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craftymxlibrarian's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This was a funny, heartfelt graphic novel about a Chinese-Canadian family. They are first-generation immigrants with the grandmother, mother, and big sister having been born in China and the MC in Canada. Mom is recently divorced and trying to keep her business going, so grandma moves in to help. This story did such a great job of showing all the normal struggles of middle school and how they are often compounded when the kid is from a marginalized community.
livcg's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
therearenobadbooks's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A great middle-grade story of dealing with family, culture, and middle school all at once. Clever title, because Kevin's mom makes clothes alterations but there is a lot of change in their life right now.
Kevin's grandmother moves in after mom's divorce and they all try to move on from the break. The older sister used to be Kevin's friend and they used to have fun but the pressure of College approaching, dad leaving and ending contact with them, plus sharing her room with her younger brother makes their relationship harder. Their mom is trying to keep their business floating and there is so much they don't know about her as a child or teen.
At school things aren't easy as well, the mom thinks it's best not to draw attention, but Kevin ends up getting all the attention (but not in a good way).
Kids dealing with racism, prejudice, parents breaking up, loving, different generations, accepting, and owning their culture. Kevin was born in America and he is developing a personality with likes and dislikes of his own, not the racist stereotype associated with looking Asian.
It has a great twist at the end with a fun school trip.
I love Kevin's grandmother. She is awesome. Great lesson in being brave, standing for your beliefs, and dealing with.
It's fun that we get some insight into Kevin's favorite comics and stories with some comic pages.
myblackbookish_life's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
A fun read! Definitely see the appeal for fans of American Born Chinese and the Awkward series
chrissiemwright's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tcgarback's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Critical Score: B+
Personal Score: B+
The first half is particularly good—mature characterization, funny when it’s trying to be funny and touching when it’s trying to make points about family relationships, growing pains, and racism. The story moved along briskly, and the art is pleasing to look at.
Then the story sort of loses its magic slightly. Still good though, still sailing along.
Where it fumbles is the last 40 pages. The climax is pretty unrealistic, and it lands with a message that betrays the messaging the whole book was building up to. Then the resolution comes with a neat bow that’s just…very forced.
So the ending is disappointing, but it didn’t ruin the book for me, and since this is middle grade, most of those flaws are often par for the course.
Critical Score: B+
Personal Score: B+
The first half is particularly good—mature characterization, funny when it’s trying to be funny and touching when it’s trying to make points about family relationships, growing pains, and racism. The story moved along briskly, and the art is pleasing to look at.
Then the story sort of loses its magic slightly. Still good though, still sailing along.
Where it fumbles is the last 40 pages. The climax is pretty unrealistic, and it lands with a message that betrays the messaging the whole book was building up to. Then the resolution comes with a neat bow that’s just…very forced.
So the ending is disappointing, but it didn’t ruin the book for me, and since this is middle grade, most of those flaws are often par for the course.
thenextgenlibrarian's review
4.0
A sweet MG graphic novel that deals with identity and change set in 1990s Toronto out 1/30/24.
thenextgenlib's review
4.0
A sweet MG graphic novel that deals with identity and change set in 1990s Toronto out 1/30/24.
kimiloughlin's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.25
Great depiction of middle school struggles with the added layers of immigrant family, single mother, divorce, and culture differences. I loved how positive Kevin stays throughout the whole book. He always bounces back and despite the quibbles with both friends and family, keeps his head above water.