The Little Rat and the Golden Seed (Shanghai Press, $16.95) by Li Jian is a stunningly illustrated Chinese-English bilingual picture book which tells the story of a cat, an old man, and the Little Rat who have set out on an adventure to find the immortals’ golden seeds. After setting out on their adventure the group encounters towering waves, craggily mountains, and a shapeshifting guard bent on not letting Little Rat outsmart him. Luckily, Little rat is fast and very...very clever. And in the end, the trio manages to bring home a golden rice seed to feed their village. Ages 4-8. Cherakye Lopez 

Based on the childhood experiences of author Grace Lin, The Year of the Rat (Little, Brown, $7.99) follows Pacy through her most challenging year yet. Last year, the Year of the Dog, was all luck—but this year is going to be totally different. Pacy's best friend is moving across the country; her dream to be an author and illustrator seems impossible and none of her old friends understand what she's going through as one of the only Asian students at her school. Will Pacy be able to use what she learns from her parent's parables and personal stories to take on the changes from the Year of the Rat? or has all her luck ran out? Ages 8-10. Emily Griswold 

When seventeen year old Jo is dismissed from her position at a hat shop in the city she is sent to work as a lady’s maid for the dreadful daughter of one of Atlanta’s wealthiest men. As she confronts the harsh reality of race and gender in the South, Jo, who is Chinese (and adopted) and accustomed to living in the shadows, takes to penning “Dear Miss Sweetie," an anonymous advice column. But when the column takes off Jo must decide whether to confront her past. The Downstairs Girl (Putnam, $17.99) by Stacy Lee presents a rich atmosphere, a sharp-as-a-tack narrator, and a fresh, little-known perspective of life in the South of the 1890s. Ages 14 -18. Rebecca Fortes