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Title details for Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee - Available

Maizy Chen's Last Chance

by Lisa Yee
Yu-Li Alice Shen
Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
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2 of 2 copies available
NEWBERY HONOR AWARD WINNER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR YOUTH LITERATURE
Twelve year-old Maizy discovers her family’s Chinese restaurant is full of secrets in this irresistible novel that celebrates food, fortune, and family.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY School Library Journal • Booklist • The Horn Book • New York Public Library
Welcome to the Golden Palace!
Maizy has never been to Last Chance, Minnesota . . . until now. Her mom’s plan is just to stay for a couple weeks, until her grandfather gets better. But plans change, and as Maizy spends more time in Last Chance and at the Golden Palace—the restaurant that’s been in her family for generations—she makes some discoveries.For instance:
  • You can tell a LOT about someone by the way they order food. 
  • People can surprise you. Sometimes in good ways, sometimes in disappointing ways.
  • And the Golden Palace has secrets...

    • But the more Maizy discovers, the more questions she has. Like, why are her mom and her grandmother always fighting? Who are the people in the photographs on the office wall? And when she discovers that a beloved family treasure has gone missing—and someone has left a racist note—Maizy decides it’s time to find the answers.

    • Creators

    • Publisher

    • Awards

    • Release date

      February 1, 2022

    • Formats

      • OverDrive Listen audiobook

        • ISBN: 9780593505755
        • File size: 135087 KB
        • Duration: 04:41:25

    • Languages

      • English

    • Levels

      • Lexile® Measure: 670
      • Text Difficulty: 3

    • Reviews

      • Publisher's Weekly

        December 20, 2021
        In this fast-paced narrative, Chinese American only child Maizy Chen travels with her food stylist single mother from Los Angeles to her mom’s hometown of Last Chance, Minn., to care for Maizy’s ailing grandfather. As the 11-year-old gets to know her estranged grandparents—mischievous poker player Opa and stern but loving Oma, proud restaurant owners—
        she must navigate unfamiliar stressors both familial and social, including the tension between her mother and Oma, and microaggressions as the only child of color in town. Over the course of an unpredictable summer, Maizy learns how to play poker, how her ancestors helped to support paper sons, and how to insert custom messages into the restaurant’s fortune cookies, all while solving a mystery or two. Interspersed segments reveal Maizy’s great-great-grandfather’s journey to Last Chance, efficiently conveying historical struggles faced by Chinese emigrants to America. If the book feels overstuffed at times, Yee’s (The Kidney Hypothetical) full house of endearing characters and assured voice prevail in a humorous, sincere story emphasizing the taut thread between past and present, and the imperative to aid others. Back matter includes an author’s note with historical context, a recipe for Oma’s Cream Cheese Wontons, and resources. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House.

      • AudioFile Magazine
        Narrator Yu-Li Alice Shen brings multiple facets to her portrayal of 11-year-old Maizy Chen. Her tone captures the adjustments of a middle schooler from Los Angeles who is spending the summer in Minnesota at her grandparents' home and restaurant. Shen expresses Maizy's curiosity about an illustrious 1886 ancestor, along with her determination to discover who has stolen the bear sculpture from her family's restaurant. Shen's character depth is necessary as Maizy has much to understand--her dying grandfather's gift for poker and how he applies it to his situation, immigration, racism, the appearance versus the realities of various people, complex relationships, and her own place in the world. The author's afterword offers personal and historical viewpoints that further contextualize the story. S.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

    Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

    subjects

    Languages

    • English

    Levels

    • Lexile® Measure:670
    • Text Difficulty:3

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