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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Typical boring chick-flick book. I only read it because it was on the reading bowl when I was in middle school. It was SO PREDICTABLE! Honestly, if you're going to write a chick-flick (Why would you want to? Anyway, that's another subject altogether...) then you could at least take the time to not make it so generic.
A funny story about a girl genius and her struggles with finding and keeping friends. Also features themes of family, grief, and navigating the awkward prepubescent ages. A+ narration elevated a “good-enough” story to 4 stars. Would recommend still!
I don't know what other way to say it, but I love this book. This book is the reason I wanted to become a writer when I was ten years old. It's the reason I still want to become a writer. Looking back now, MILLICENT MIN isn't exactly phenomenal or ground-breaking, but it does hold a special place in my heart as the first book that really changed my view on the literary world.
Millicent was the perfect protagonist. A child prodigy who's even been on Jay Leno (I loved the "resume" section so much), she's never known the affection and company of a true friend--until Emily. Then there's Stanford, the poster boy for idiocy, according to Millicent. A shame to Chinese kids everywhere or something like that. These three characters make up the best trio in my entire childhood of books--and trust me, there were a lot. Each character stood on their own, but together they were a trifecta of hilarity, poignancy, and general awesomeness.
My review is hardly anything to be proud of and really does a horrible job of conveying how I feel about this book, but I recommend it to anybody, middle grade or not.
Millicent was the perfect protagonist. A child prodigy who's even been on Jay Leno (I loved the "resume" section so much), she's never known the affection and company of a true friend--until Emily. Then there's Stanford, the poster boy for idiocy, according to Millicent. A shame to Chinese kids everywhere or something like that. These three characters make up the best trio in my entire childhood of books--and trust me, there were a lot. Each character stood on their own, but together they were a trifecta of hilarity, poignancy, and general awesomeness.
My review is hardly anything to be proud of and really does a horrible job of conveying how I feel about this book, but I recommend it to anybody, middle grade or not.
FYI Contains: Fatshaming, Racism, Bullying,
Millicent Min, Girl Genius starts with a resume and goals that Millie has for herself that is scarily impressive and intimidating, especially given she's ELEVEN. She's in a difficult spot, light years ahead of most people intellectually but having a hard time as socially and physically awkward. She is like the definition of innocently adorkable with her well meaning but defeating "pep talks" and not getting A LOT of references.
Emily is Jewish, bigger than average (though it doesn't really specify), calls her mom Alice, and her parents are in the middle of a divorce.
Stanford is the one in summer school for flunking English, rivals with Millie, and all around cool basketball star jock.
There's brief first period conversation that really hit home since my daughter recently had hers.
It felt a bit like Harriet the Spy and Genius: The Disney Original Movie, which is great because I loved both growing up.
I was a tad frustrated with Millie towards the end with not getting it and wanted to scream "EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IS A THING". She's good on psychology, but this never comes up?!? The one minor thing that I was really hoping would come up in the next book.
The drama is a bit predictable, but great nonetheless. There's TONS of character progression all around. I don't even think a single person remains the same as they started.
After finishing I immediately went looking for the next book for the series. Turns out it isn't strictly a series, but there are companion books for Stanford and Emily. I will absolutely be checking out these as well.
Notes from Listening:
Wow that character list! and yr book signature. Adorkable.
Poor Millie! HS ppl are assholes.
Wow Debbie don't be a dick.
Fuck Debbie and Craig.
Aww Emily. Fatshaming.
Lol Stanford.
Racism against Chinese
Little feeling like Harriet the Spy
Emily is Jewish, calls her mom Alice, dad left them
lol incense incident
aww making jewelry
oh no Standford you ass
Reminds me of the old Disney Original Movie Genius
Classic Pillow Fight
Totally saw that drama coming.
Oh the puberty. Hitting far too close to home.
oh, her "pep talk"
Stanford & Emily sitting in a tree...
Stanford's "teaching"
She thinks Mom is dying
Poor emily with the divorce
why is she living in the washroom when her dad has an office?
pregnancy = brain tumor
WTF is wrong with her dad?
on a diet "but you're not fat"
Emotional IQ
Fuck Digger.
YESSS Stanford
Need more Millie Min, see Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time and So Totally Emily Ember
Millicent Min, Girl Genius starts with a resume and goals that Millie has for herself that is scarily impressive and intimidating, especially given she's ELEVEN. She's in a difficult spot, light years ahead of most people intellectually but having a hard time as socially and physically awkward. She is like the definition of innocently adorkable with her well meaning but defeating "pep talks" and not getting A LOT of references.
Emily is Jewish, bigger than average (though it doesn't really specify), calls her mom Alice, and her parents are in the middle of a divorce.
Stanford is the one in summer school for flunking English, rivals with Millie, and all around cool basketball star jock.
There's brief first period conversation that really hit home since my daughter recently had hers.
It felt a bit like Harriet the Spy and Genius: The Disney Original Movie, which is great because I loved both growing up.
I was a tad frustrated with Millie towards the end with not getting it and wanted to scream "EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IS A THING". She's good on psychology, but this never comes up?!? The one minor thing that I was really hoping would come up in the next book.
The drama is a bit predictable, but great nonetheless. There's TONS of character progression all around. I don't even think a single person remains the same as they started.
After finishing I immediately went looking for the next book for the series. Turns out it isn't strictly a series, but there are companion books for Stanford and Emily. I will absolutely be checking out these as well.
Notes from Listening:
Wow that character list! and yr book signature. Adorkable.
Poor Millie! HS ppl are assholes.
Wow Debbie don't be a dick.
Fuck Debbie and Craig.
Aww Emily. Fatshaming.
Lol Stanford.
Racism against Chinese
Little feeling like Harriet the Spy
Emily is Jewish, calls her mom Alice, dad left them
lol incense incident
aww making jewelry
oh no Standford you ass
Reminds me of the old Disney Original Movie Genius
Classic Pillow Fight
Totally saw that drama coming.
Oh the puberty. Hitting far too close to home.
oh, her "pep talk"
Stanford & Emily sitting in a tree...
Stanford's "teaching"
She thinks Mom is dying
Poor emily with the divorce
why is she living in the washroom when her dad has an office?
pregnancy = brain tumor
WTF is wrong with her dad?
on a diet "but you're not fat"
Emotional IQ
Fuck Digger.
YESSS Stanford
Need more Millie Min, see Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time and So Totally Emily Ember
I listened to this audiobook, and the narration was sooo good - just pitch perfect. It's one of those audiobooks that I can almost imagine that I'd prefer to listen to it read aloud than to read it myself. Maybe I'll test that theory somewhere down the line.
But I really love Millicent's sharp narration and her absolutely perfect word choice - just enough big words to remind us that she's a genius, but with plenty of average-kid cynicism and cluelessness. Excellent balance between the two.
But I really love Millicent's sharp narration and her absolutely perfect word choice - just enough big words to remind us that she's a genius, but with plenty of average-kid cynicism and cluelessness. Excellent balance between the two.
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
loved it. love the things you know that Millie doesn't yet. love the natural way Yee has her mature over the summer; it felt very true. love the depictions of the lives of all the grownups, who each got more thoughtful attention than parents usually do in books for and about this age. definitely recommend.
Millicent Min is graduating highschool at 12. She's a certified genius and as socially adept as your average earth worm. In fact, Millie's only friend is her grandmother, Maddy. Then her mom enrolls her in volleyball for the summer and Millie is forced to tutor her grandmother's friend's son, Stanford - the idiot. At volleyball Millie meets Emily, the new girl in town and the two hit it off. Except Emily has no idea Millie is a genius and not a regular girl. Millie tries desperately to keep her secret so she can have at least one friend her own age.
This was an impulse read for me. Not my usual thing but I thought I'd give it a chance. There were a few cute moments and the characters were quirky and interesting. I felt like this was a book in search of a plot however, and it rambled along quite a bit. Overall not a bad read, just not one of the greats.
This was an impulse read for me. Not my usual thing but I thought I'd give it a chance. There were a few cute moments and the characters were quirky and interesting. I felt like this was a book in search of a plot however, and it rambled along quite a bit. Overall not a bad read, just not one of the greats.
I picked up this book because of my interest in diverse books, especially for children. The main character is an 11-year-old girl who happens to be Chinese. Race is not a central issue of the book, but Chinese-ness does make occasional appearances. (I found it interesting, perhaps even a little disappointing, that Millicent did not call her grandmother by any of the typical Chinese words for grandmother.)
For the first few chapters, I felt uneasy. Millicent Min is a child genius, an 11-year-old who is just finishing up her junior year in high school. Each chapter is a journal entry, and Millicent's voice is both informal and pedantic, making for great humor. The first-person narration, however, is unreliable; Millicent seems unaware that other students treat her poorly, yet the reader sees the situation more clearly. I felt bad for Millicent, and wondered if other readers might laugh at her, just like her classmates. As the book progressed, though, Millicent became much more self-aware, her character more likable (she reminded me of the endearing Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory), and the uneasiness lifted.
Heading into the book, I was also concerned that a Chinese child genius might feed too much into the model minority stereotype of all Chinese students being academically successful. This may have been true, but I think the other non-stereotypical Chinese characters more than balanced it out. Millicent tutors Stanford Wong, a Chinese boy who is a jock and not at all academically oriented; her parents are laid back and goofy, the opposite of tiger parents; her grandmother does have an interest in Feng Shui, but otherwise her grandparents were known mostly for being community activists.
Mostly this book is about Millicent trying to figure out where she belongs, and how that sense of belonging relates to happiness. There is a very meaningful thread about the loss of a grandparent, perhaps making this book a relatable option for someone who has experienced the same.
I have to admit that both Stanford and Emily (Millicent's best friend) had to grow on me, but in the end they won me over - Stanford by growing as a character, and Emily by being loyal and just the kind of friend Millicent needed.
For the first few chapters, I felt uneasy. Millicent Min is a child genius, an 11-year-old who is just finishing up her junior year in high school. Each chapter is a journal entry, and Millicent's voice is both informal and pedantic, making for great humor. The first-person narration, however, is unreliable; Millicent seems unaware that other students treat her poorly, yet the reader sees the situation more clearly. I felt bad for Millicent, and wondered if other readers might laugh at her, just like her classmates. As the book progressed, though, Millicent became much more self-aware, her character more likable (she reminded me of the endearing Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory), and the uneasiness lifted.
Heading into the book, I was also concerned that a Chinese child genius might feed too much into the model minority stereotype of all Chinese students being academically successful. This may have been true, but I think the other non-stereotypical Chinese characters more than balanced it out. Millicent tutors Stanford Wong, a Chinese boy who is a jock and not at all academically oriented; her parents are laid back and goofy, the opposite of tiger parents; her grandmother does have an interest in Feng Shui, but otherwise her grandparents were known mostly for being community activists.
Mostly this book is about Millicent trying to figure out where she belongs, and how that sense of belonging relates to happiness. There is a very meaningful thread about the loss of a grandparent, perhaps making this book a relatable option for someone who has experienced the same.
I have to admit that both Stanford and Emily (Millicent's best friend) had to grow on me, but in the end they won me over - Stanford by growing as a character, and Emily by being loyal and just the kind of friend Millicent needed.
Cute. And funny. And sweet, but not cloying. Kind of endearing, too. Not spectacular, but very, very... cute.