In the summer before fifth grade Taiwanese American Mei Ying spends time with her visiting grandmother, then, as school starts, faces down a racist bully.

Good age-appropriate graphic novel touching on Taiwanese culture and bullying.

Mei Ying is trying to learn Mandarin, so that she can talk with her grandmother, who doesn't speak very much English. Her grandmother is coming to visit, and her best friend, Kirra, from soccer wants to go to the fair, and do all these things, and doesn’t understand why Mei Ying can’t do them too.
At first Mei Ying doesn’t understand her grandmother, but then she starts learning all sorts of things from her, such as how to make a dish the right way.
But then, Mei Ying starts noticing people making racist comments when her grandmother is speaking in Mandarin. And when she goes to get clothes for school, she starts noticing microaggressions. It isn’t clear if she never noticed them before, or if she is just more aware.
And then when she starts middle school, Sid and his buddies start openly mocking her, and Kirra doesn’t stand up for her. No one stands up for her, so she has to stand up for herself, and finally lashes out.
I really enjoyed this book, because we get the perspective of the abused, and later of the abuser. We learn why Sid does what he did, and we see how Mei Ying handles both him and her best friend. There is only so much microaggression one can take. (as well as the overt kind).
I think this apparel to all children who have been bullies, for their food, for their looks, for their culture.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 30th of April 2024.

Mei Ying is a Taiwanese-American girl just trying to live her life, going to soccer and hanging out with her friends. She's not looking forward to her grandmother's visit, but she spends the summer practicing tai chi, Chinese, and cooking, and misses her grandma when she returns home.
At school, Mei Ying faces bullying and racism, and even her friends don't step up to help. Mei Ying has to figure out her own values so she can be comfortable at school, in her family, and in the world.
I cheered for Mei Ying when she questioned herself. She was a wonderful, likable protagonist it was easy to relate to. I studied Chinese in college, and it was fun to watch Mei Ying argue about why they had to learn Mandarin in her Chinese classes.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this