Dragonwings

In a skillful blend of fact and fiction, Yep depicts vividly the experiences of immigrant Chinese in California at the time of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.  Moon Shadow, an eight-year-old, comes to the United States to join his father and is troubled by the prejudice he encounters.  He makes some friends, survives the earthquake, and devotes himself to helping his father achieve a dreamed-of goal--building and flying an airplane.  The novel gives a strong sense of the cohesion of the Chinese community and a dramatic account of the earthquake, but it is most impressive in its depiction of a boy's supportive faith in his father's pursuit of a challenge.