MAIZY CHEN'S LAST CHANCE

A Chinese American tween learns that what’s on the inside matters most during a summer living with her grandparents in their small Midwestern town.

When her grandfather falls ill, 11-year-old Maizy and her food stylist mother leave their home in Los Angeles to spend the summer with her grandparents in Last Chance, Minnesota. Maizy, who hasn’t seen Oma and Opa since she was 8, puzzles over mysteries during their stay. Mom and Oma don’t get along; a wall of the Golden Palace, the family’s Chinese restaurant, is covered in old photos; and someone is targeting the restaurant with racist attacks. As Maizy searches for answers while helping to care for Opa, battling homesickness, and making a new friend, she learns that people aren’t always as they seem on the outside. She learns about Lucky Chen, her great-great-grandfather, who immigrated to the U.S. from China in the 1860s, and the impact of his story on her family today, which in turn leads her to help others uncover their own families’ secrets. The pace is lively and the writing strong, seamlessly weaving together themes of belonging, racism, and anti-immigration sentiment. Each member of the large cast of characters from multiple times and locations is vividly portrayed, and a variety of subplots—that might be confusing in less skilled hands—keeps reader interest high.

A moving, engrossing story of a girl’s transformative change and strengthened sense of belonging.