
Michael
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It was an accurate depiction of the past。 Sad to see not much has changed 150 years later
Bethany
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Wonderful！ I enjoyed this very much。 A better version of Little House on the Prairie。 I enjoyed having a biracial character， especially as there are not that many in literature。
Amanda Wilton
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This is an important book。 If you are a parent that desires to talk with your children about racism， prejudice and civil rights， this is a great conversation starter。 Our family has always sought to live in and involve ourselves with communities that do not look just like us。 We do not want to be small-minded。 As we live in the Midwest， I wanted to introduce my kids to a Midwestern tale of a minority that had to deal with unfair treatment。 Linda Sue Park’s work is so important， heartfelt and pro This is an important book。 If you are a parent that desires to talk with your children about racism， prejudice and civil rights， this is a great conversation starter。 Our family has always sought to live in and involve ourselves with communities that do not look just like us。 We do not want to be small-minded。 As we live in the Midwest， I wanted to introduce my kids to a Midwestern tale of a minority that had to deal with unfair treatment。 Linda Sue Park’s work is so important， heartfelt and provides incredible insight。 The story takes place in the 1800’s， when a young girl named Hanna and her father were traveling East from LA to find a new home after riots in Chinatown had burned their home to the ground and ultimately took the life of Hanna’s mother。 Hanna is Chinese， but her father is White。 This presents a myriad of problems as they try to open their new Dress Goods Shop in LaForge and Hanna attempts to go to school。 People ruin her homework， most don’t allow their children to go to school any longer if Hanna is present， people call her despicable names and the final straw is when two men attempt to assault her then blame her。My 8 and 10-year-olds loved this book。 Multiple times they told me how mad they were at how Hanna was treated。 We had important conversations about treating everyone human and what that looks like。 I am so thankful to Park for writing this book！ 。。。more
Mallary
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Wonderful grade-school or middle-school book。 I love that Ms。 Park wrote this so that another voice would be added to the "Little House on the Prairie" stories。 I thought the relationship with her dad was so interesting and complicated， certainly a man grieving and not totally understanding how to raise an Asian daughter， or maybe even any daughter。 I also love that this is a story about women supporting each other。 Wonderful grade-school or middle-school book。 I love that Ms。 Park wrote this so that another voice would be added to the "Little House on the Prairie" stories。 I thought the relationship with her dad was so interesting and complicated， certainly a man grieving and not totally understanding how to raise an Asian daughter， or maybe even any daughter。 I also love that this is a story about women supporting each other。 。。。more
KatelynLovesBooks
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3。5 stars
Wina
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4。5 stars for this historical fiction for ages 10-12。 This ode to Laura Ingalls Wilder， with loving changes， was a joy to listen to。 The reader， Emily Woo Zeller， did a fine job。 I especially loved it when she spoke the indigenous language。 Important parts of the story for me were how a person of color could more easily empathize with the plight of the displaced Indians， and also the long-term effects that Hanna experiences from a sexual harassment incident。 She doesn't just forget about it afte 4。5 stars for this historical fiction for ages 10-12。 This ode to Laura Ingalls Wilder， with loving changes， was a joy to listen to。 The reader， Emily Woo Zeller， did a fine job。 I especially loved it when she spoke the indigenous language。 Important parts of the story for me were how a person of color could more easily empathize with the plight of the displaced Indians， and also the long-term effects that Hanna experiences from a sexual harassment incident。 She doesn't just forget about it after it's over， but it comes up again for the rest of the book。 I found that so realistic。 Full of well-drawn characters and details about the period。 I really enjoyed Hanna's love of sewing， fabrics & notions， patterns and designs， and got the buttonholes reference！ As someone who read the Little House books many times， the author's note meant a lot to me and I could relate in so many ways （except for the parts that I didn't pick up on due to my childhood whiteness blinders）， I just loved it。 BTW， one doesn't need to be familiar with the Little House books to read this。 Great book， great author's note。 。。。more
Phoebe
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Read this， along with the Birchbark House Series by Louise Erdrich and the Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder， ans and you get a much fuller picture of what the "frontier" was like from a variety of perspectives。 My children noted right away that instead of going West， Hannah's family was going East - why？ And so we learn so much about what life was like for Chinese Americans in those days。 I loved this book so much。 Like everything Linda Sue Park writes， it is beautifully written， the Read this， along with the Birchbark House Series by Louise Erdrich and the Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder， ans and you get a much fuller picture of what the "frontier" was like from a variety of perspectives。 My children noted right away that instead of going West， Hannah's family was going East - why？ And so we learn so much about what life was like for Chinese Americans in those days。 I loved this book so much。 Like everything Linda Sue Park writes， it is beautifully written， the characters full and complicated like all human beings - and it made me cry。 My children had some trouble with it in the beginning because it is a hard story。 I convinced them to stick it out， that there would be hope in the end， and there was。 We also enjoyed learning from the author's note。 Now we need a book about frontier life from the perspective of an African American family - maybe the doctor in the Little House Series？ 。。。more
Nicole
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Love all of Park’s books。 A mixture between a few thought provoking American Girl historical novels and Little House on the Prairie。 A must read。
Charissa
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Honestly， I found this really heavy for YA。 Beautifully-written story covering issues with racism， colonialism and following a really interesting， warm main character。I still prefer the Birchbark House series for tackling "Little House on the Prairie" from an indigenous perspective， but this puts an edge on racism that I haven't really seen in youth literature before。 Honestly， I found this really heavy for YA。 Beautifully-written story covering issues with racism， colonialism and following a really interesting， warm main character。I still prefer the Birchbark House series for tackling "Little House on the Prairie" from an indigenous perspective， but this puts an edge on racism that I haven't really seen in youth literature before。 。。。more
Zoe
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This book is incredible！ This must-read is nearly imposible to put down！
Heidi Robbins
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This is the story of a half Chinese girl in the 1800s。 Her Chinese mother has died， and she has moved east with her white father from California。 She deals with racism at every turn and has to figure out how to deal with it and stay in their new community。 Park gives a note at the end of the book about loving the Little House on the Prairie books as a child and writing this story to help her reconcile her love of those books as a child with her realizations of their shortcomings。 I think she did This is the story of a half Chinese girl in the 1800s。 Her Chinese mother has died， and she has moved east with her white father from California。 She deals with racism at every turn and has to figure out how to deal with it and stay in their new community。 Park gives a note at the end of the book about loving the Little House on the Prairie books as a child and writing this story to help her reconcile her love of those books as a child with her realizations of their shortcomings。 I think she did a great job in doing just that。 。。。more
James Spears
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This was a very good book especially for those who have trouble with Little House on the Prairie（ It doesn't bother me because I understand the times and attitudes of the people during that time。） I like the story because I learned some new things and it was well written。 I would recommend this story to everyone。 This was a very good book especially for those who have trouble with Little House on the Prairie（ It doesn't bother me because I understand the times and attitudes of the people during that time。） I like the story because I learned some new things and it was well written。 I would recommend this story to everyone。 。。。more
Kaleb
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Good story about a young woman who wants to make something of herself back in the 1800s。 As she does that she questions and learns to go against the societal norms of the time。 Quick and good read！
Karen
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This is such a great example of why Y/A and children’s books are frequently better than adult fiction—so much attention to detail， meticulous research， and accuracy to the time period。 I’m a life-long fan of the Little House series and it was so fascinating to read about laura’s Dakota town from a different perspective。
Diana
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A diverse-reads contemporary historical fiction story for middle grade audiences that captures racism against Asians and indigenous people in the 1880s Midwest appropriately and effectively while keeping the plot and setting authentic。 Easy breezy。 Heart breaking。 Good。 Happy to have read it。
Nicole Brockwell
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I enjoyed A Long Walk to Water by this author so I was willing to grab this one。 This book is assumed to be an altering perspective of the Little House series but from the perspective of a 14 yr old girl whose mother was Chinese but not her father。 I don’t agree that that is a fair summary at all。 This book is about prejudice and racism but with a setting that is mid 1800’s like Wilder’s famous series。 The author and therefore the main character seem angry。 The author even mentions that this boo I enjoyed A Long Walk to Water by this author so I was willing to grab this one。 This book is assumed to be an altering perspective of the Little House series but from the perspective of a 14 yr old girl whose mother was Chinese but not her father。 I don’t agree that that is a fair summary at all。 This book is about prejudice and racism but with a setting that is mid 1800’s like Wilder’s famous series。 The author and therefore the main character seem angry。 The author even mentions that this book is her attempt to reconcile her life with the Little House series she treasured as a child。 It seems like she is angry at her younger self for enjoying it。 The main character， Hannah， is treated terribly unfair because of her race and people’s unfamiliarity with it so she in turn seems to dislike white people including her own father。 Wasn’t there a teaching opportunity there？ When someone asks Hanna even a question out of curiosity she returns with a verbal jab。 Was that the goal of the book？ For the author to unleash past hurts and feel satisfied？ There were also several missed opportunities for teaching about history such as the LA riots she mentioned in passing among many other historical events that were completely skipped。 All in all - I wasn’t a fan of this book。 I was deeply saddened by every single character’s failure， flaws and utter lack of hope for future redemption。 。。。more
Penny
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This is a deceptively simple book that encompasses important themes。 It’s in many ways the antidote to the Little House on the Prairie books。 Rather than going with the status quo and coming up with the usual prejudices Linda Sue Park seeks to address them。 Hanna is half Asian the child of a love match between a Chinese woman and a white American。 Her mother is dead and her father is moving them to Dakota territory。 Hanna’s main wish is to graduate from school and she manages to persuade the sch This is a deceptively simple book that encompasses important themes。 It’s in many ways the antidote to the Little House on the Prairie books。 Rather than going with the status quo and coming up with the usual prejudices Linda Sue Park seeks to address them。 Hanna is half Asian the child of a love match between a Chinese woman and a white American。 Her mother is dead and her father is moving them to Dakota territory。 Hanna’s main wish is to graduate from school and she manages to persuade the school board chairman to allow her to attend。 The other students’ families mainly react by removing their children from the presence of this less than desirable newcomer to their town。 Hanna needs to constantly remind herself that she is not the problem， other’s reactions are， all the while trying to complete school， help her father get ready to open their new store while persuading him she can also do a woman’s work。 She also meets a group of Indian women and girls and they learn from each other。 Things perhaps turn out a little too pat at the end， but it’s a well written， thought provoking and thorough look at a group of immigrants who are often ignored until the World War II internment camp stories。 。。。more
Kira Nerys
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https://slate。com/culture/2022/01/new。。。 https://slate。com/culture/2022/01/new。。。 。。。more
Sharon
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A beautiful， necessary， and heart warming story。 I wish every 4-6th teacher would read this aloud to the classes。
Kellie Miller
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Good young adult read
David Roth
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Loved this so much。 A welcome journey back to the world of Laura Ingalls Wilder。
Audrey
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I enjoyed seeing a pioneer’s perspective of an Asian background on settling in the Midwest in 1880。 Is not a view we read about too often during this time period。
Jgramley
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Wow！ I grew up a fan of Little House of a Prairie much like Linda Sue Park， and this book transported me right back there。 Hanna’s story was incredible and moving。 Her strength and focus on achieving her life’s dream in the face of such adversity will stay with me and I hope to one day have the impact like her teacher did。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Prairie Lotus
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Prairie Lotus&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Prairie Lotus&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0