The story of Mei Ying (a Taiwanese American middle schooler) is told in the beautifully illustrated graphic novel Fake Chinese Sounds. In this graphic novel, there is a powerful dialogue that, along with the illustrations, illustrates the obstacles that different generations encounter in America. I enjoyed the message that was provided. I wish more schools held ethnic fairs. As a result, children have the opportunity to become more familiar with other cultures, their food, music, clothing, etc. in a fun and respectful manner.

Fake Chinese sounds was an interesting graphic novel. I loved the interplay of generations trying to connect over language.

I am absolutely LOVING the trend of second generation kids writing graphic memoirs. The discussion of identity, community, culture, questioning where you belong in the world is so universal for so many of us that it will always need to be spoken.

Interesting story, but the narrative was all over the place and I didn't really like any of the characters much. Not as strong as similar titles like Alterations or Uprooted.

FAKE CHINESE SOUNDS (written and illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong, published by Kokila) is a middle-grade graphic novel about Mei Ying (nicknamed Spark for her seemingly endless energy), a nearly fifth-grade Taiwanese American girl who juggles her busy soccer practices, Chinese school, and spending time with her Nai Nai, her grandmother who is visiting from Taiwan. Mei Ying learns a lot from Nai Nai: Mandarin words for the delicious Taiwanese food Nai Nai cooks, tai chi, the fascinating history of the Taiwanese dialect (it was against the law to speak it in public when Nai Nai was growing up!), and most importantly, the importance of “inner strength”. By the end of the summer when Nai Nai returns to Taiwan, Mei Ying has learned so much about her heritage that she decides she wants to be called by her full name, “Mei Ying” from then on. But when school resumes, Mei Ying faces daily microaggressions and blatant racism from her classmates. Will Mei Ying be able to call upon her inner strength that Nai Nai and Mom have taught her to navigate through all of this? But what DOES “inner strength” even mean here? Quietly tolerating all the “fake Chinese sounds” she is constantly taunted with or fighting back by speaking up?

This book, is just, WOW. So poignant, so relatable, and SO important. Mei Ying’s navigation with racism and microaggressions, and her identity as a child of an immigrant resonates deeply. There is simply not enough space here in the captions to express how much I appreciate this book, and how much EVERYONE including educators, needs to read it.

Even though this book mostly served as a mirror for me, I also learned things I didn’t know before, like the differences between the Taiwanese dialect and Mandarin Chinese. The Chinese language is incredibly diverse with many, many dialects— something for all of us to know remember!

Part 1 — Did You Eat Yet?

This is a very important question, and I love how it’s basically a show of endearment.

Měi Yīng’s grandmother, Năi Nai, is visiting from Taiwan. Although Měi Yīng’s Mandarin isn’t the best and Năi Nai doesn’t speak English, they find other ways to connect, like cooking guōtiē together and doing tai chi in the mornings. It was really sweet to see them bond.

Part 2 — Fake Chinese Sounds

Měi Yīng is excited to start fifth grade, but she starts getting bullied by the new kid Sid. Her best friend, Kirra, says to ignore him, but Měi Yīng doesn’t think that will put a stop to his racist jokes. This starts to affect her attention in class, her friendship, as well as soccer, where she was once the Spark of the team.

Part 3 — A Little Bit of Heart

I love that her school does International Week, where each student brings in food or shares something with the class about their family’s heritage. Měi Yīng, with her mother’s help and Năi Nai’s recipe, makes diǎn xin (dim sum) for the class. I loved how this was a special way to get to know everyone, and embrace everyone’s differences too. We also get to understand Sid a little more, and see his side to the decisions he made.

Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel. The story touches on very important and relevant themes, and I found myself rooting for the main character. The key message is how to stand up for yourself, while also showing an adolescent learning to be confortable in her own skin.

The art style wasn’t my favorite, but I think it fit the story really well. I really appreciated how each section had its own color scheme. Part 1 was yellow, part 2 was red, then part 3 was orange. I’d like to think that part 3 is where the two other parts of Měi Yīng’s story — her family and Taiwanese heritage, and her soccer and school life — merged, hence the creation of a new color. The random watercolor pages were my favorite because of how vibrant and colorful they were.

I really enjoyed Mei Ying’s story and the integration of Chinese into the dialog. It felt like I was learning while reading.

Mei Ying struggles a bit when she starts middle school and she’s seemingly the only Chinese kid. At first she is bullied and embarrassed by her family and culture, but grows to love what makes her “different.”

I think this is definitely an idealistic story, with the bully becoming Mei Ying’s friend at the end, but it is so important that kids read stories that reflect what they might be going through and give them hope for a better experience. I wish I had stories like these when I was younger!

Absolutely love this. It's nice, leaves you feeling good, and really speaks to the second-gen American experience.

Fake Chinese Sounds is a very well-crafted graphic novel with an excellently written coming-of-age story. I very much enjoyed the art and the writing style.

When I started reading this book and read that Mei Ying's grandmother was coming to visit from Taiwan and Mei Ying didn't speak much Chinese and her grandmother didn't speak English, I thought it was going to be just another book about the two generations failing to understand each other, but eventually coming to a happy ending. Because there are plenty of those stories.
So, I was very happily surprised to see that Jing Jing Tsong chose NOT to use this trope for her story. Instead Mei Ying instantly hits it off with her grandmother and is open to learning cooking and tai chi. Mei Ying is a tough cookie and she tackles challenges in her life thoughtfully for the most part. And when she screws up, she owns her mistakes. The story twists and turns and continues busting stereotypes in a way that should appeal to many young readers. Also, it is one of those books that will make you hungry.
The format is great and will appeal to even the most reluctant readers, so that is a big plus.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. There are kids out there who are really going to appreciate it!

Mei Ying is on a mission to learn Mandarin so she can chat with her grandma, who's not big on English. Grandma's coming to visit, but Mei's soccer buddy Kirra is all hyped up about hitting the fair and doing all sorts of stuff. Thing is, Mei's got some hurdles.

At first, Mei struggles to understand her grandma, but then she starts picking up all kinds of cool things from her, like nailing a dish just right. But then, Mei notices some seriously uncool stuff going down—racist comments when Grandma speaks Mandarin, and some shady vibes while shopping for school threads. It's like she's suddenly seeing the world through a different lens.

And then, middle school rolls around, and Sid and his crew start throwing shade at Mei, while Kirra just stands there. No backup from anyone, so Mei's gotta fend for herself and finally lets loose.

I dug this book 'cause it gives us both sides of the story—the one getting bullied and the one doing the bullying. We get why Sid acts the way he does, and we see how Mei handles it all, including her so-called bestie not having her back. There's only so much crap one person can take, right?

I reckon this story speaks to any kid who's been on the receiving end of bullying, whether it's about their grub, their looks, or their background.

Big shoutout to Netgalley for hooking me up with this read for an honest review!

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