Measuring Up. Lily LaMotte. Illustrated by Ann Xu. 2020. [October 27] 208 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: My life in Taiwan is sweet.
Premise/plot: Cici, our heroine, is reluctant to move to Seattle with her family. She loves how things are in Taiwan. And she'll have to leave her grandmother behind. As she adjusts to life in a new country--new city, new school--she finds her own way to belong. But, of course, her missing her grandmother continues despite the making of new friends. Then Cici has an idea, what if she can win enough money in a cooking contest to buy her grandmother a plane ticket to come visit! (Her grandmother's birthday is coming up!)
But does Cici have what it takes to win BIG?
My thoughts: I definitely loved this graphic novel. I loved Cici's special relationship with her grandmother. I loved how the two bonded over cooking. I loved how they were able to stay in touch. I love how thoughtful, sweet, and sensitive Cici is. Readers see Cici at home, at school, at the library, and yes, at the cooking contest! I loved how the cooking contest is presented throughout the book.
One of my favorite things was how Cici was inspired by Julia Child. Watching her shows and reading her book(s), she walks away with the notion of conviction of courage. "I'm going to try and flip this over, which is a daring thing to do. When you flip anything, you really must have the courage of your convction...the only way to learn how to flip things is to just flip them" (122/123).
This coming of age novel was lovely. Loved the celebration of family, friendship, and new beginnings. Definitely recommended.
© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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