Lisa Yee

Maizy Chen is an LA girl through and through -- but when her grandfather's failing health inspires a cross-country trip to Last Chance, Minnesota, she's not opposed to spending some time with the grandparents she's never really gotten to know. In Last Chance, she hears fascinating family stories and learns to play poker from her grandfather, eats delicious food at the family restaurant, and even makes some new friends. But life's not all rosy: she also experiences instances of racism and show more bullying directed at both her and her family. As her grandfather's health declines, Maizy is left with a mystery to solve...

This novel exhibits strong and engaging writing. I enjoyed the family stories interspersed with the present-day events -- both were equally interesting, which is not always the case with such split narratives! This book also made me super hungry for Chinese food, as there are many delicious descriptions of meals served up at the Golden Palace. The story feels familiar to me, as there are plenty of kids' books with a character transplanted from one place (usually the big city) to another (often a small town) for a summer, but Yee's writing and the timely issues she addresses make the book feel fresh. I also thought that both the struggles she faces and the way she goes about solving the mystery I mentioned above are realistic. I can see how this Newbery Honor book managed to stand out in the eyes of this year's committee. show less

I just didn't enjoy this book. I understand that the whole point of the book is that Millicent is book smart but clueless when it comes to social interactions, but does she have to be so unlikeable? Honestly, I found most of the characters in the book to be either vapid or snobby and maybe it's just too much of a flashback to middle school, but the whole experience was a slog. Hopefully the intended audience gets more out of it than I did, but it just didn't work for me.

Millicent Min is a genius. She's only 11, but about to enter her senior year of high school. For fun this summer she's taking a college level poetry class. And things are fine, really. Her parents are forcing her to take a volleyball class, which is a little annoying. Oh, and she's tutoring Stanford Wong, this jerky kid she can't stand. And pretty much her only friend is her grandma Maddie... but really, things are fine.

Enter Emily Ebers. Millie meets Emily at volleyball and they click show more instantly. Finally Millicent has a friend her own age! The only problem is that Millicent hasn't told Emily that she's a genius. She's afraid that if she tells Emily that everything will change between them, so she keeps putting it off. But Millie can't put it off forever.... can she?

I really enjoyed this book a lot! I found Millicent's narrative voice to be hilarious because of how seriously she takes herself. I also really liked that it has an Asian American main character, but race is not really much of an issue. The book was fun and funny and touching at the same time, seeing Millicent really begin to grow and realize that there is more to people than brains. show less

There was just too much stuffed into one 11 year old's summer in the rural town where her mother's parents are the owners of what must be the oldest Chinese restaurant in Minnesota. Maizy's mother has brought her to Last Chance because, though she doesn't say so, her grandfather is fatally ill. There is racism, tales of the gold rush era great-great grandfather who founded the restaurant, a broken friendship to mend, a disappearing stuffed bear to find, fortune cookies to write, friendships show more to make, people who reveal hidden sides, much more than is needed and all chopped up and mixed together so, however worthy, it just stays lots of pieces. show less