Measuring Up is a YA graphic novel for ages 9 to 12. The plot concerns a young girl who moves from her native Taiwan to Seattle with her parents when she is 12 years old. Cici misses her grandmother back in Taiwan and comes up with a plan to raise the money the family needs to bring her over for a visit. Cici decides to enter a cooking contest that is similar to the Great British Bakeoff where 12 contestants cook each weekend. One contestant is eliminated each week. The only requirement for the contest is to use whatever ingredient is demanded for that particular week. Cici only knows how to cook Chinese food so her challenge was to learn to make American food.

Measuring Up is about much more than the contest. We read how difficult it was for Cici to assimilate into American culture. Her mother filled her lunchbox with Taiwanese food which disgusted her classmates. Finding friends was a challenge because she was culturally Chinese and had to learn how to act like an American.

Fans of Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese will love Measuring Up. ( )

Lily has just moved from Taiwan to Seattle. She slowly adapts to the new culture and language, but still misses her grandmother terribly. In order to raise money, she impulsively enters a cooking competition to use the prize money for a plane ticket for her grandma.

What I Loved:
I loved how this graphic novel activates more senses due to the artwork of the food. We see how food brings people together and allows us to use our culture and background as a way to proudly declare where we are from and what we love.

What I Missed:
The book was a very slow plot, with a predictable ending. It still shares an important story of connecting two parts of yourself into expression, but it's just a slow story. ( )

Cici moves from Taiwan to Seattle, enters a cooking competition in order to bring her grandmother to visit. All the heart!!! The book tackles new friends and moving and new customs in a new country. Also microaggressions -- Taiwan and China are different places with different cultures and food. I love the multi-generational cooking connection that Cici has both with her mother and with A-ma and how cooking helps her bond with her partner in the competition. Navigates the tension kids feel over what their parents want for them vs their own passions deftly, and altogether just delivers a wonderful middle grade story. The love for Julia Child and Cici's local librarian are also highlights of the book.

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Recommended Ages: Gr.

Plot Summary: Cici didn't want to move away from her beloved A-ma, so Cici regularly has video chats from the US to Taiwan. Cici made new friends quickly at school but deparately wants to bring her A-ma to the US for her 70th birthday. Unfortunately, they don't have money to pay for the ticket so Cici joins a cooking show contest with a $1,000 prize. She is matched randomly with Miranda, who is a serious expert in the kitchen. Can Cici contribute to their team? Will they win the money?

Setting:

Characters:
Cici -
A-ma - Cici's grandma, still lives in Taiwan, turning 70
Jenna and Emily - best friends
Miranda - dad owns an Italian restaurant, grew up working there, wants to be a graphic novelist

Recurring Themes: cooking, family, values, future career, racism, microaggressions, surprise, cooking show, culture

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: Fabulous. Absolutely fabulous. Covers so many important topics in such a kid-friendly way from such a kid perspective. Love that it's about a family who is adapting to a new culture in positive ways, even with struggles. (Cici already knew English.) Friendships and family are real and honest. Great read.

Genre: realistic fiction

Pacing: fast
Characters: well developed
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity: ( )