FAKE CHINESE SOUNDS

A Taiwanese American fifth grader confronts racist bullying.

Most of the time, Měi Yīng feels no different from her friends. She loves playing soccer, eating macaroni and cheese, and searching for frogs. Other times, she feels alone: when strangers make fun of her mother’s accent, when a bully mocks her lunch, and when others watch these things happen and do nothing. Commiserating with friends from Chinese school about the racism they’ve all experienced, Měi Yīng says, “I am just SO tired of being the nice one. Why do we always have to be the nice ones?” Her conflict is ultimately resolved in an age-appropriate and satisfying way. While Měi Yīng’s bully is humanized, it’s clear that he has much work to do before he can be forgiven. For readers who share Měi Yīng’s background, this story will feel painfully accurate; for others, it will be an accessible introduction to racial microaggressions and the harm they inflict. From a calm tai chi session in the garden with Měi Yīng’s visiting grandmother to a rage-filled confrontation, Tsong’s bold, textured illustrations—rendered in grayscale with pops of red and yellow—communicate the emotional complexity of Měi Yīng’s life. Dialogue in English is expressed with white speech bubbles, while dialogue in Mandarin appears in yellow—a particularly effective device for capturing how this community switches between and mixes the two languages in their conversations.

Earnest, engaging, and relatable.