Maizy Chen's Last Chance

Maizy Chen's Last Chance
Lisa Yee
Random House, 2022
269 pages
Grades 3-6
Realistic (with a bit of Mystery & Historical Fiction)

Maizy and her single mother travel to Mom's hometown of Last Chance Minnesota for the summer. Opa is battling cancer and Oma is running the family's Chinese restaurant on her own. Mom and Oma have fallen out of relationship for a variety of reasons and they spend much of the summer reconnecting as they keep the Golden Palace afloat. Maizy spends time with her new friend Logan, trying to repair the relationship between Opa and his best friend, and learning how to play poker from her grandfather. She discovers a way to connect with and encourage people by writing fortunes and inserting them into cookies. A terrible racist incident shakes up both the folks at the Golden Palace and the community at large. Who is responsible? Maizy and Logan are on the case to find the culprit--which they do by book's end. Meanwhile, Opa spends time with Maizy, when he is well enough, sharing stories about his Grandfather, Lucky, who immigrated to the US amid racial prejudice and founded the Golden Palace, connecting Maizy to her heritage.

This is a great new book by accomplished middle-grade author, Yee, with a lot of layers. It is mostly a realistic fiction story of the importance of family, finding friends, and connecting with community. Interspersed within this is the back story of Opa's grandfather, Lucky, who's chapters are labeled differently with a slightly different font. And then--a mystery rears its ugly head as Maizy and her new friend search for the racist vandal. There is even a subplot involving Mom's potential romance with a high school flame that leads to a plot-twist. You would think that with all of this going on the story would be confusing. Quite the contrary. It is very readable, enjoyable, and would appeal to kids. Without getting preachy Yee educates readers about the prejudice facing Chinese Americans in the past (and present) and we learn about the Paper Sons. Back matter includes an author's note connecting the story to Yee's personal life and factual information from her research, a recipe from the Golden Palace, and resources to learn more. Maizy Chen's Last Chance is one of the best books I have read this year and I am sure to recommend it to readers.

The Last Beekeeper

The Last Beekeeper

Pablo Cartaya

HarperCollins, 2022

300 pages

Grades 5-7

Science Fiction/Dystopian/Adventure

Yolanda lives with her sister Cami in the near future. The girls are farmers and are struggling to keep their small and sad strawberry crop afloat. Yoly dreams of getting off the farm and into the technical field where she can live a posh life in the big city. She is one class away from finishing the technical school program, but the sisters are out of money and in debt to the controlling city of Silo. The mayor offers Yoly an offer she can't refuse: a scholarship to the program. Cami is skeptical and thinks their must be strings attached. Yoli impulsively goes for it and unleashes a series of troubles that cements the girls' debt and further puts them at the mercy of the mayor and the city of Silo. All is not lost as the sisters discover a lost beehive in the woods which can produce "liquid gold" and maybe solve their financial problems if they play their cards right. The mayor's sister loves honey and is determined to gain control of the hive. Can Cami and Yoli save the hive-and themselves-from certain destruction at the hands of the greedy city rulers?

Award winning middle grade novelist, Cartaya, pens a cautionary tale, warning young readers about the dangers of environmental neglect. A world without bees is a real threat to our current situation and would have a tremendous impact on food production. This future world is explored within the context of an exciting adventure tale. Dystopian adventures continue to be popular and this one feels a bit like the Hunger Games in that the central city holds all the power and removes the rights of the countryside majority. Readers will root and identify with Yoli, especially with her love of coding and tech, which puts her at an advantage against the adults. The author weaves in scientific information about beekeeping that will educate kids as they turn pages to see what will happen next. There is a bit of a mystery as readers slowly discover the power behind the throne, so to speak, and a Scooby-Doo-like ending reveals the real villain. This adventure is satisfactorily sewn-up and all's well that ends well, yet the last page delivers a cliffhanger, inviting a sequel. Cartaya offers extensive information about bees at the end of the book encouraging budding naturalists to learn more.

Wretched Waterpark

Wretched Waterpark
Kiersten White
Delacorte, 2022
232 pages
Grades 4-6
Mystery/Horror
The Sinister Summer Series #1

Fraternal twins Theo and Alexander relate the tale of their week spent at the waterpark, Fathoms of Fun. They are dropped off at Aunt Saffronia's house, of whom they have never met, with their older sister Wil and her best friend, cellphone Rodrigo. Aunt Saffonia has no idea how to care for children and has, literally, no food in the house. She drops the siblings off at the local waterpark with very little interest or instruction. The waterpark is not what they were expecting. The workers are creepy, the slides are dangerous, and the food is terrible--there are no churros! Strange encounters and events abound and, worse of all, both staff and customers seem to be disappearing. When their one friend, Edgar, disappears, the twins gets very concerned. Did he go the same route as his uncle who has been missing for a year? Edgar's aunt is horrible and seems to have sinister intentions. Theo finds a dusty old book that seems important. How is it connected and why do the villains seem to want it? When Wil goes missing, leaving her beloved Rodrigo behind, its time for desperate measures. Will the twins figure out the mystery of the disappearance of, well, pretty much everybody? And what exactly is the aunt up to?

First in a new series, White dishes up a mystery set in every kids favorite spot: a waterpark. This waterpark runs old-fashioned scary and is creepy from the first minute the kids arrive. Between the gothic feel, the intelligent humor, clever vocabulary and absurd situations the story felt influenced by Lemony Snicket. The plot reads like a ghost story with supernatural happenings afoot, but all is explained by human behavior, much like Scooby Doo. For a creepy mystery, the characters are developed. Even though the narration changes, readers will get to know Alexander and Theo, who are very different, yet compliment each other. Themes include family loyalty, cell phone addiction, finding your inner bravery, and the evil of greed. The action never stops and readers will keep turning pages to see what happens next. I figured out the mystery before the characters did and I will suspect young readers will as well, making them confident in their sleuthing skills. Although the waterpark is safe by book's end, dangling threads will lead the reader to the next series installment, Vampiric Vacation, out last month, with the third set for a January release.

The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen

 The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen
Isaac Blum
Philomel, 2022
218 pages
Grades 8-12
Realistic Fiction

Hoodie's family has recently relocated to the small community of Tregaron, New York from a different small upstate community that they can no longer afford. The previous town was well set-up and accommodating to the Orthodox community of which Hoodie's family is a part. The citizen's of Tregaron are not welcoming and feel threatened by the new residents. Racial slurs and political underhandedness is making life in their new town difficult and Abba is blocked from constructing the high-rise apartments to house more Orthodox Jews. Throughout this unpleasantness and despite the restrictions of his strict Yeshiva, Hoodie meets a local girl and the two strike up a friendship, bonding over erasing anti-semitic graffiti on Jewish graves at the local cemetery. Hoodie's family and community forbids the friendship, even going to the extent of shunning him, but he continues his friendship with Anna-Marie. Finally, an incident occurs that rocks the entire town and changes the lives of the young people, along with everyone else, forever.

I was surprised at how much I liked this book. I became emotionally connected to the characters, particularly Hoodie, and actually cried at one point, which is unusual for me. I love that it focuses on an Orthodox community, something I can relate to since I serve several various religious groups at my library, including Orthodox Jews. Blum demonstrates what Yeshiva and home life is like for many Orthodox Americans and I appreciated and learned from this glimpse. In my opinion Blum remains respectful and, although he demonstrates the harshness of Hoodies eventual shunning, shows the benefits and comfort living in such a community can bring. The book is laugh-aloud funny, which I was not expecting, and highly readable. It read quickly and I could not put it down. Though brief, the book has a lot to say and many different issues are explored that will make teens, and adults, think. Much like The Watsons Go to Birmingham, the book moves along in a light, somewhat humorous vain, until we get hit with a wallop, which changes the entire tone of the book. Super powerful and timely, this National Book Award long-list nominee is one of my favorite titles of the year.

New From Here

New From Here

Kelly Yang

Simon & Schuster, 2022

355 pages

Grades 3-6

Realistic Fiction

Knox's life is turned upside down when his mother takes him and his two siblings from their home in Hong Kong to their vacation house outside of San Francisco to escape the new and scary Coronavirus. Dad must stay behind to work with only the family dog for company. Life in America is not great. The bi-cultural kids get discriminated against by their new classmates, especially older brother, Bowen, who looks the most Chinese. Mom is struggling to find a job and money is tight. It does not help that Knox has a hard time controlling his impulses and costs the family even more money (and adding to Mom's worries) by his antics. A new friend is a bright spot in adjusting to California and his new teacher is both kind and adapts to his learning style, resulting in school success. Knox discovers that he has ADHD, which explains a lot about his behavior and gives him peace of mind to know that there is a reason for his uncontrollable actions. The three siblings miss Dad and are concerned for his safety. They set up a LinkedIn for him and begin to take interviews in order to land Dad a job in the US. Meanwhile, they are raising money anyway they can in order to pay for his place fair to join them. Naturally, all of these good intentions blow up in their faces, but in sometimes hilarious ways as the Coronavirus finally finds its way to California and the lockdown begins.

It was hard for me to read a book about the early days of the lockdown, being that it felt a little too soon. Yang brings to light a very specific experience: that of Asian Americans, who were grossly discriminated against and blamed for the Coronavirus. There are parts of the story that made me uncomfortable to read including the bits of Asian hate, the fake LinkedIn that I thought would destroy Dad's career, and the garage sale where the kids sold stuff they shouldn't. Even the kids delivering Chinese food on bikes in Dinosaur suits for protection, though funny, made me nervous. That may be just me, still twitchy from this pandemic. Kids will find a lot of the crazy situations funny and appreciate the young character's independence and willingness to solve adult problems. Themes include overcoming hate with kindness, sibling cooperation and respect, and the importance of community. Young readers will possibly appreciate that this is historical fiction, kind of, that they can relate to and remember. For kids time moves slower, so it may not be as raw to them as it was to me. The book ends on somewhat of a happy note, yet readers know that the pandemic is just heating up. What will be next for this family? I would not be surprised if Yang makes this stand alone novel a trilogy.

Swim Team

Swim Team
Johnnie Christmas
HarperCollins, 2022
247 pages
Grades 3-7
Graphic Novel

Bree moves from Brooklyn to Florida in order for her single Dad to attend school and start a new job. Florida is a bit of a culture shock. The good news is: while moving in her new digs, Bree meets Miss Etta, a kind elderly neighbor, and Clara, a friendly girl who also attends her new school. Being the new kid is not easy and, to make matters worse, Bree cannot take the electives she wants. Instead, the only opening is for Swimming, an activity that she fears. Bree masterly comes up with excuses to skip class in order to not have to get in that pool, but unfortunately the missed classes are affecting her grade. After almost drowning in the apartment complex pool, Miss Etta comes to her aid. Miss Etta was on the swim team at Bree's school many years ago and was a campion. Now the older lady coaches Bree and gets her not only through the swim class, but on the swim team. The coach recognizes Miss Etta from the past and recruits her to help coach the team. The girls on the team become tight and Bree has a group of friends as close as sisters---almost. There seems to be a missing piece to the puzzle that will solidify the team, help Miss Etta find healing and lead the team to victory at the state championship.

Adult graphic novelist, Christmas, turns his attention to middle grade in this new, not quite autobiographical memoir, but realist friendship tale, sure to please the Telgemeier crew. Many readers will relate to Bree's struggles with moving, starting a new school, trying to make friends, a busy and distracted parent, and having to face a new scary activity. I love that Bree conquers her fear and by doing so discovers a new passion that she excels at. Themes include loyalty, compromise, perseverance, trying new things, and forgiveness. There are intergenerational relationships and the power of community is demonstrated. Christmas also weaves into the tale civil rights history within the framework of pool use in the south and how that affected black athletes. We see privilege still having advantages, though through teamwork and chutzpah, the good guys win out. I appreciate that this is truly a friendship tale and does not get into romance and crushes, making it easy to recommend to younger kids who are looking for these stories. The full color illustrations are artfully done and help to convey the tale. Readers will root for Bree and her friends, all while learning about past injustices and current struggles. Sure to be a hit in both school and public library settings.

Cookies & Milk

Cookies & Milk
Shawn Amos
Little Brown, 2022
296 pages

Ellis is looking forward to summer, playing his harmonica and hanging out with his best friend. His plans take a turn as his parents divorce leaves with his entrepreneur dad, who is opening a cookie shop on LA's Sunset Strip. The store doesn't look like much, but Ellis spends the summer helping Dad sprucing it up, perfecting the recipe, and connecting to the community to establish a customer base. Despite his good intentions, Ellis has a series of mishaps that sets the new team back, including a chocolate chip explosion, a falling tower of sugar, and a go-cart demolition. Meanwhile, a mysterious neighbor and local DJ seems to know Dad from the past. Who is he? And what is this "Rat Trap" that the men keep discussing. As Ellis gets to know this new DJ friend, he graduates from his love of the blues to the new world of funk. Ellis taps into his heritage as he navigates the world of 1970's Hollywood. Finally, with the help of all of their friends, Sunset Cookies opens with great fanfare and a surprise guest comes to help celebrate.

The son of "Famous Amos" tells a biographically-based tale of helping his father open his first store in 1975. The first person account is highly readable and laugh-aloud funny. I especially love the grandmother character who was given the best lines and always steals the scene. Readers will identify with Ellis, who tries to help, but often gets it wrong. What he gets right is his big heart, which allows him to meet many interesting folks from the neighborhood, who become good friends. Themes include the importance of family and community, communication and forgiveness between family members, cultural and civic pride, loyalty, and--most of all--the power of a good cookie. Young readers will be exposed to some classic blues and funk and the playlist, thoughtfully included in the backmatter, will give them songs to download. Further backmatter includes a chocolate chip cookie recipe and an inspirational author's note. There are some comic-style drawings spread among the pages to lure in the target audience, but they do not overwhelm the text and are not necessary to the plot. Cookies & Milk is a story I truly enjoyed. It has a lot of heart, has something to say, and, best of all, made me laugh.