Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee
Published by Random House on February 1, 2022
ISBN: 1984830252
Pages: 288
Genres: Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

Maizy and her mother spend the summer in Last Chance, Minnesota so they can help take care of her ailing grandfather. Maizy’s grandparents – who have been estranged from Maizy’s mom – own and run a Chinese restaurant and don’t understand Maizy’s mom’s career as a food stylist. Maizy can’t wait to get back to her life and friends in Los Angeles but she finds that she enjoys getting to know her grandparents and hanging out at their Golden Palace restaurant. Maizy’s grandfather shares the story of her great-grandfather Lucky who first ran the Golden Palace and how he got to Minnesota. She also learns how challenging it was to be a Chinese immigrant in the late 1800s/early 1900s when Lucky came to America. Maizy is curious about the photographs of young men in the restaurant office and learns about “paper sons” that came through Last Chance. The only pathway for citizenship for Chinese immigrants in the wake of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act was to show proof that they were the children of US citizens of Chinese descent. It was fairly easy to purchase fake documents and thus become “paper sons” of US citizens. Maizy also experiences racism first hand  but unlike Lucky, she is able to confront it head on. Includes an author’s note with more historical information.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham