The Many Meanings of Meilan
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Penguin Young Readers
Published:17th Aug '21
Currently unavailable, our supplier has not provided us a restock date
Meilan Hua’s world is made up of a few key ingredients: her family’s beloved matriarch, Nai Nai; the bakery her parents, aunts, and uncles own and run in Boston’s Chinatown; and her favorite Chinese fairy tales. After Nai Nai passes, the family has a falling-out that sends Meilan, her parents, and her grieving grandfather on the road in search of a new home. They take a winding path across the country before landing in Redbud, Ohio. Everything in Redbud is the opposite of Chinatown, and Meilan’s not quite sure who she is - being renamed at school only makes it worse. She decides she is many Meilans, each inspired by a different Chinese character with the same pronunciation as her name. Sometimes she is Mist, cooling and invisible; other times, she’s Basket, carrying her parents’ hopes and dreams and her guilt of not living up to them; and occasionally she is bright Blue, the way she feels around her new friend Logan. Meilan keeps her facets separate until an injustice at school shows her the power of bringing her many selves together.
Today Show Read with Jenna feature
New York Times Best Children’s Books of 2021
2021 New York Public Library Best Books
2021 School Library Journal Best Books
2021 Center for the Study of Multicultural Literature Best Books
2023-2024 South Carolina Book Awards Nominee
2023-24Choose to Read Ohio Reading List
2022 NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books List
★ "Wang’s resonant middle grade debut features stunning prose and a fierce protagonist . . . Meilan’s journey to reclaiming her identity and finding her inner strength is remarkably compelling and relatable."
—Booklist, starred review
★ "Wang’s middle grade debut is a vibrant exploration of family and identity . . . Meilan’s story should be on library shelves everywhere."
—School Library Journal, starred review
“The little girl I was would have been thrilled to encounter Meilan and her many names in a book . . . and having found a character who embraces the complexity of being both Chinese and American, I would have been able to echo her words: ‘I am not alone.’ ”
—New York Times Book Review by Jean Kwok
"Meilan discovers the specific origins of her name—and, satisfyingly, the strength to proudly stand her ground."
—Horn Book Magazine
"Underscores the importance of personal stories."
—Kirkus Reviews
ISBN: 9780593111284
Dimensions: 217mm x 149mm x 30mm
Weight: 476g
368 pages