October 24, 2023 by Amulet Paperback
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
After an incident involving social media, Aria is sent to spend the summer in San Franciso with her grandmother, who runs a very small boba tea cafe. The two have a great time together, even though Nainai can be a little embarassing, and also disappears for a period of time every evening without explanation. Aria is usually picking up takeout for dinner, but definitely notices her grandmother's apprehension at this time. Aria tries to spruce up the shop by painting, fixing table, and otherwise making things look better. Aria thinks that the cafe could do much better, and when the cafe cat Bao has eight kittens, she thinks she has a way to increase foot traffic and sales. She finally tells her grandmother about the social media incident and says that if they are smart about it, they can use social media to promote the kittens. This works all too well, and one night her grandmother misses sneaking out at 6:00. And there is an earthquake. Her grandmother is very anxious, but doesn't want to share too much information with her granddaughter, but is very cross when there are people in the cafe at 6:00 the next night as well. Aria connects with the grandson of one of Nainai's friends, Jay, and he helps her investigate Nainai's strange behavior. It's nothing that Aria could have predicted, but does explain the hordes of snack chip eating prairie dogs that love to hang out behind the restaurant. Once she uncovers her grandmother's secret, will Aria be able to help her grandmother break free of a job she's had for 38 years?
Strengths: Well, the book description gives away more details than I wanted to, but yes, the grandmother has to make a giant boba every night and deliver it. I'm not saying anything more than that, other than this thought: If prairie dogs have the same consistency as boba, do I want to try very hard to find boba tea near me? I love that Nainai has soldiered on so bravely by herself, not being able to take vacations or see her family often because she is dedicated to keeping San Francisco safe. Aria's attempts to improve her grandmother's business were charming, and I very much wanted to get take out of some kind after reading about all of the different tasty food available in San Francisco! The prairie dogs figure largely into the plot, and while I was personally a little disturbed by them, I think it is time for more prairie dog representation in middle grade literature. Of course, the kittens will be a big draw for many readers.
Weaknesses: Aria's brush with social media problems didn't seem serious enough to send her off for the entire summer; I was a little interested in finding out more about what happened.
What I really think: Boba is definitely having a moment of popularity, with Chen's recent It's Boba Time for Pearl Li. This graphic novel, by the author of Pashmina and Jukebox, is a little quirky but has a solid plot, good characters, and a great grandmother/granddaughter relationship. I'll be interested to see a finished version with color illustrations. I'm also curious to find out if Aria's plans to keep the city safe even when her grandmother isn't in town work out.
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