CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices 2008)
A sequel to The Year of the Dog (Little, Brown, 2006), this warm and funny novel opens with a scene from Pacy’s family’s Chinese New Year celebration. “Happy Year of the Rat!” her father toasts. Since the rat is the first animal of the Chinese New Year calendar, the Year of the Rat symbolizes new beginnings. New beginnings also mean changes, Pacy soon realizes: her best friend Melody is moving away. As the year unfolds, Pacy learns how to live without Melody at her side, and in doing so discovers what kind of person and friend she wants to be. She also questions her desire to write and illustrate books when she grows up, uncertain if it’s a profitable career path. When Melody finally returns for a visit, she comments on how much taller Pacy seems. It’s clear the Pacy has grown in other ways too, especially in her acceptance of change. Grace Lin’s second novel follows a similar recipe as her first, but has an even richer and more lasting flavor. CCBC Category: Fiction for Children. 2008, Little Brown, 182 pages, $14.99. Ages 8-11.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 23))
Being rude on Chinese New Year can bring bad luck. After Pacy teases her older sister at the New Year's dinner, a series of bad things happen. Her best friend Melody moves to California and a Chinese boy, "fresh off the boat," moves into Melody's house. Pacy's elementary-school classmates make fun of Dun-Wei and she's embarrassed by the connection. Former friends make her uncomfortable, and school doesn't go as well. Still hoping to be an author and illustrator, Pacy can't figure out how her personal talents will fit into the class talent show. Just in time for the Year of the Rat comes this follow-up to Year of the Dog (2006), which introduced Pacy's Taiwanese-American family. As before, Lin liberally illustrates self-contained short chapters with small line drawings. From time to time relatives tell stories from their own earlier lives, recalling Chinese folklore, growing up in Taiwan and Pacy's infancy. Readers of this gentle, appealing sequel will appreciate the way the engaging protagonist discovers she can survive the changes a new year brings. 2008, Little, Brown, 176p, $14.99. Category: Fiction. Ages 8 to 12. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2008)
The Year of the Rat brings major change for Pacy (The Year of the Dog), as her best friend moves away. Pacy also starts doubting her resolution to become a writer/illustrator. Lin deftly handles Pacy's dilemmas and internal struggles with sensitivity and tenderness, keeping a hopeful and childlike tone that will inspire empathy. Appealing line drawings appear throughout. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2008, Little, 182pp, 14.99. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.