This is a list of books featuring hapa main characters, where hapa means “Asian and multiracial.” I’ve only included books that I’ve personally read, so there are bound to be gaps, especially in adult literature. Additionally, inclusion on this list does not constitute any kind of endorsement of the book or its portrayal of the hapa experience. Finally, the term hapa is not without its problems (see here), but I use it as the most recognizable continental U.S. term for a mixed race person of Asian descent.

An asterisk (*) indicates that the author is hapa.

Corrections always welcome.

Picture Books

The Sound of Silence Katrina Goldsaito* and Julia Kuo (Tokyo, Japanese(?)/white)

Middle Grade

Summerlost Ally Condie (contemporary, Chinese/white)

Full Cicada Moon Marilyn Hilton (verse novel, historical, 1969 Vermont, Japanese/Black)

Flexible Wings Veda Stamps (contemporary, Southern California, Japanese/Black)

Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire Susan Tan* (contemporary, Chinese/white) (at the very young end of MG, or even younger)

Somewhere Among Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu (verse novel, 2001 Tokyo, Japanese/white)

Prairie Lotus Linda Sue Park (historical, 1880s Dakota Territory, Chinese/Korean/white)

Mira in the Present Tense (UK title: Artichoke Hearts) Sita Brahmachari* (contemporary-ish, England, Indian/white)

Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone Tae Keller (contemporary, Florida, Korean/white)

Young Adult

The Reader Traci Chee (fantasy) (included on this list because of this blog post)

The Girl from Everywhere Heidi Heilig* (historical/fantasy, late 19th c. Hawaii, Chinese/white)

Delicate Monsters Stephanie Kuehn (psychological thriller, Chinese/white)

The Agency series by Y. S. Lee (historical, Victorian London, Chinese/white)

A Spy in the House
The Body at the Tower
The Traitor in the Tunnel
Rivals in the City

Legend trilogy by Marie Lu (dystopian, Mongolian/white)

Legend
Prodigy
Champion

All Our Pretty Songs Sarah McCarry (mythology/magical realism, Pacific Northwest, Vietnamese/white)

Cinder Marissa Meyer (science fiction, East Asian/white)

Kingdom of Xia duology by Cindy Pon (fantasy, “Chinese”/white)

Silver Phoenix
Fury of the Phoenix

Eleanor & Park Rainbow Rowell (contemporary/historical, 1980s, romance, Korean/white)

Girl in Reverse Barbara Stuber (historical, 1950s Kansas City, art, Chinese/white)

The Astonishing Color of After Emily X.R. Pan (contemporary/magical realism, Taiwanese/white)

Starfish Akemi Dawn Bowman* (contemporary, Japanese/white)

Summer Bird Blue Akemi Dawn Bowman* (contemporary, Japanese/Hawaiian/white)

Along the Indigo Elsie Chapman (contemporary/historical, 1980s Pacific Northwest, Chinese/white)

Snotgirl Volume 1: Green Hair Don’t Care Bryan Lee O’Malley* & Leslie Hung (included on this list because of O’Malley’s public comments)

Snotgirl Volume 2: California Screaming Bryan Lee O’Malley* & Leslie Hung

The Downstairs Girl Stacey Lee (historical, 1890s Atlanta, Chinese/white)

Himawari House Harmony Becker* (contemporary, Japan, Japanese/white)

Displacement Kiku Hughes* (contemporary/historical, 2016/World War II, Japanese/white)

A Scatter of Light Malinda Lo (2013 Marin County, Chinese/white)

Adult

Sorcerer to the Crown Zen Cho (fantasy, Regency England, Indian/white)

Everything I Never Told You Celeste Ng (literary, 1970s Ohio, Chinese/white)