• Age: 6 to 9
• Grade: 1 to 4
• Reading age: 6 to 9

A charming early chapter book series that explores Vietnamese culture and identity through the eyes of the Nguyen siblings, with elements of the supernatural, spirituality, and social justice woven in.

I touch my earrings and feel a rush of wind. I can almost hear Grandma Nội’s laughter through them.

Spontaneous and energetic Liz, the middle Nguyen sibling, grew up hearing stories from her Grandma Nội about the fantastically fierce Trung Sisters, freedom fighters in ancient Vietnam. And with a new school year about to start, Liz is determined that her taekwondo classes will prove she is just as important and brave as the famous warriors. That is, until the new boy at school, Michael, threatens her plans by turning her best friend against her, telling her the things she can’t do because she’s a girl. Struggling with both her friendships and her place in her family, Liz finds help where she least expects it—in the pearl earrings her Grandma Nội left her as a gift, reminding her of her Vietnamese heritage. Armed with the earrings’ mysterious power, Liz decides to show Michael exactly what girls are capable of.

Linda Trinh is an award-winning Vietnamese Canadian author of fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. She is the author of The Nguyen Kids series. Her work has appeared in various anthologies and literary magazines, and has been nominated for numerous awards. The Secret of the Jade Bangle co-won the Manitoba Book Award for best first book. Linda immigrated to Canada with her family from Vietnam when she was three years old. She and her older sister were raised by a single mother, surrounded by extended family in the West End of Winnipeg, after her father passed away when she was seven. Growing up, she did not see herself represented in books and that absence influences her exploration of identity, cultural background, and spirituality. She lives with her husband and two kids in Winnipeg, on ancestral lands, Treaty 1 territory, traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and on the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.

Linda Trinh's profile page

CLAYTON NGUYEN is an illustrator and animation student at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

Clayton Nguyen's profile page

• Joint winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children’s Book Center

“Fans of Mindy Kim and Junie B. Jones— check this out! . . . The first book is about discovering who you are, valuing your heritage and understanding your ancestral background. It is also about standing up for your culture and standing up against racism–all folded into a child-friendly story.”

Bedashruti Mitra Basu, Bookstagrammer @bedashrutimitrabasu