The Fire Horse Girl - Softcover

Jade Moon is a Fire Horse –- the worst sign in the Chinese zodiac for girls, said to make them stubborn, willful, and far too imaginative. But while her family despairs of marrying her off, she has a passionate heart and powerful dreams, and wants only to find a way to make them come true.

Then a young man named Sterling Promise offers Jade Moon and her father a chance to go to America. While Sterling Promise's smooth manners couldn't be more different from her impulsive nature, Jade Moon falls in love with him on the long voyage. But America in 1923 doesn't want many Chinese immigrants, and when they are detained at Angel Island, the "Ellis Island of the West," she discovers a betrayal that destroys all her dreams. To get into America, much less survive there, Jade Moon will have to use all her stubbornness and will to break a new path... one so brave and dangerous, only a Fire Horse girl could imagine it.

2014 PEN Center USA Literary Award Finalist

*"First-time author Honeyman has researched the history of Angel Island and early twentieth century San Francisco carefully, yet the ultimate strength of this story is in her character Jade Moon. Her voice, authentic and consistent, transcends this historical fiction/adventure/love story to embrace every young woman who has ever searched for the real person hidden under the veneer of society's expectations." -– Booklist, starred review

"A refreshing twist on the Chinese immigration story" –- School Library Journal

Jade Moon is a Fire Horse -- the worst sign in the Chinese zodiac for girls, said to make them stubborn, reckless, and far too headstrong. While her family despairs of marrying her off, she dreams of traveling far beyond her tiny village, living out a story as big as her imagination.

Then a young man named Sterling Promise offers Jade Moon and her father an incredible opportunity: the chance to go to America. As they travel, Sterling Promise's smooth
manners and Jade Moon's impulsive nature strike sparks again and again. But America in 1923 doesn't welcome Chinese immigrants, and when they are detained at Angel Island -- the so-called "Ellis Island of the West" Jade Moon uncovers a betrayal that destroys all her dreams. To get into America,
much less survive there, she will have to use every bit of her stubbornness and strength to break a new path... one so brave and dangerous that only a Fire Horse girl could imagine it.

This marvelous adventure is as fiery, bold, and romantic as Jade Moon herself -- and just as unforgettable.

Kay Honeyman became fascinated with the history of Chinese immigration to the United States after she and her husband adopted a son from China in 2009. The Fire Horse Girl is her first novel. Kay teaches eighth-grade English in Dallas, Texas, where she lives with her family. Please visit her website at www.kayhoneyman.com.