Maizy Chen's Last Chance, by Lisa Yee

     I had the opportunity to hear author Lisa Yee speak in person a couple of weeks ago, and she is a wonderful storyteller, in print and live! Although I have seen her books before reading Maizy Chen, I had never read any of them. But Yee mentioned during her presentation that this book was her best and favorite so far, a culmination of all of her writing into what she feels is her best book yet. What better book to start with than an author's best, right?

    Maizy Chen is a Chinese-American girl growing up with her Mom in Los Angeles. Mom decides they both need to travel to Last Chance, Minnesota to spend the summer with Maizy's grandfather, who has become ill. Her Opa and Oma (grandparents) own a Chinese restaurant in Last Chance, which becomes the hub of the story, with all other aspects of the story growing out from the restaurant like spokes on a wheel. Even though Maizy was born in the United States, her appearance makes her the target of racism. As the story unfolds, Maizy finds this is not new - there is a history of racism towards Asian Americans throughout time, and that it still continues today, even in little towns like Last Chance.

    I really enjoyed Maizy Chen, as did others, based on the awards that the book shows off on its cover. Yee's book won a Newbery Honor Award, was a National Book Award Finalist, and won the Children's Literature Award. The overall story told here is deserving of this recognition, and the fact that Asian Americans are still so rarely written about in young adult and teen lit is an added reason why Yee's books are so important. Outside of Yee, Grace Lin, and Tae Keller, I don't know of many other writers of Asian descent or whose books offer windows into Asian American life. I believe that number will grow, as it is for other non-White writers and stories. 

    That said, Maizy Chen's Last Chance is a good book, but I had trouble here and there following the choppy sections of the story. Yee wrote in a train-of-thought style, to some degree, and while that made it easier to feel part of Maizy's life, it sometimes made the story hard to follow. Not in any major ways, but in small ways. It is still a good book that I recommend, and even more so because it tells stories not told often in the books we read - not yet, anyway. Yee also has a new series called The Misfits that looks really interesting, illustrated by Dan Santat, an excellent artist whose work you would probably recognize right away. Maizy gets 4 paws, and I hope to try The Misfits soon!