Yee, Lisa. Maizy Chen's Last Chance. First edition. New York, Random House Children's Books, 2022.

Maizy Chen’s Last Chance is a readable story about family. The characters are believable and engaging, though the plot is not necessarily fresh. The plot leans on some pretty standard themes like going home again, standing up to bullies and losing love/friendships. There may be too many themes going on here, in fact. It may be difficult for a child to pick up on each and every theme when there are many. I do not think it takes away from the story, some of the ideas just may be lost on young readers. Though the plot lines are not the freshest, they are still engaging. 

Engaging as the characters may be, some do rely on positive stereotyping. The main character, Maizy, is a “cooperative” Asian child. This is a pretty standard presentation of an Asian child.  The grandmother also leans toward a positive stereotype, as she is the “hard working” Asian woman. Though these stereotypes do exist, it does not take away from the plot line. There is a unique immigration story interwoven throughout, as Maisy’s grandfather tells the tale of Lucky, an ancestor, and her coming to America story. Overall, I would say this may not be the most original way to present a storyline, but it does engage and teach some important information about Asian immigration and shows the nuances of racism and toward Asian people. 

Woodson, Jacqueline. Before the Ever After. New York, Nancy Paulsen Books, 2020.

Before the Ever After is a moving, emotional novel in verse. Jacqueline Woodson artfully paints a story of a football player suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease that can result from multiple blows to the head. The verses follow his son’s journey with dealing with his father’s illness, but also dealing with edging toward manhood. Little man is a fully fleshed out character. All of the characters in this story are so real, so artfully thought of that the reader almost feels as if they know the whole family. Each line of the text is full of imagery and pulls the reader further in with each page. From the devastating disease the family deals with, to watching the beautiful way the leaves fall from the trees.  This is a masterful book. There don’t seem to be any stereotypes at play here. There are no caricatures of a person. This is simply a book that sucks you in from the first line and keeps you there until the last.