April 21, 2026 by Roaring Brook Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Domi Pham has not only been banned from all computer use after an expensive misunderstanding involving another student's tablet at school, but her parents also decide that she will be spending the summer with her Auntie Q, helping out at her nail salon in order to earn $500 to pay them back. Arizona is quite different from California, and Domi doesn't know Q well at all. Her mother, a lawyer, left home for college and never really went back, and her aunt has a house cluttered with years worth of family memorabilia. Her nail salon, Nails, is unremarkable from the outside, but recently renovated inside. There's a reliable, largely Vietnamese staff and steady clientele, but the opening of a new salon, Glitzy, in the local mall is cutting into business. Domi spends each day in the salon, doing small tasks to help out the operators, and honing her own nail polishing skills on the children of clients. She meets Bobby, whose parents own the nearby Pho restaurant, and the two think about helping to update the salon's internet presence since Bobby has an interest in coding and Domi loves to draw, although Q is very reluctant. Domi slowly earns money from tips to pay down her debt, but uses a large portion of it to pay for her and Bobby to experience the spa treatment at Glitzy in order to understand the competition. She discovers a lot of things that might help the business, but her aunt is furious. Q has a history with Glitzy of which Domi was unaware, and the two have a fight. Domi feels that no adults in her life understand her, and takes off on a long walk. After several hours, she realizes she is lost and asks a woman working at a drugstore to call her aunt. Q has panicked, searched for hours, and called Domi's mother, who is on her way. The visit between Domi's mother and Q is fraught, but the two discuss their differences and process long held family trauma in a productive manner. There's even some headway made on cleaning out some of Q's hoarded boxes. When Domi's father arrives, the family even tries to take a break from work and see some of the sights. Even though Domi has spent most of her summer trying to earn money as quickly as possible in order to return home sooner, she becomes very invested in the success of the salon. When her mother and Q fight again, she doesn't want to leave. Some of the updates to the salon cause the owner of Glitzy to threaten to sue for copyright infringement, but Domi's mother uses her lawyer knowledge to deflect these accusations. Domi is able to return home with new insights into her family's background, and a new appreciation for her family.
Strengths: The nail salon setting is such a fun and interesting one, and hasn't been portrayed much in middle grade literature (except for Santopolo's 2014 Sparkle Spa for slightly younger readers), and it is my understanding that many salons are staffed by immigrants. I've never had my nails done, so I can't speak to the accuracy of the portrayal, but now I sort of want to go... and leave a big tip! Domi is a very resilient character who is not happy with the plans her parents have made for the summer, but does acknowledge her role in the misunderstanding, and tries to be helpful to her aunt and the staff at Nails. She and Bobby work well together, and use their skills to really help out the salon. There are plenty of fun scenes, like the trip to Glitzy, but also a lot of good coverage of the often difficult immigrant experience. The reverberations of this are seen in the mother and aunt's difficult relationship, which is resolved only when the two confront the past and their feelings about it and finally talk to each other. The cover of this is great, and I love all of the nail polish colors!
Weaknesses: I'm not usually a fan of flashbacks, but the mother and aunt's experiences leaving Vietnam, and the difficulties they faced in the US with their own mother, might have been more effective shown this way. Even an introductory chapter showing the events of that time would have made the experience seem more immediate before picking up Domi's story. It's such important information, and seeing it tiny bits at a time might make it harder for young readers to connect to it.
What I really think: This is an interesting look inside the workings of a small business and a good choice for readers who enjoyed tales of other family run businesses like Hirandani's How to Find What You're Not Looking For, Yee's Maizy Chen's Last Chance, Mancillas' Taco Tuesday, or Granillo's Cruzita and the Mariacheros.
Domi Pham has not only been banned from all computer use after an expensive misunderstanding involving another student's tablet at school, but her parents also decide that she will be spending the summer with her Auntie Q, helping out at her nail salon in order to earn $500 to pay them back. Arizona is quite different from California, and Domi doesn't know Q well at all. Her mother, a lawyer, left home for college and never really went back, and her aunt has a house cluttered with years worth of family memorabilia. Her nail salon, Nails, is unremarkable from the outside, but recently renovated inside. There's a reliable, largely Vietnamese staff and steady clientele, but the opening of a new salon, Glitzy, in the local mall is cutting into business. Domi spends each day in the salon, doing small tasks to help out the operators, and honing her own nail polishing skills on the children of clients. She meets Bobby, whose parents own the nearby Pho restaurant, and the two think about helping to update the salon's internet presence since Bobby has an interest in coding and Domi loves to draw, although Q is very reluctant. Domi slowly earns money from tips to pay down her debt, but uses a large portion of it to pay for her and Bobby to experience the spa treatment at Glitzy in order to understand the competition. She discovers a lot of things that might help the business, but her aunt is furious. Q has a history with Glitzy of which Domi was unaware, and the two have a fight. Domi feels that no adults in her life understand her, and takes off on a long walk. After several hours, she realizes she is lost and asks a woman working at a drugstore to call her aunt. Q has panicked, searched for hours, and called Domi's mother, who is on her way. The visit between Domi's mother and Q is fraught, but the two discuss their differences and process long held family trauma in a productive manner. There's even some headway made on cleaning out some of Q's hoarded boxes. When Domi's father arrives, the family even tries to take a break from work and see some of the sights. Even though Domi has spent most of her summer trying to earn money as quickly as possible in order to return home sooner, she becomes very invested in the success of the salon. When her mother and Q fight again, she doesn't want to leave. Some of the updates to the salon cause the owner of Glitzy to threaten to sue for copyright infringement, but Domi's mother uses her lawyer knowledge to deflect these accusations. Domi is able to return home with new insights into her family's background, and a new appreciation for her family.
Strengths: The nail salon setting is such a fun and interesting one, and hasn't been portrayed much in middle grade literature (except for Santopolo's 2014 Sparkle Spa for slightly younger readers), and it is my understanding that many salons are staffed by immigrants. I've never had my nails done, so I can't speak to the accuracy of the portrayal, but now I sort of want to go... and leave a big tip! Domi is a very resilient character who is not happy with the plans her parents have made for the summer, but does acknowledge her role in the misunderstanding, and tries to be helpful to her aunt and the staff at Nails. She and Bobby work well together, and use their skills to really help out the salon. There are plenty of fun scenes, like the trip to Glitzy, but also a lot of good coverage of the often difficult immigrant experience. The reverberations of this are seen in the mother and aunt's difficult relationship, which is resolved only when the two confront the past and their feelings about it and finally talk to each other. The cover of this is great, and I love all of the nail polish colors!
Weaknesses: I'm not usually a fan of flashbacks, but the mother and aunt's experiences leaving Vietnam, and the difficulties they faced in the US with their own mother, might have been more effective shown this way. Even an introductory chapter showing the events of that time would have made the experience seem more immediate before picking up Domi's story. It's such important information, and seeing it tiny bits at a time might make it harder for young readers to connect to it.
What I really think: This is an interesting look inside the workings of a small business and a good choice for readers who enjoyed tales of other family run businesses like Hirandani's How to Find What You're Not Looking For, Yee's Maizy Chen's Last Chance, Mancillas' Taco Tuesday, or Granillo's Cruzita and the Mariacheros.
No comments:
Post a Comment