KEEP DANCING, LIZZIE CHU

A poignant tale about a girl and her cherished grandfather.

Living in Glasgow with Wai Gong, her maternal grandfather, Scottish Chinese Lizzie Chu doesn’t have the typical life of a 12-year-old. Lizzie’s mom died during childbirth, and her father was never in the picture. Now she’s a young caregiver, managing the house and school; Wai Gong hasn’t been himself since Grandma Kam died. Is his grief diminishing his interest in life and increasing his focus on Guan Yin, the Chinese goddess of compassion and mercy? When Lizzie’s Vietnamese Welsh friend Chi Pham appears dressed as Princess Leia for Comic Con, Wai Gong, seeing her flowing robes, mistakes her for the deity. Lizzie enlists Chi to play the role of Guan Yin in order to inspire Wai Gong to make the trip to the legendary Blackpool Tower Ballroom where he and Grandma Kam first met in the ’80s. It was their grandparents’ final, unfulfilled wish to return and dance the cha-cha again. Chan combines realities of Asian British life with stories from Chinese mythology, forming the backdrop for a chaotic, hilarious road trip to Blackpool with Lizzie, Wai Gong, Chi, Chi’s older brother (their driver), and Tyler, her other best friend. Just like the Monkey King in The Journey to the West, they overcome enormous obstacles to make this dream come true. Even more touching is Lizzie’s journey toward understanding her grandfather’s probable dementia and learning to ask for help.

A layered, emotionally resonant story.