An engaging, accessible graphic early reader in both composition and message.
A Taiwanese American girl works through several lunchbox moments.
Geraldine Pu loves the surprise Taiwanese lunches her grandmother makes her. She also adores the smiling purple lunchbox she calls Biandang, who faithfully keeps her food warm and occasionally expresses a few thoughts. Geraldine is delighted at school one day to see that Amah has packed her yellow curry for lunch. Her enthusiasm is quickly dampened when new classmate Nico catches a whiff of her curry and exclaims, “EW!” This causes the whole lunch table to join in piling on criticisms. The microaggressions take their toll. The next day Geraldine’s classmates—a diverse bunch—mock her yet again about her lunch being different. After this, she decides to skip eating despite the temptation of the delectable bao. To top it all off, on the bus the kids make fun of her surname, Pu. Once home she throws her beloved Biandang, with immediate regrets. A new challenge arises in the simple, evenly paced plot when Amah packs her stinky tofu, known for its potent smell. Despite her apprehensions, Geraldine realizes her own power to stand up for herself and others when Nico mocks Jamaican classmate Deven’s lunch. Chang offers brightly colored comics textured with scribbled panel borders, splotches of color, and dotted splats of ink. A guide to reading a graphic novel, glossary, recipe, and note explaining Taiwanese culture are included.
An engaging, accessible graphic early reader in both composition and message. (Graphic early reader. 5-9)Pub Date: June 29, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-8469-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.
The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode.
A long-running series reaches its closing chapters.
Having, as Kline notes in her warm valedictory acknowledgements, taken 30 years to get through second and third grade, Harry Spooger is overdue to move on—but not just into fourth grade, it turns out, as his family is moving to another town as soon as the school year ends. The news leaves his best friend, narrator “Dougo,” devastated…particularly as Harry doesn’t seem all that fussed about it. With series fans in mind, the author takes Harry through a sort of last-day-of-school farewell tour. From his desk he pulls a burned hot dog and other items that featured in past episodes, says goodbye to Song Lee and other classmates, and even (for the first time ever) leads Doug and readers into his house and memento-strewn room for further reminiscing. Of course, Harry isn’t as blasé about the move as he pretends, and eyes aren’t exactly dry when he departs. But hardly is he out of sight before Doug is meeting Mohammad, a new neighbor from Syria who (along with further diversifying a cast that began as mostly white but has become increasingly multiethnic over the years) will also be starting fourth grade at summer’s end, and planning a written account of his “horrible” buddy’s exploits. Finished illustrations not seen.
A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Nov. 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-451-47963-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
