Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
On Sun’s twelfth birthday, he learned that he would soon be leaving his home village in China to join his brothers in America. His father was a successful merchant who owned an import store in San Francisco, which provided food for Chinese stores and restaurants. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was designed to make immigration from China more difficult. New arrivals were held at Angel Island for months, sometimes years, and subjected to a series of tests intended to prove that they were legitimate members of approved families. Sun spent many hours with his tutor studying before his departure. One mistake or forgotten fact could prevent his entry into the United States. Sun waited over a month in the prison-like conditions of Angel Island before his name was called. He answered most questions easily, but became confused when asked about the direction his bedroom faced at home. Directions had always been hard for him to remember. Fortunately, he received a gift from his father just in time and passed the tests. Full-page watercolor illustrations face each page of text. The text is longer and denser than that found in most picture books, making this book more appropriate for older readers. Based on the experiences of Lee’s father-in-law, the story has an authentic basis. 2006, Frances Foster Books/Farrar Straus and Giroux, $16.00. Ages 7 to 12.

CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, 2007)
The day after he turns twelve, Sun learns that his father will take him along when he returns to America. But before Sun can make the journey, he must prepare for the questions American immigration officials may ask when he arrives. In order to prove he is truly his father’s son, Sun must memorize everything he can about their Chinese village and his family. His thrill at traveling across the ocean turns to worry the closer they get to their destination. What if he can’t remember everything? When they arrive, Sun is detained on Angel Island for four weeks. The time is marked by tentative friendships he forms with other boys and by his own growing anxiety. When Sun’s name is finally called, he answers many questions easily, but one—what direction does your house face?—has him stumped. Milly Lee’s informative story conveys the enormous excitement and the enormous pressure experienced by one boy coming to America, and it is based on the experiences of her father-in-law. CCBC Category: Picture Books for School-Aged Children. 2006, Frances Foster Books / Farrar Straus and Giroux, 40 pages, $16.00. Ages 6-9.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 5))
Drawing on the reminiscences of her father-in-law, Lee details 12-year-old Sun's emigration to San Francisco from China in 1915. Sun's father, a merchant with a U.S. business, informs Sun that he will join his brothers, studying and working in America. Sun's tutor painstakingly prepares him for the challenges of immigration. Because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese immigrants, many of them boys, were detained on Angel Island, awaiting hours of interrogation about the minutiae of their families and villages. Officials sought inconsistencies exposing "paper sons"-boys posing as the offspring of U.S. citizens or merchants. Though a "true son," Sun worries that his poor sense of direction will cause him to answer incorrectly. Lee's narration of Sun's weeks on Angel Island-waiting, befriending two paper sons, and enduring the grueling interviews-is plain and measured, reflecting the serious burden Sun withstands. Choi's full-bleed and spot illustrations employ muted greens and ochres to depict village scenes, the sea journey and the detention center. This testament to the pull of "Gold Mountain" offers a bit of Chinese-American history in a handsome package. (author's note) 2006, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 40p, $16.00. Category: Picture book. Ages 7 to 11. © 2006 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Susan Shaver (Library Media Connection, November/December 2006)
Landed is based on a true story about the rigid restrictions Chinese immigrants faced because of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. When his father tells Sun it is time for him to go to America where he will join his three brothers, twelve-year-old Sun prepares by studying for the difficult test he will have to take when he arrives on Angel Island. Sun enjoys the many new experiences on the voyage with his father, including strange new foods. Upon their arrival, Sun is separated from his father and sent to a dormitory. There he endures an embarrassing physical examination and the wait to undergo interrogation to prove that he is a true son. Sun passes and happily joins his father and three brothers in San Francisco. Each page of text is complemented by a full page, beautifully painted picture in soft tones of yellows and browns that portray the events of the story in a subdued yet moving way; both text and pictures convey the emotional control of Sun and his family. Readers and listeners will learn from the story and have much to discuss about Sun's experience. In addition, an author's note at the conclusion provides more information about Chinese immigration. Highly Recommended. 2006, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 40pp., $16 hc. Ages 7 to 12.

Elizabeth Bush, Reviewer (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May 2006 (Vol. 59, No. 9))
Lee Sun Chor is now twelve, and he is expected to accompany his merchant father on an extended trip to the United States. Although he is qualified for admission to the country under exemptions to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (Sun’s story probably takes place around 1910), entry won’t be easy. A rigorous screening process weeds “true” sons like Sun from “paper” sons conveniently claiming kinship to a legal immigrant, and Sun must memorize a copious amount of information regarding his relatives, his household, and his village to verify that he really is the merchant’s offspring. Lee bases her story on the experiences of her father-in-law, and readers are escorted into the recesses of Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, where new arrivals were examined for disease and then detained in prison-like dormitories until rounds of questioning--a process that could take weeks or even years--were completed. With the help of a smuggled compass, Sun is finally able to answer satisfactorily the interrogators’ questions about the layout of his house and village, and he rejoins his father and older brothers at the dock. An author’s note detailing more of the processing at Angel Island suggest, though, that he was one of the lucky ones. Mixed-media pictures with their gently stippled texture soften somewhat the uncomfortable conditions at the detention center, but they nonetheless convey the chilly formality of the dehumanizing protocols. Ellis Island may be well known to most schoolchildren, but its West Coast cousin is finally getting the attention it deserves. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2006, Foster/Farrar, 40p, $16.00. Grades 2-5.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2006)
Milly Lee offers a rarely presented and yet significant sliver of Chinese-American history: the degrading experience of a Chinese son seeking to reunite with his father under the Chinese Exclusion Act. Both the lengthy text and stiff illustrations lack emotional vigor, rendering what must have been an intensely nerve-racking and often sorrowful journey merely a bland but faithful account. Category: Picture Books. 2006, Farrar/Foster, 40pp, 16.00. Ages 4 to 9. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.

Susan Stepp (The Lorgnette-Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 19, No. 3))
On his twelfth birthday, Sun’s father tells him he will go to America as his two older brothers have done. But in order to be accepted, or landed, he must pass a difficult test about his home, family, and village. He studies diligently with a coach. Compass directions are the only things that confuse him. Upon arriving in San Francisco Bay, his father is allowed to go on to San Francisco, but Sun is sent to Angel Island with other immigrants waiting to take the test and become landed. After many weeks, Sun is taken in for questioning. He cannot answer questions about which direction his bedroom faces. His father smuggles a compass to him. Even though the compass is discovered, the officials decide to allow it. He passes the test and joins his father and two brothers. This is based on the true story told to the author by her father-in-law. It deals with the immigration problems faced by Chinese after the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. An author’s note gives more details and history of the Chinese immigration. The full-page, colorful, realistic illustrations add to the authenticity of the story. Fiction, Highly Recommended. Grades 3-5. 2006, Frances Foster/Farrar Straus Giroux, Unpaged., $16.00. Ages 8 to 11.