Gr 4--7--Wang's middle grade debut is a vibrant exploration of family and identity. Meilan Hua's family runs a bakery in Boston's Chinatown, but when the family fractures, Meilan, her parents, and her grandfather move to small-town Ohio in search of a fresh start. At her new school, the principal decides it's best for Meilan to go by a different name which he choses--Melanie--as to better accommodate the other (white) students. As Meilan navigates tenuous relationships, she explores many facets of her identity, each modeled on a Chinese character with the same pronunciation as her own name. Meilan is a deftly crafted, dynamic character; readers will empathize with, love, and root for her the whole way through. Meilan's named classmates are fully realized, though in comparison Meilan's teachers are starkly two-dimensional, with the principal reaching almost comic-book villain status. The nearly all-white town of Redbud provides myriad opportunities for readers to witness explicit and implicit bias and racism, and Wang demonstrates multiple ways to navigate similar situations. Additionally, Meilan learns about the Vietnam War through talking with her grandfather, who lives with PSTD. Wang balances a heavy load, but does it exceptionally well. Not every thread is neatly tied in the end, ultimately adding to the story's realism. VERDICT Meilan's story should be on library shelves everywhere. Recommended as a general purchase.--Taylor Worley, Springfield P.L., OR

Twelve-year-old Meilan is a gifted storyteller, but she's unprepared for the chain of unfortunate events unleashed by a bedtime story she invents. After her cousin asks how the Golden Phoenix, their Taiwanese American family's bakery, got its name, Meilan spins an imaginative tale. Before long, there are squabbles over money, the business is sold, and Meilan, her parents, and her recently widowed grandfather are leaving Boston. Moving to mostly White Redbud, Ohio, exposes Meilan to microaggressions that begin when the school principal dubs her "Melanie" after mentioning Disney's Mulan in reference to her name. Meilan's alienation and dislocation compel her to reframe her familial narrative using various interpretations of her original name, inspiring the overlay of a Chinese fairy-tale world in which a fox demon, a snake sprite, and a household ghost co-exist with a phoenix, a tree spirit, superstitions, and adages spelled out in tone-marked Hanyu Pinyin. Meanwhile, Meilan's red Doc Martens and newfound friends, with whom she weathers a tornado, evoke a quintessential American tale associated with homecoming. The dizzying array of imagery and references reflect this work's ambitious scope and its not entirely successful attempt to weave together multiple conceits amid explicit efforts to tackle racism as the protagonist makes a new home and finds her chosen family. Unfortunately, the story's important messages are weakened by haphazard pacing, and readers may struggle to follow the logic of Meilan's internal monologues. Underscores the importance of personal stories. (author's note, glossary, further reading) (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

How do you define yourself when your name tells many stories about your identity? Seventh grader Meilan's name in Chinese can have many connotations. As "Basket" in her family, she feels the weight of responsibility: "I'm the carrier of their dreams and hopes and desires." When the Hua family's ties are severed after the passing of Meilan's grandmother, the family's bakery is sold and she and her parents and grandfather make a sudden move from Boston's Chinatown to small-town Redbud, Ohio. A gifted storyteller who weaves lively tales inspired by Chinese folklore, Meilan finds her vibrant inner world dissipating. She is re-named Melanie by her principal in a misguided attempt to ease her transition into the new school; and when an assignment compels her to investigate her grandfather's experiences as a veteran of the Vietnam War, his presence at school is met with anti-Asian bias. Through unearthing his story, however, Meilan discovers the specific origins of her name -- and, satisfyingly, the strength to proudly stand her ground. Wang (Watercress, rev. 3/21) presents an earnest portrayal of an Asian American daughter in an immigrant family finding her voice in predominantly white, small-town America. Taiwanese cultural heritage plays a strong role in Meilan's world through her mother's colloquialisms, her father's Chinese pastries, and the mythical Chinese creatures she imagines into her new environment. Back matter includes a note about transliteration, "Mma's Meanings," and further reading. Kristine Techavanich July/August 2021 p.126(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A few months before the novel begins, the death of beloved Huā family matriarch Nǎinai sends the fate of Taiwanese American family bakery Golden Phoenix into a tailspin in this carefully woven middle grade debut by Wang (Watercress). After Huā Měilán, 12, tells her cousin a bedtime story that instigates a family feud over finances, her father and his siblings sell the Boston Chinatown--based bakery. Měilán, her parents, and her widowed grandfather subsequently embark on an East Coast road trip ending in rural Rosebud, Ohio. Mourning the fracturing of her family, Lan--rechristened Melanie by her new middle school principal--swears off storytelling as she struggles to acclimate into an unfamiliar all-white environment and navigate her identity within her family and the world. Denoted in Pinyin, Mandarin dialogue and Chinese proverbs pepper the narrative, along with folkloric elements and allusions; Měilán's compartmentalization is cleverly rendered in different readings of her name. The book can feel slightly overstuffed at times, but Lan's encounters with microaggressions and racism are all too real in this gently fantastical tale. Back matter includes an author's note on transliteration, a glossary of Mama's proverbs, and additional resources. Ages 9--12. Agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary. (Aug.)

Wang's resonant middle-grade debut features stunning prose and a fierce protagonist. Meilan, a 12-year-old Taiwanese American, has her life turned upside down due to a family feud following the passing of her grandmother and a misunderstanding of one of her stories. Along with her mom, dad, and grandfather, she is uprooted from Chinatown in Boston to a small, mostly white town in Rosebud, Ohio. On top of starting a new middle school in a new town, Meilan faces one microaggression after another, including having her name changed. She is renamed Melanie, which the principal deems less "unusual." As the only Asian student in her class, Meilan endures a slew of anti-Asian bias, which Wang deftly portrays as problematic through Meilan's character. Meilan's alienation drives her to take on the different meanings of her Chinese name, becoming Mist, Basket, and Blue. She tries to be invisible and blend in while carrying her family's hopes and desires along with her own feelings of guilt. Meilan's journey to reclaiming her identity and finding her inner strength is remarkably compelling and relatable. Wang skillfully weaves in Chinese cultural traditions and proverbs as well as Pinyin romanization and tones. Additional materials include notes on the transliteration as well as suggested further reading.