Love, Dance & Egg Rolls - by Jason Tanamor (Paperback)

About the Book

Filipino folk dancing is a huge part of Jamie's life, but so is high school and his two best friends. When these two worlds collide, Jamie must decide who he truly wants to be.

Book Synopsis

Jamie Santiago is just an ordinary high school teenager--he has a huge crush on a girl from school, he watches a ton of sitcoms, and he is constantly trying to keep his dad from feeding egg rolls to his white friends. Not to mention he also aspires to be the next Tinikling folk dance master. Okay, maybe he's not so ordinary.

It's hard enough balancing the demands of high school, but when the last ever Asian Folk Festival falls on the same day as Homecoming, it feels like Jamie's world comes crashing down. He is forced to make an important decision between honoring his heritage and salvaging what's left of his social life. With a racist bully at school and rising protests in Portland, Jamie sometimes wonders if it would be easier to forget his Filipino side entirely instead of trying to embrace it.

[Play the catchy sitcom music]

[Cue the laugh track to numb the serious stuff]

If only life were so perfect.

Tensions will rise in Love, Dance & Egg Rolls as Jamie decides whether it's more important to remain hidden in plain sight or step directly into the spotlight. Jamie will not only come face-to-face with a bully, but also with this thing called cultural identity.

Review Quotes

"Pulling from his own Filipino-American heritage, Tanamor shows Jamie as someone who feels stuck in the middle--not quite Filipino, but not the ideal American either. Tanamor balances the serious subject matter with keen humor . . . making this book both impactful and fun." -- Booklist

"A true celebration of Filipino-American life . . . Tanamor's book will dance its way into readers' hearts." -- ERIN ENTRADA KELLY, New York Times bestselling author of Hello, Universe, winner of the 2018 Newbery Medal

"Amazing dances, delicious food and the strength and closeness of our families . . . hope shines throughout this heartfelt novel." -- BREN BATACLAN, author and illustrator of Fe: A Traumatized Son's Graphic Memoir