Kai's Journey To Gold Mountain: An Angel Island Story

"Kai, 12, is the fourth-generation male in his family to leave China for the U.S. He's on his way to join his father, who is an American citizen in San Francisco. But after the long journey and tense medical examination, Kai is locked up on Angel Island…The character Kai is based on a real person, whose photos, then and now, are part of the historical notes at the back of the book. Opposite each page of the intensely moving, detailed text are beautiful full-page watercolor-and-pencil illustrations that capture the crowded holding place, and, in unforgettable close-ups, the characters' heartbreak and strength." — Booklist