Paul Yee facts for kids

Paul Yee (born October 1, 1956) is a Canadian historian and author of Chinese heritage. He has written many books for young readers. Some of his well-known books include Teach Me to Fly, Skyfighter, The Curses of Third Uncle, Dead Man's Gold, and Ghost Train. Ghost Train won the prestigious Governor General's Award for English language children's literature in 1996. In 2012, Paul Yee received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People from the Writers' Trust of Canada. This award recognized his unique and powerful contributions to Canadian literature over nearly 30 years.

Paul Yee's Early Life and Learning

Paul Yee was born in Spalding, Saskatchewan in 1956. He grew up in Chinatown, Vancouver, raised by his aunt Lilian. He has shared that he often felt "caught between two worlds" as he was growing up. This feeling of being between two cultures is a common theme in many of his stories about Chinese-Canadians. He went to Lord Strathcona Elementary School and Britannia Secondary School in Vancouver. Later, Paul Yee earned both a Bachelor's and a master's degree in Canadian History from the University of British Columbia.

Paul Yee's Writing Journey

Before becoming a full-time writer, Paul Yee volunteered at the Vancouver Chinese Cultural Center from 1974 to 1987. He also worked as an archivist, which means he helped organize and preserve historical records. He worked at the City of Vancouver Archives from 1979 to 1987 and at the Archives of Ontario from 1988 to 1991. He also spent time working for the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship.

Paul Yee's first book, Teach Me to Fly, Skyfighter! And Other Stories, was published in 1983. It was illustrated by Sky Lee. He has mentioned that his writing career started almost by accident. A publisher, James Lorimer & Company, approached him because they wanted someone knowledgeable to write a book set in Vancouver's Chinatown. Since then, he has published more than twenty-five different works. These include books for children, young adults, short stories, and non-fiction books for adults.

One of his children's books, Ghost Train, was turned into a play by Betty Quan. It was performed by the Young Peoples Theatre in Toronto in 2001. Paul Yee's first original play, Jade in the Coal, was first shown in Vancouver in November 2010. In 2011, he wrote a poem to go along with a special musical performance by the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra. The poem was performed in both English and Chinese.

Yee mainly writes about the experiences of Chinese-Canadians, both from history and in modern times. He explains on his website why he focuses on these stories: "When I was a child, growing up in the 1960s, there were no books about my world—the world of immigrants, racial minorities, and different histories." He wanted to create books that would show Chinese people reflections of themselves. He believes such books can help people in North America feel good about being different from the "mainstream." They also help Chinese people see themselves and each other in new ways. Paul Yee now lives in Toronto and writes full-time.

Paul Yee's Published Works

Here are some of the books Paul Yee has written:

Picture Books

• Teach Me to Fly, Skyfighter and Other Stories (1983)
• Roses Sing on New Snow (1991)
• Ghost Train (1996)
• The Boy in the Attic (1998)
• Jade Necklace (2002)
• A Song for Ba (2004)
• "The Lost Spike" (short story) (2004)
• Bamboo (2005)
• Shu-Li and Tamara (2008)
• Shu-Li and Diego (2009)
• Friends of Kwan ming

Middle Grade & Young Adult Books

• The Curses of Third Uncle (1986)
• Tales from Gold Mountain (1989)
• Breakaway (1994)
• Struggle and Hope: the Chinese in Canada (1996)
• Fly Away (short story) (2001)
• Dead Man's Gold and Other Stories (2002)
• Bone Collector's Son (2003)
• What Happened This Summer (2006)
• Learning to Fly (2008)
• Blood and Iron (2010)
• The Secret Keepers (2011)
• Money Boy (2011)

Books for Adults

• Saltwater City: An Illustrated History of the Chinese in Vancouver (1988)
• If Walls Could Talk (2003)
• Chinatown (2005)
• Arrivals (a poem) (2011)
• Jade in the Coal (a play) (2011)
• A Superior Man (2015)

Awards and Special Recognition

Paul Yee has received many awards and honors for his writing:

• 1983: Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice Selection for Teach Me to Fly, Skyfighter and Other Stories
• 1989: City of Vancouver Book Award for Saltwater City
• 1990: Sheila Egoff Children's Prize for Tales from Gold Mountain
• 1990: Notable Children's Book–Social Studies for Tales from Gold Mountain
• 1992: Ruth Schwartz Children's Literature Award for Roses Sing on New Snow
• 1994: YALSA Best Book for Young Adults: Breakaway
• 2006: Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada for Saltwater City
• 2012: Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature

Awards for Ghost Train

• 1996 Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Literature (Text)
• 1997 Ruth Schwartz Children's Book Award (Picture Books)
• 1998 Prix Enfantasie (Switzerland) (for French language version: Le train fantôme)
• 1997 Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award

Awards for Dead Man's Gold

• 2003: New York Public Library Best Books for the Teen Age
• 2003: Booklist Top Ten Historical Fiction Books of the Year
• 2002: Honor Book, Kiriyama Prize, 2002 (for books about Pacific Rim nations)