In the early 1950s, Chinese American Artie is eight, the youngest cousin in his large extended family. Tired of being picked on at the kids’ table at a family dinner one day, Artie boldly announces he’ll provide fireworks for the Chinese New Year. But Artie has no money, and he isn’t even sure how far off Chinese New Year is. Enter Uncle Chester. He has a huge heart but can’t hold down a job. He never arrives at family functions on time. He isn’t even married, to the dismay of some adults in the family. But Artie loves him, and Uncle Chester promises to help Artie with the fireworks. As the New Year approaches, however, Artie begins to doubt whether Uncle Chester can really come through. Yep wonderfully conveys both the time period and place (San Francisco’s Chinatown) while getting the family dynamics just right in a satisfying story that ends—of course!—with a bang. (Ages 7–10)

If only Artie had kept his mouth shut.

But his mean cousin Petey was putting him down, so Artie started bragging.

Now he has to come up with enough money to buy firecrackers for all his cousins by the Lunar New Year.

Luckily, there's one person he can count on . . . Uncle Chester!

Newbery Honor Book author Laurence Yep celebrates family and Chinese New Year traditions in this story of a boy and his uncle who discover that age doesn't matter when it comes to helping out a friend.