Porter Square Books is delighted to present the latest installment in the Grubbie Debut series to celebrate the release of Gold Mountain with GrubStreet author Betty Yee! The author will be in conversation with Shelley Berg, This event will take place on Tuesday, April 5 at 7pm at Porter Square Books: Boston Edition as a hybrid event. In person attendance will be capped at 50 people. If you would like to attend in person, reserve your spot by registering at the webform at the bottom of this page. For those of you who'd prefer to attend virtually, register at the link below to watch live on Crowdcast or tune in to the recorded video later on the Porter Square Books Facebook.

Working on the Transcontinental Railroad promises a fortune--for those who survive.

Growing up in 1860s China, Tam Ling Fan has lived a life of comfort. Her father is wealthy enough to provide for his family but unconventional enough to spare Ling Fan from the debilitating foot-binding required of most well-off girls. But Ling Fan's life is upended when her brother dies of influenza and their father is imprisoned under false accusations. Hoping to earn the money that will secure her father's release, Ling Fan disguises herself as a boy and takes her brother's contract to work for the Central Pacific Railroad Company in America.

Life on "the Gold Mountain" is grueling and dangerous. To build the railroad that will connect the west coast to the east, Ling Fan and other Chinese laborers lay track and blast tunnels through the treacherous peaks of the Sierra Nevada, facing cave-ins, avalanches, and blizzards--along with hostility from white Americans.

When someone threatens to expose Ling Fan's secret, she must take an even greater risk to save what's left of her family . . . and to escape the Gold Mountain alive.

Betty G. Yee was born and raised in Massachusetts. She spent much of her early life reimagining her favorite stories or writing sequels to them. Betty has been an elementary school teacher for over twenty years. When she’s not teaching or writing, she enjoys traveling, bike riding, eating french fries and immersing herself in the words and worlds of other writers. She lives with her two bossy cats, Zara and Piper. Her stories can be found in The Drum Literary Magazine, Hunger Mountain, Frost Fire Worlds, and RAZ Kids. She is the recipient of SCBWIs 2011 Multi-Cultural Works-In-Progress Grant. Gold Mountain is her first novel.

Grubbie Debuts: Betty Yee with Shelley Berg, Gold Mountain