Child of the Owl by Laurence Yep

First published: 1977

Type of work: Domestic realism

Themes: Coming-of-age, family, friendship, and race and ethnicity

Time of work: 1964-1965

Recommended Ages: 10-13

Locale: Chinatown, San Francisco, California

Principal Characters:

• Casey Young, an independent twelve-year-old who comes to stay with her grandmother in Chinatown
• Barney Young, Casey’s father, a compulsive gambler who loves Casey but has lost control over his life
• Paw-Paw, or
• Ah Paw, Casey’s grandmother, wise and independent, the head of a weak family caught between Chinese and American value systems
• Mr. Jeh, an old Chinese gentleman, no longer wealthy but very proud, a friend to Ah Paw and Casey
• Gilbert, grandnephew of Mr. Jeh, a young man with a questionable reputation and a big heart
• Uncle Phil, son of Ah Paw and uncle to Casey

The Story

Casey had always been with Barney, even through hard times when no one would lend them any more money, when the rent was due, and when luck ran short. This time, however, Barney is in the hospital, and Casey cannot even get in to see him. This time Barney would have to act like a responsible parent and send Casey away — to San Francisco and his dead wife’s family, to Chinatown and Paw-Paw.

Leaving reluctantly, Casey rides the Greyhound bus to San Francisco and Uncle Phil, who takes her into his family, just as he had promised her mother, Jeanie, he would. It does not take long for everyone, including Casey, to realize it is not going to work, that Uncle Phil’s family cannot accommodate Casey’s free spirit. With threats and grave warnings, Casey is taken to Chinatown to live with her maternal grandmother, Paw-Paw. Uncle Phil, long since “Phil the Pill” in Casey’s mind, transfers his responsibility to his mother and largely disappears as a force in Casey’s life.

Casey had not known she had a grandmother; indeed she barely knew she had had a mother. The fact that Casey was Chinese American had hardly crossed her conscious mind. Now suddenly, Casey is thrust into a situation where she has to make acquaintance with all three factors at once, and the adjustment is painful. Paw-Paw almost immediately becomes Casey’s ally and strength; there is little doubt of a family bond between them. Even Jeanie, Casey’s long-dead mother, becomes more familiar through Paw-Paw’s stories. Yet Chinatown itself remains strange. The sights, sounds, smells, and attitudes overwhelm Casey and keep her off-balance for several months.

During this time, Barney’s presence is felt only through occasional postcards and a telephone call. He is traveling light and fast, one step ahead of the thugs and down on his luck. Initially Casey misses him very much, but, over the months of his absence, she begins to find her place in Chinatown and gradually sinks roots for the first time into a people and a place.

When Barney does reappear, it is as a thief who robs Paw-Paw of her only valuable possession, an owl charm, and in the process knocks her down, breaking her leg. Casey does not see the face of the thief, and Paw-Paw does not tell. Into the confusion step Mr. Jeh and Gilbert. Through their efforts and Casey’s own determination, the owl charm is recovered. Yet Casey is never to recover her ability to make excuses for Barney. “Down on his luck” no longer works as a rationalization. He has hurt Paw-Paw, and Casey finds her loyalties have transferred from father to grandmother. In the end, largely because of Paw-Paw’s urgings, Casey makes tentative steps toward rebuilding the ties with Barney, this time on her terms. Casey has found a place where she belongs, even after the rent is due. She may be willing to share it with Barney, but she is not willing to leave it, or the people she has come to call friends.

Context

Child of the Owl is Laurence Yep’s third children’s novel and his first attempt at contemporary realistic fiction. Sweetwater (1973), his first novel, is science fiction; Dragonwings (1975), his second novel and a Newbery Honor Book, is historical fiction. Regardless of the differences in literary genre, all three share similar themes: the search for personal identity in the face of prejudice, the importance of claiming one’s heritage and traditions, and the enduring bonds of family. Yep is himself a third-generation Chinese American.

Strong bonds within families are shown in Sweetwater and Dragonwings through father-son relationships. In Child of the Owl, filial bonds are also explored, but this time they exist between father and daughter, in the case of Casey and Barney, and to a lesser degree, between mother and son in the case of Paw-Paw and Phil. An interesting tension between the desire to assimilate and the need to retain cultural traditions permeates these relationships and demonstrates the depth of family bonds. Against this backdrop, Casey shows an ability to think and act for herself. Her strong female character is a welcome contrast to the weak and ineffectual character of Uncle Phil’s daughter, Pam-Pam. Young readers see a girl plotting her course with bravery and independent thought.

Child of the Owl has been praised for its literary merit as well as its authentic depiction of Chinese American life, past and present. As such, it is also an important novel for children who are exploring their own ethnic identities, as well as for those who want to explore a culture different from their own. In this exploration, children will find both the uniquenesses of the Chinese American culture and the universals of love and loyalty expressed between family and friends across all races and cultures.