Read an Excerpt
Chapter One
Lu Yi opened his eyes.
Something was wrong.
He knew it right away.
Usually, it was quiet here on the farm. The voices of his mother and father -- of course he knew these. Mr. Po, or Ho Yen, or Mrs. Chen, who lived on farms close by, he knew their voices, too. So well, they were like part of him.
But this was different. These were the voices of strangers, talking very loud with his father.
He leaned on one elbow and listened.
Usually, Lu Yi hated to get up in the morning. Most days his mother had to call him two or three times.
But today hejumped up and looked out. There were two men he had never seen before. Strangers were rare here, where he lived, in the shadow of the great, snow-covered mountains.
Who were they? And what did they want?
Lu Yi sat in the corner of the courtyard and listened.
He heard: "The government will not force you. They are asking you to move. For the reasons I have explained. "
"It is your right to say no, "the other man added.
Lu Yi's father looked at his mother. "Then we say no."
His mother nodded. Then the two strangers walked off.
"Are we moving, Father?"
Lu Yi looked around. The field of wheat. The vegetable garden. The beehives for honey. He was born here. He could not imagine living someplace else.
"Don't worry, son. I told the man no.
"How could we move?" said Lu Yi. "This land is our family's. It is yours now. Before that, it was your father's. "
I. . .and after my time, " said his father, "it will be your land. Time now to work. And for you, school.
His father did not sound worried. Still, later on, hesaw his father talking excitedly to Mr. Po.
Yi knew that sometimes his father tried hard not to seem troubled when , in fact, he was. Lu Yi had the feeling this was one of those times. He also knew it was no use asking any more questions right now.
The Year of the Panda. Copyright © by Miriam Schlein. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.
