May is Asian American Pacific Islander heritage month! It became a national weekly observance in 1979, scheduled to coincide with anniversaries of the completion of the transcontinental railroad -- built largely by Chinese immigrants -- and the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the U.S. In 1992 the observance became a permanently designated month to celebrate API communities. (Human Rights Campaign)

This week we'll introduce some books with Asian and Asian American characters for middle schoolers.