This book of poems made me laugh, think, and at moments want to cry. Janet Wong writes about her childhood and teenage years most often focusing on family and food. Many of the poems reference aspects of the Chinese-American and Korean-American cultures that she grew up in and the challenges that she and her family personally faced with racism and discrimination and stereotyping. ( )

Summary of Book:
The author of this book wrote poems reflecting her experience growing up as a Asian-American child in Los Angeles, California. Her collection of poems speak about many children who come from Asia and other countries and they are discriminated because their race. This book have verses of joy, family, and Asian heritage.

Personal Reaction:
Children will learn more about traditional backgrounds and their peers who come from different countries.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. Teacher can read this book to the children during reading time.
2. Children can learn to write poems and give them to their parents.

Through Janet Wong's book, Good Luck Gold, she expresses anger and hurt from her past. She has a lot of memories in school of a particular teacher calling her out to be multicultural. Although this may be a true characteristics of Janet, she feels it does not define who she is. She was teased as a girl; in return she mocks those who teased her. Janet also expresses how every single person is different in their own ways aside from their culture. This book holds a lot of poetry that can educate students to look at each culture as unique. ( )

The poem "All Mixed Up" the author uses different words to explain multi-culture. She uses words like chopsticks and tortillas to make the readers think about different cultures. We do learn that the author is Korean and she sort of adds some information about herself in this poem. I think it'll be a great poem and also a great book for middle school children. ( )

Summary:
Good Luck Gold is a collection of poems written by Janet S. Wong. The poems reflect her experience growing up as an Asian-American child in Los Angeles, California. In the poem, "Funeral" she describes seeing her "made up" grandmother her handkerchief to help her find her own kind smile again when she gets to heaven.
Classroom Extensions:
1) This book could be used as an example of multicultural poems and have students write there own.
2) Ask students why discrimination is bad and have them write there responses in there journals. ( )