Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (curricula)

This teacher's guide supports the instructional use of the bestselling 2009 novel by Jamie Ford about a budding romance between a young Chinese American boy and a Japanese American girl, set in 1942 Seattle as aspects of World War II impact their lives. Appropriate for the middle/high school English/language arts classroom, and because of the setting, also social studies. The guide notes the novel is written at a seventh grade reading level.

The 10-page guide provides brief background information: summary of the book, about the author, a glossary of Cantonese and Japanese words used in the text, and a list of other works of interest. There are 20 prompts for discussion and/or writing, primarily focused on plot and/or character development - some have specific page references. Most of the suggestions for culminating projects address the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans and issues of discrimination. The final three pages of the guide relate to the relevant Common Core English Language Arts Standards for Literature, Informational Text, and Writing, grades 11 and 12.

The guide was produced by the book's publisher. It is available online and in a PDF format which can be downloaded.