In this post, we feature artist and author Ruth Chan, whose previous titles include Thank You, Neighbor, which was named a Publishers’ Weekly Best Picture Book of the Year selection, among other honors. You can hear her speak about her new middle-grade graphic memoir, Uprooted. You can also try her “invitation to imagine” activity and find other resources to explore. Thanks for joining us, and let us know what you think in the comments below!
Uprooted
- Written and illustrated by Ruth Chan
- Published by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan
- Release date: September 24, 2024
Ruth Chan loves her hometown in Toronto, hanging out with her best friends for life, and snacking on ketchup flavored potato chips, which are the best. What Ruth doesn’t love is having to move to Hong Kong after her dad gets a new job there. Her mom is excited to reunite with her family, but it’s not the same for Ruth. In Hong Kong, her classes are harder, her Cantonese isn’t good enough, and her parents are never around. Ruth feels lonely and completely uprooted. But as Ruth’s dad tells stories about her family, about how they relied on their strength, courage, and each other to survive the most difficult times, Ruth realizes that she too can be strong. Gradually, she puts down roots, knowing that home will always be where her heart is. In this moving, funny middle-grade memoir, Ruth Chan connects family stories across generations and invites readers to think about the meaning of home.
Explore Uprooted
Listen to Ruth Chan talking with TeachingBooks about creating Uprooted. You can click the player below or experience the recording on TeachingBooks, where you can read along as you listen, and also translate the text to another language.
- Listen to author Ruth Chan pronounce her name.
- Sample an e-book of Uprooted on Overdrive.com.
- Explore TeachingBooks’ collection of activities and resources for Uprooted.
Invitation to Imagine
TeachingBooks asks each author or illustrator on our Virtual Book Tour to share a writing prompt, a drawing exercise, or just an interesting question to spark curiosity and creativity. Enjoy the following activity contributed by Ruth Chan.
Imagination Activity with Ruth Chan
Imagine a time when you weren’t allowed to do something you really wanted or had your heart set on. Think about how that “NO” made you feel. Now, write out your feelings and talk about what you ended up doing instead?
Finish This Sentence . . . with Ruth Chan
As part of our Virtual Book Tour, TeachingBooks asks authors and illustrators to complete short sentence prompts. Enjoy Ruth Chan’s response.
“A strange topic I had to research for my book was…”
A strange topic I had to research for my books was my own diary from when I was 13 years old. I was anticipating reading all about how I was feeling during the big transition moving from Toronto to Hong Kong, but what I wasn’t anticipating was how much I wrote about my (many) crushes, Jean Claude Van-Damme movies, and where I sat on the school bus that day.
“A favorite question from a young reader was…”
A favorite question from a young reader (after an entire presentation about my career and making of Uprooted) was, “So, is what you do a real job?”
Thank you!
To wrap up this Virtual Book Tour, we thank Ruth Chan for signing a book for all of us.
More Connections to Ruth Chan and Uprooted
- Discover books like Uprooted on TeachingBooks.
- Macmillan’s page about Uprooted, written and illustrated by Ruth Chan.
- Buy Uprooted, written and illustrated by Ruth Chan.
All text and images are courtesy of Ruth Chan and Macmillan and may not be used without expressed written consent.
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