Part 2, Waverly Jong, "Rules of the Game" Summary

The Jong family settles on Waverly Street in San Francisco's Chinatown in a two bedroom flat above a small Chinese bakery. They are poor, but Waverly does not know this. She and her brothers play in the alley and visit local stores. Her mother Lindo names her after the street they live on - Waverly Place Jong, but her family calls her Meimei, "Little Sister". She is the youngest child and the only daughter. Waverly knows little about Chinese history and does not care to learn about it.

Her brother Vincent is given a chess set at the First Chinese Baptist Church's annual Christmas party. The set is missing a black pawn and a white knight. Waverly has learned how to pick the best gifts by weight, and she...