The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

Another historical masterpiece that takes place in the Reconstruction Atlanta with a Chinese-American young woman who bucks the system. Jo Kuan works as a ladies maid in a house where she grew up but where she was considered a childhood friend she is clearly now a servant. She takes this in stride and puts her energy into other secret projects like writing an advice column under the name "Miss Sweetie" for the newspaper located where she and her adopted grandfather live. I loved this independent young woman who had to fight racial and sex discrimination in post-war Atlanta and didn't take no for an answer. This novel works well for adults, young adults, and ambitious middle school readers.