Girls & Women, Historical Fiction 

After the deaths of her parents, 12-year-old Chou Spring Pearl is taken into the home of her father's wealthy benefactor. Unlike most Cantonese girls, Spring Pearl has learned to read and write, but she must now learn a new skill-how to survive in Master Sung's hostile household. While the Second Opium War rages in the streets and harbor of Canton, Spring Pearl faces battles of her own.
Laurence Yep has published almost 60 books, including science fiction and children's stories. Among his many prize-winning books are Dragonwings and Dragon's Gate, both Newbery Medal Honor Books. Other titles include Child of the Owl, Angelfish, Star Fisher, and Later Gator.

Called boyish by her new family for being able to read and write, twelve-year-old, orphaned Spring Pearl's "odd ways" help save the family during the 1857 Opium War in Canton, China. - from Amzon