ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
INTERMEDIATE FICTION
LaMotte, Lily

Measuring Up

208 pp. | HarperCollins/HarperAlley | October, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-0-06-297387-0 $22.99 | Paper ISBN 978-0-06-297386-3 $12.99
(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Ann Xu & Sunmi. In this encouraging--and nourishing--graphic novel, twelve-year-old Cici's family moves to Seattle from Taiwan, taking her away from her beloved A-má, who has always nurtured Cici's interest in cooking. After starting at a new school and feeling lonely--despite some well-meaning but culturally clueless new friends--Cici enters a cooking competition for the prize money: she wants to buy A-má a plane ticket to Seattle for her seventieth birthday. Her competition partner dismisses Cici's Taiwanese culinary expertise in favor of her own knowledge of Italian cuisine, but she comes to appreciate Cici's kitchen prowess, and they bond outside of the competition. The narration occasionally sounds stilted ("That drummer sure can jam") but becomes more natural as our protagonist grows more self-assured. Chapter-heading decorations slowly bloom into fully formed cherry blossoms, gently symbolizing Cici's development and newfound confidence and also hinting at an imminent reunion with her A-má. Simple line art and minimal backgrounds are enlivened through expert coloring by Xu and Sunmi. The warmest images appear when Cici creates her dishes for the competition and deeply connects with friends and family.
Reviewer: Niki Marion | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

RELATED 

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

The Republic of Birds
by Miller, Jessica
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Atlantis
by Mone, Gregory
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

It Doesn't Take a Genius
by Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls
by Rivera, Kaela
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Soul Lanterns
by Kuzki, Shaw
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?