Double Luck: Memoirs of a Chinese Orphan

When Lu Chi Fa's parents died in 1944, he was only three years old. The timing of the tragedy could not have been worse-- it was a time of political turmoil and severe hardship in China. Few people willingly took in orphans, and Chi Fa's extended family was no exception. The young boy was shuffled from one house to another as his relatives turned him away, one by one. Even his loving sister was forbidden by her husband to take him under her roof.

Chi fa was always hungry, often cold, and frequently beaten. But through all his struggles, he held onto his sister's hopeful words: "You are lucky, Chi Fa. Good fortune will find you."

This stirring memoir of a painful childhood tells a story of resilience and courage, and attests to the power of even small acts of kindness.

Author: Chi Fa Lu, Becky White
Publisher: Holiday House
Published: 03/01/2001
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.70w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780823415601

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.2
Point Value: 7
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 49828 / Double Luck: Memoirs of a Chinese Orphan

Award: Parents Choice Award (Fall) (1998-2007) - Winner

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 05/07/2001 pg. 249
Booklist 06/01/2001 pg. 1860
School Library Journal 07/01/2001 pg. 127
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2001 pg. 183 - Recommended, Satisfactory
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2002 pg. 183 - Recommended, Satisfactory

About the Author
Lu Chi Fa was born in the Jiangsu Province in China. He grew up there and in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. In 1969, he immigrated to the United States. He now owns a successful restaurant and lives in Morro Bay, California.

Becky White taught elementary school for five years before creating more than three hundred educational books. She lives with her husband in a windmill home in California, where she enjoys gardening and making books and movies for her grandchildren.