The day after he turns twelve, Sun learns that his father will take him along when he returns to America. But before Sun can make the journey, he must prepare for the questions American immigration officials may ask when he arrives. In order to prove he is truly his father’s son, Sun must memorize everything he can about their Chinese village and his family. His thrill at traveling across the ocean turns to worry the closer they get to their destination. What if he can’t remember everything? When they arrive, Sun is detained on Angel Island for four weeks. The time is marked by tentative friendships he forms with other boys and by his own growing anxiety. When Sun’s name is finally called, he answers many questions easily, but one—what direction does your house face?—has him stumped. Milly Lee’s informative story conveys the enormous excitement and the enormous pressure experienced by one boy coming to America, and it is based on the experiences of her father-in-law. (Ages 6–9)

Sun is ready to leave his village in China for America, the
place known as Gum Saan, Gold Mountain. His father warns
him, though, that passage will not be easy. Because of the 1882
Chinese Exclusion Act, new immigrants like Sun are detained
at Angel Island until they are called to take a difficult oral
exam before they can "land" – leave Angel Island and go
ashore. On the boat, Sun had studied maps of his village and
memorized facts about his ancestors. But as the weeks pass in
detainment, the map's compass points swirl in his memory, and
Sun worries that he will lose his direction and be turned away.
The oil paintings are rich with historical details in this vivid
recounting, based on the author's father-in-law's experiences, of
a disturbing chapter in Chinese American history.