Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business

Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business
Lyla Lee
Dung Ho, Illustrator
Aladin, 2020 77 pages
Grades 2-4
Realistic Fiction
Mindy Kim series #1

Mindy is starting a new school after she and her father have relocated from California to Florida for a fresh start after the death of her mother. She is scared to be the "new kid" and is not sure how to make a friend, especially being the only Asian student in her class. After kids make snarky comments about the Korean seaweed snacks that her father sends in with her lunch, a classmate Sally volunteers to try them, extending a tentative arm of friendship. Other kids become curious and Sally suggests Mindy start trading and, eventually, selling snacks. After a lunchroom ruckus the enterprise is discovered and Mindy is sent to the Principal's office, along with Sally, who she pinned the blame on. Now Mindy is in trouble, gave her sad dad more to worry about, and may have lost her first Florida friend. How can she fix this situation? First in a new series, The Lunar New Year Parade has been released simultaneously with installment #3 to be published in May and #4 coming in September.

The author dedicates this book to "all of the new kids out there" and it really is meant for anyone who feels as if they are having a hard time fitting in and making friends. The author, originally from Korea, know what it feels like to be the new kid and can speak from experience. Many readers will relate to Mindy's struggles, both in finding a friend and feeling different. Asian children will appreciate chapter book representation and enjoy seeing familiar snacks brought to the limelight. Mindy solves her problems with honesty and humility and, though her supportive Dad is sad, we know that the healing will come. The new series is at a comfortable reading level for the chapter book crowd with short chapters, large print, and generous margins. cartoon-style illustrations fill every chapter and help flesh out the plot. With new series entries already to roll, readers will have a place to turn once they finish this first installment. Mindy is a likable character in whom children will relate. Pass onto fans of Clementine, Ruby Lu, and Ivy & Bean.