Moore delivers a tremendous read about an important part of California, San Francisco, and US history. The fight against slave trafficking of young Asian females during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, I had never heard of Donaldina Cameron. She was one hell of a woman. Decided, determined. Dedicated, and infatiguable she directed the Mission for close to forty years, battle she the sex traffickers, and was mother to numerous refugees. The author provides excellent background information, informative citations, and a good bibliography. This one is is not to be missed.

This book was adapted for younger readers and still was hard to fathom, I cannot really imagine what the original book must have been like.

This story is based on the true lives of one Chinese girl who was sold off at a young age and an American woman who meant to do good and succeeds.

The story begins in China with Tien Fu Wu being sold into slavery by her father. She does not realise the truth of things for a while and being more than a little spunky, she manages to get into trouble quite early on. She finds herself in the United States and the historical background is explained further after the end of the story.

Dolly was a well meaning woman who first came to the mission home to teach some basic skills, but her natural empathy gets her more involved in the daily work of the mission house.

There is a slight discussion of the idea of religious conversion, but given what was there for the girls outside of the home, this was definitely the better option!

It is a time and place, as well as a situation that I’ve not heard of before, and it was shocking and saddening in equal measure. I would highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction that deals with gritty details.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Historical novel that retells the story of a real-life group of women who operated rescue missions to save the lives of immigrant women and children in 1890s Chinatown, San Francisco. I did not realise this was a children's adaptation of an existing work; nevertheless, I enjoyed this deeply. The writing was accessible, but not watered down. I enjoy good historical fiction, especially those tackling societal issues and women's roles in society, and this ticked the correct boxes.
This is a good pick for younger audiences who are intimidated by historical fiction, but want to try reading more novels set in the past.

Based on true events and historical fictions - a win win for me! I absolutely loved this book. Well paced, well written.

I'm more than a little embarrassed to say I recently learned about paper sons, so I loved this book that focused on the paper daughters. History has the best stories truly...

This book takes you on a journey, I loved this story. You see what happens to a young girl after her family sells her, she thinks that one day she’ll be with her family again only to find out she ends up leaving China and being sent to the US where she struggles with finding a place to call home.

I didn't realize at first that the version I was reading was the one that was adapted for younger readers, though it definitely makes sense. This YA/Middle Grade historical fiction book tells the story of a young girl named Tien Fu who is sold at age 6 in the 1890s in China and eventually ends up in a mission home in San Fransisco's Chinatown. Midway through the story there is a dual POV added, when Dolly, a young woman who comes to teach sewing at the Mission house, enters the story. Through these two perspectives we see both the challenges faced by young girls who had been sold and trafficked, as well as the greater societal views of the time. It is a fairly quick read, and with minimal discussion of prostitution and crime, it is appropriate for readers, especially if being read as part of an English or Social Studies class in school. I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it. I would say it would be a good fit for readers in the grades 6-10 range. I will now have to check out the original edition meant for adults! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

I read the original book and was touched and heartbroken for the paper daughters of Chinatown. It was an eye opener of the horrors of human trafficking.

This story is also touching. I loved the focus on Tien Fu Wu. The book begins with her as a child in China. It follows her through the horrors of being sold into slavery, the abuse she suffered, and finally the amazing woman she became. This book is for young readers, the abuse is briefly mentioned without going into detail.

This book is inspiring. It focuses on love and a determination to help others. I loved the characters. Tien Fu Wu's development takes time but her transformation is amazing. Donaldina Cameron takes a back seat in this adaptation. Her love and determination are a focus in this book and how kindness can change a heart.

I highly recommend this book to all age groups. It does mention sensitive circumstances in passing without detail.

I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Loved the original novel! Even though it cut many of the original scenes, I found it to be a very faithful edition. I like how it depicted Chinese culture. The book was also simple to read and very poignant! I recommend this for fans of In the Tunnel, I am Kavi, and The Bonesetter’s Daughter!

Thanks so much for allowing me to review this book.
Unfortunately it wasn’t quite for me, but I’m so grateful for the opportunity to review this title and I hope to work with you in the future!

Me gusto muchísimo. Últimamente estoy leyendo muchos libros de este tipo y logro captar mi atención por completo

It's hard to describe how this book makes you feel. It really makes you reevaluate how you look at minority demographics and even women/girls as a whole.
The fact that this was based off of a true story!! They always fascinate me the most as I find they can show the true heartache of stories and people aren't bored by reading a history book.

The book and the issues/incidences it tackled were thoroughly researched and detailed. I found it a very enjoyable and informative read

Thank you to Netgalley for a free e-arc of.this book

This book was exactly what I was looking for. I loved the cultural tie-ins and how the book managed to be culturally competent. This was an interesting plot. I love reading books that are solely based off really life cultures and their challenges. Great read!

I thought this book was really good. I loved the original story that was written for adults, so I was interested in seeing how the author would adapt it for a younger audience. I thought the authors did a great job of sharing about a hard topic in a way that younger readers could understand. I liked how the authors wrote the story so that you saw from two people’s perspective. I thought they did a good job of keeping the feeling of the original story while making it appropriated for younger readers. I thought this was very well done.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

⭐⭐⭐.5

The Paper Daughters of Chinatown: Adapted for Young Readers by Heather B. Moore and Allison Hong Merrill is a gripping historical novel based on a true story. Set in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the late 1890s, the book follows the journey of two friends who come together to rescue immigrant women and girls from a life of exploitation.

The story begins with Tai Choi, a young girl from the Zhejiang province of China who is deceived by her father and sold to pay off his debts. Sent to San Francisco, Tai Choi is forced to assume a new identity as Tien Fu Wu and becomes a servant. Her life is filled with hardship, as she is expected to stay hidden, remain silent, and perform endless chores under the threat of punishment or being sold again. However, everything changes when she is rescued by the women at the Occidental Mission Home for Girls.

Enter Dolly Cameron, a sewing teacher who arrives in San Francisco and becomes acquainted with Tien Fu. Initially resistant to trust and defiant in nature, Tien Fu gradually opens up to Dolly. Together, they discover that all the girls at the mission home have been freed from servitude and abuse, motivating them to help others in similar situations.

The authors beautifully depict the challenges faced by Tien Fu and Dolly as they work towards the freedom of enslaved immigrant women and girls. Their friendship blossoms, and they become mentors and advocates for those in the mission home. The novel explores themes of resilience, trust, and the power of friendship.

Overall, The Paper Daughters of Chinatown is a compelling and inspiring read. It sheds light on an important historical period and the courageous efforts of individuals to fight against injustice. Moore and Merrill’s adaptation for young readers makes this story accessible and engaging. I highly recommend this book to both young readers and adults alike.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Teen friendly version of the adult classic, it is the same story just written in a way that will be friendly to teens.

This whole book was very solid and I was able to learn a lot more about Chinese/Chinese-American History.

Overall I really enjoyed it.

Content warning- human trafficking, child abuse, physical abuse, mentions of sexual assault.

A rarely discussed topic of American history, The Paper Daughters of Chinatown shares the history of young women and girls trafficked into the United States (especially California) to pay off debts of their parents and to be used in different forms of slavery. This book tackles topics of colonization, misogyny, racism, and xenophobia, yet also shows strong female characters that continue to fight to protect themselves and their futures.

Inspiring
A tale of a girl, who like Joseph of Egypt, finds her purpose in a foreign land. I quite enjoyed this inspiring tale of Tien Fu Wu overcoming her own adversity to help others.
I've read the original The Paper Daughters of Chinatown and love the Young Readers Edition. Not only is the material adapted for a younger audience, but the point of view is primarily that of Tien Fu Wu, as a young girl. She was one of my favorite characters in the original and she shines brightly in this edition.
This dealt with the heavy topic(s) of human trafficking, slavery, and prostitution. None of the details were graphic and I would rate this PG for the topics mentioned. I would recommend this to readers of most ages who are interested in inspiring historical fiction rooted in fact.

Adapted from the best-selling adult novel, this YA version shifts the focus from the white, real-life crusader, Donaldina (Dolly) Cameron, and the young Chinese women forced into prostitution, to Tien Fu Wu, one of the Chinese “paper-daughters” Cameron aided. At the end of the nineteenth century, six-year-old Tien Fu was sold by her debt-ridden father. With other Chinese girls she was shipped to San Francisco, trained to pass immigration as a “paper-daughter,” then sold and re-sold into domestic slavery. Well researched and horrifying, the fictionalized story of real-life enslaved girls is intrinsically engaging. Moore and Merrill have made the subject appropriate for upper middle grade and high school readers. The brutality, sexual violence, and drug use inherent to human-trafficking appears briefly, is referred to, or occurs outside the frame of the narrative. Despite some clunky writing, this eye-opening story of female resilience and bravery is full of human interest and is especially relevant to Bay Area residents. Historic and fictional characters are clearly delineated. A timeline precedes the narrative. Back matter includes Questions & Answers, Selected Bibliography, and Recommended Reading. Thanks to Shadow Mountain and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an unbiased review.