WINSTON CHU VS. THE WHIMSIES

A Chinese American family becomes entangled in magical mischief.

Eighth grader Winston Chu and his family are still processing the friendly fire death of his father who was serving in Iraq. On the eve of the third anniversary of losing his dad, Winston, along with trusted soccer mates Mav, Bijal, and Cassa, stumble across Mr. Pang’s Whimsies, a store of magical knickknacks in San Francisco’s Chinatown that Winston had never noticed before. Winston, armed with a pie, inadvertently helps Mr. Pang by scaring away some Hawaiian shirt–clad troublemakers, but he disappointingly ends up with just an old broom and dustpan as tokens of the shop owner’s gratitude. What Winston does not know is that these objects are possessed by the spirits of the cloud weaver and the cowherd, star-crossed lovers from Chinese folklore. Things only get more complicated when Winston’s younger sister, Coco, gets swapped with a changeling from the shop. The friends must figure out how to get her back using clues from Winston’s family’s beloved collection of traditional Chinese stories, Tales From the Middle Kingdom. Lee deftly crafts an adventure that strings together seemingly random clues only to have them fall satisfyingly into place in the end. Themes of friendship, grief, and family love are explored throughout. A few lingering questions hint at a sequel. Cassa reads White; Mav has some Senegalese ancestry, and Bijal’s name cues him as South Asian.

There’s plenty of magic, healing, and love to enjoy on this roller-coaster ride.