Connecticut State Department of Education

Teaching Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies


Book recommendations


Book recommendations for professional learning content knowledge

Book recommendations for content knowledge

  • Asian American Histories of the United States (Catherine Ceniza Choy)
  • Asian American Dreams (Helen Zia)
  • The Making of Asian America: A History (Erika Lee)

Book Recommendations with Students

Grades K-1
  • Always Anjali by Sheetal Sheth
  • Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang (Lexile: 490)
  • Bee-Bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park
  • Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed (Lexile: 520)
  • Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore and Kristi Valiant (Lexile: 600)
  • Drawn Together by Minh Lê and Dan Santat (Lexile: 310)
  • King Sejong Invents an Alphabet by Carol Kim (Lexile: 810)
  • A Map into the World by Kao Kalia Yang
  • 'Ohana Means Family by Ilima Loomis
  • The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin (Lexile: 520)
Grades 2-3
  • A Different Pond by Bao Phi (Lexile: 620)
  • Amazing: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Inspire Us ALL by Maia Shibutani, Alex Shibutani, Dane Liu, and Aaliya Jaleel (Lexile: 1020)
  • Asian-Americans Who Inspire Us by Analiza Quiroz Wolf
  • The Boy & the Bindi by Vivek Shraya and Rajni Perera
  • Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho and Dung Ho (Lexile: 610)
  • Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say (Lexile: 650)
  • I Am An American: The Wong Kim Ark Story by Martha Brockenbrough with Grace Lin and Julia Kuo
  • I Dream of Popo by Livia Blackburne (Lexile: 510)
  • Jasmine Toguchi: Drummer Girl by Debbi Michiko Florence (Lexile: 590)
  • Jasmine Toguchi: Mochi Queen by Debbi Michiko Florence (Lexile: 560)
  • Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando by Andrea Wang (Lexile: 590)
  • The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh by Supriya Kelkar (Lexile: 530)
  • Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines: Designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial by Jeanne Walker Harvey (Lexile: 800)
  • The Mindy Kim series by Lyla Lee
  • The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang
  • My Footprints by Bao Phi (Lexile: 630)
  • The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi (Lexile: 590)
  • Niki Nakayama: A Chef's Tale in 13 Bites by Debbi Michiko Florence (Lexile: 570)
  • Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist by Julie Leung (Lexile: 890)
  • Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story by Paula Yoo (Lexile: 970)
  • Watercress by Andrea Wang (Lexile: 610)
  • Where's Halmoni? by Julie Kim (Lexile: 320)
  • The Year of the Dog (A Pacy Lin Novel, 1) by Grace Lin (Lexile: 690)
Grades 4-5
  • American as Paneer Pie by Supriya Kelkar (Lexile: 840)
  • Amina's Voice by Hena Khan (Lexile: 800)
  • Cilla Lee-Jenkins: The Epic Story by Susan Tan and Dana Wulfekotte (Lexile: 880)
  • Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire by Susan Tan and Dana Wulfekotte (Lexile: 940)
  • Cilla Lee-Jenkins: This Book Is a Classic by Susan Tan and Dana Wulfekotte (Lexile: 870)
  • Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee (Lexile: 780)
  • Fish for Jimmy: Inspired by One Family's Experience in a Japanese American Internment Camp by Katie Yamasaki (Lexile: 880)
  • Fred Korematsu Speaks Up by Laura Atkins & Stan Yogi (Lexile: 930)
  • Front Desk by Kelly Yang (Lexile: 640)
  • Green Lantern: Legacy by Minh Le (Lexile: 590)
  • Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly and Isabel Roxas (Lexile: 690)
  • The House That Lou Built by Mae Respicio (Lexile: 660)
  • I'm Ok by Patti Kim (Lexile: 670)
  • Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhà Lại (Lexile: 800)
  • Keep It Together, Keiko Carter by Debbi Michiko Florence (Lexile: 560)
  • The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor (Lexile: 390)
  • Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte (Lexile: 360)
  • Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park (Lexile: 690)
  • Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim (Lexile: 620)
  • Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time by Lisa Yee (Lexile: 650)
  • Stargazing by Jen Wang (Lexile: 510)
  • Surfer of the Century: The Life of Duke Kahanamoku by Ellie Crowe (Lexile: 980)
  • This is How I Roll by Debbi Michiko Florence (Lexile: 650)
  • Troublemaker by John Cho
  • Unidentified Suburban Object by Mike Jung (Lexile: 830)
  • Where The Mountain Meets The Moon by Grace Lin (Lexile: 810)
Grades 6-8
  • Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
  • American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (Lexile: 530)
  • An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (Lexile: 680)
  • The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui (Lexile: 600)
  • Displacement by Kiku Hughes
  • Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston & James D. Houston (Lexile: 1040)
  • Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh
  • I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib (Lexile: 490)
  • They Called Us Enemy by George Takei (Lexile: 680)
Grades 9-12
  • A Different Mirror for Young People by Ronald Takaki, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff (Lexile: 1120)
  • Made in Asian America: A History for Young People
  • Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
  • On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
  • We The Gathered Heat Asian American and Pacific Islander Poetry, Performance, and Spoken Word edited by Franny Choi, Bao Phi, No'u Revilla, and Terisa Siagatonu
  • When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka (Lexile: 810)