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WORK TITLE: WINSTON CHU VS. THE WHIMSIES
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WEBSITE: https://www.staceyhlee.com/
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COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 375
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PERSONAL
Born in CA; married; children: two.
EDUCATION:University of California, Los Angeles, degree; University of California, Davis, J.D.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Formerly worked as an attorney in Silicon Valley; We Need Diverse Books (nonprofit group), legal director and founding member.
AVOCATIONS:Playing classical piano.
MEMBER:Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
AWARDS:Book Launch Award, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), 2014, Best Fiction for Young Adults designation, American Library Association (ALA), and SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, both 2016, and Missouri Gateway Readers Award, 2017-18, all for Under a Painted Sky; Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association, Pen Center USA Literary Awards finalist, and ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults designation and Amelia Bloomer Project listee, all 2017, all for Outrun the Moon.
WRITINGS
Work represented in anthology The Radical Element: 12 Stories of Daredevils, Debutantes, and Other Dauntless Girls, 2018.
SIDELIGHTS
A former attorney, Stacey Lee now entertains teen readers, combining engaging protagonists and thrilling plotlines in novels such as Under a Painted Sky, The Downstairs Girl, and Luck of the Titanic. Lee’s stories mix romance, history, and fantasy, and they have earned her several honors, including a Crystal Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Inspired by Lee’s family history, Under a Painted Sky focuses on Samantha, a Chinese American girl living in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1849. After a deadly fire at her father’s dry-goods shop leaves Samantha an orphan, things go from bad to worse when she turns to landlord Ty Yorkshire for help. When Ty tries to rape her, the teen resists and accidentally kills him, rendering her a wanted felon. After Samantha teams up with a runaway slave named Annamae, the two girls disguise themselves as boys and they head west, joining the pioneers journeying to California during the Gold Rush. Writing in Voice of Youth Advocates, Amanda MacGregor noted that Lee’s “distinctive story will likely win over even readers who do not … enjoy historical fiction.” A Kirkus Reviews critic dubbed the work an “impressive debut,” while in Booklist, Sarah Hunter wrote of the first-time novelist that Lee “packs the plot with plenty of peril and Wild West excitement.”
Set in 1906, Outrun the Moon concerns Mercy Wong, an enterprising and ambitious fifteen year old who is determined to escape the poverty that has thus far characterized her life in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Posing as a wealthy heiress, Mercy bribes her way into St. Clare’s School for Girls, an elite, all-white school where she hopes to acquire the skills necessary to start a teashop. When a massive earthquake devastates the city, the strong-willed teen rallies her spoiled and mistrustful classmates to pursue a noble cause: helping to feed the city’s many homeless and displaced residents.
Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, Lee’s novel Outrun the Moon contains “beautiful turns of phrase, lessons in Chinese customs and superstitions, and a refreshing protagonist representing intersectional diversity,” in the view of a Kirkus Reviews writer. Here readers encounter “characters full of depth and nuance that seem historically accurate but still relatable to today’s teens,” opined School Library Journal critic Cyndi Hamann, and Sarah Hunter praised the work in Booklist, asserting that Lee shares “a resoundingly warmhearted story about community arising amidst earth-shattering disaster.”
Set in Atlanta, Georgia, circa 1890, The Downstairs Girl introduces readers to Jo Kuan, a Chinese American who holds a day job working as a lady’s maid and then moonlights as a newspaper advice columnist. Writing as “Miss Sweetie,” Jo offers much-sought-after advice to Atlanta residents while being careful to keep her racial identity a secret. As Miss Sweetie becomes increasingly popular, Jo is tempted to out herself, although she worries what will happen when readers discover the columnist’s Chinese origins.
Reviewing The Downstairs Girl in School Library Journal, Zoe McLaughlin praised it as “unflinching in its portrayals of racism yet ultimately hopeful and heartfelt.” In Kirkus Reviews a writer recommended Lee’s historical novel as an “optimistic, sophisticated portrayal of one facet of Chinese American … history” that “deftly weaves historical details” within its plot. A Publishers Weekly critic also enjoyed The Downstairs Girl, concluding that “this captivating novel” is enriched by its “memorable, well-developed characters.”
The sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912, while on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York’s Chelsea Piers, is a staple of historical fiction, and Lee employs it as the backdrop in her novel Luck of the Titanic. Born in England to Chinese parents, twins Jamie and Valora Luck are survivors: helping their acrobat parents earn a living, they weathered lean years as children but were forced to separate as teens, when Jamie got a job with a steamship company to support Val and their widowed father. Two years later, after Mr. Luck passes away, the twins make plans to reunited, although for Val it means thwarting the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act designed to prevented ethnic Chinese from entering the United States. To reach Jamie, a coal worker who will soon be reassigned to Cuba, Val sneaks aboard the Titanic, where a cast of unusual characters—including a fashion designer and a circus owner—aid her in evading the crew’s notice until the ship’s fatal encounter with an iceberg in the frigid North Atlantic Ocean.
Commending Luck of the Titanic for its fictional heroine, a Kirkus Reviews critic noted that Val’s “wit and pluck give the story … buoyancy.” In Publishers Weekly a critic praised the story for both its “compassionate cast” and immersive “socially stratified” shipboard setting. While the same reviewer recommended Luck of the Titanic as “a finely crafted … exploration of identity, class, and family,” the Kirkus Reviews writer heralded Lee’s history-themed adventure novel as “a gem from start to bittersweet finish.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, February 1, 2015, Sarah Hunter, review of Under a Painted Sky, p. 44; April 15, 2016, Sarah Hunter, review of Outrun the Moon, p. 56.
BookPage, April 1, 2015, Kimberly Giarratano, review of Under a Painted Sky, p. 29.
Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2014, review of Under a Painted Sky; March 1, 2016, review of Outrun the Moon; June 1, 2019, review of The Downstairs Girl; March 1, 2021, review of Luck of the Titanic.
Publishers Weekly, January 26, 2015, review of Under a Painted Sky, p. 173; March 7, 2016, review of Outrun the Moon, p. 69; October 10, 2016, review of The Secret of a Heart Note, p. 82; June 10, 2019, review of The Downstairs Girl, p. 119; April 5, 2021, review of Luck of the Titanic, p. 69.
School Library Journal, December 1, 2014, Jennifer Schultz, review of Under a Painted Sky, p. 137; March 1, 2016, Cyndi Hamann, review of Outrun the Moon, p. 144; June 1, 2019, Zoe McLaughlin, review of The Downstairs Girl, p. 80.
Voice of Youth Advocates, February 1, 2015, Amanda MacGregor, review of Under a Painted Sky, p. 60; April 1, 2016, Sharon Martin, review of Outrun the Moon, p. 62; December 1, 2016, Jane Murphy, review of The Secret of a Heart Note, p. 77.
ONLINE
DiversifYA, http://www.diversifya.com/ (October 18, 2013), Marieke Nijkamp, interview with Lee.
Nelson Literary Agency website, https://nelsonagency.com/ (August 4, 2019).
Stacy Lee website, http://www.staceyhlee.com (July 16, 2021).*
Stacey Lee is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of historical and contemporary young adult fiction, including The Downstairs Girl, a Reese’s Book Club Late Summer 2021 YA pick, and her most recent novel, Luck of the Titanic, which received five starred reviews. A native of southern California and fourth-generation Chinese American, she is a founder of the We Need Diverse Books movement and writes stories for all kids (even the ones who look like adults).
Stacey loves board games, has perfect pitch, and through some mutant gene, can smell musical notes through her nose.
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For Educators, Conference Organizers, and Other Book People
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Stacey has been a featured speaker at the Texas Library Association annual conference, The American Library Association’s national convention, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) annual convention, the Boston Book Festival, the International Reading Association’s annual convention, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators annual conference, among other venues. She has presented extensively for both adults and children at numerous middle schools, high schools, universities, colleges, libraries, and other book events, including giving a Tedx talk. If you are interested in having her speak at your school, library, or conference, please see her Contact Page and reach out to Authors Unbound for details about programs and scheduling.
Full Bio
Stacey Lee is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of historical and contemporary young adult fiction, including The Downstairs Girl, a Reese’s Book Club Late Summer 2021 YA pick, and her most recent novel, Luck of the Titanic, which received five starred reviews. A native of southern California and fourth-generation Chinese American, she is a founder of the We Need Diverse Books movement and writes stories for all kids (even the ones who look like adults).
Mini Bio
Stacey Lee is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of historical and contemporary young adult fiction, including The Downstairs Girl, a Reese’s Book Club pick. She is a founding member of the We Need Diverse Books movement.
Website: www.staceyhlee.com
Twitter/Instagram: @staceyleeauthor
RICK RIORDAN INTERVIEWS STACEY LEE ON ALL THINGS WINSTON CHU VS. THE WHIMSIES
BY READ RIORDAN STAFF
Rick Riordan recently sat down with author Stacey Lee to discuss the latest addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies.
Read on to discover Stacey’s inspiration for Winston Chu, why San Francisco is the perfect setting for this story, and which Whimsies Stacey and Rick would like to take home for themselves.
RICK:
Hi, Stacey! I’m so excited that readers are finally able to experience Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies! Thank you for this wonderful contribution to the imprint. It’s definitely one of the most imaginative stories I’ve ever read. I got so involved in it that I couldn’t even stop to give you editorial notes! What was your inspiration for the novel?
STACEY:
My son was definitely the inspiration for my hero, Winston Chu, though I’m really not supposed to say that out loud. (He doesn’t want his friends to jump him.) So, my kid’s button has been stuck on ‘go’ since he was born, which has meant lots of adventures for me. He’s touched more than his share of things he’s not supposed to touch, and I have the broken toe to prove it. So I wondered, what if there were magical consequences for a good kid whose motor always ran a little too fast? Enter Winston.
RICK:
Let’s talk about the Whimsies, the enchanted items Winston comes across in Mr. Pang’s shop. There are so many marvels it’s hard to choose a favorite, but I think mine might be the fuzzy ukulele, because I play guitar. Which one would you take home if you could, and which one would you avoid at all costs?
STACEY:
I really like your choice, Rick. For readers who don’t know, a fuzzy ukulele puts everyone in a good mood and would be a handy instrument to have around during global crises, or when your mom discovers you’ve thrown your wet socks into the hamper. I personally like the Ask Me Anything Beethoven Busts, which answer burning questions that aren’t easily searched on the Internet, such as “Why is my sister mad at me?” Or “How do I stop someone from snuffing out the moon?” The whimsy I would definitely NOT choose is the Break-Free Cactus. If you ever happen upon it, back away slowly and do not say “Ariana Grande.”
RICK:
The setting of this book, San Francisco, is so important that it’s practically one of the characters. I understand the appeal of the place because I taught in the Bay Area years ago. What about the city made it the ideal location for this particular story?
STACEY:
San Francisco has everything going for it—a gorgeous location where the Pacific Ocean flows into the Bay, whimsical landmarks including a bright red bridge and a pyramid skyscraper, a diverse population, and islands that are perfect hiding places for magic. And it also happens to be where my family is from.
RICK:
The importance of family is a major theme of Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies, and I appreciated the way you portrayed the sibling relationships in particular. What are you hoping readers take away from Winston’s family dynamics?
STACEY:
Winston and his older sister, Philippa, don’t always see eye to eye. She’s night, he’s day; he’s sentimental, she’s practical. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be there for each other when the going gets rough, especially if the family is in trouble. Often your best ally is your former enemy.
RICK:
Before we sign off, what’s your favorite flavor of boba tea?
STACEY:
I like to switch it up depending on my mood. My last one was pineapple green tea with basil seeds and rainbow boba. It was a whimsical explosion of flavor and chewiness. What about you, Rick?
RICK:
Well, in honor of Percy Jackson, I’d have to say Butterfly Blue!
Thank you for taking time to answer these questions—and for letting us publish your book! I can’t wait to see what new kind of trouble Winston gets into in the sequel, Winston Chu vs. the Wingmeisters, next year.
Interview: Q&A with Stacey Lee About “Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies”
by Bill Gowsell | Feb 7, 2023 11:29 am (Pacific)
Tags: Interview, Rick Riordan Presents
I recently had the chance to ask author Stacey Lee about her book Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies and some valuable insight is provided by the writer about her motivations as well as how she formed some of her story from real life experiences.Laughing Place: What made you want to write this story? Stacey Lee: I wanted to write the kind of book you can get lost in and not easily find your way out without a big flashlight. Winston’s a normal kid trying to juggle the life of a busy mid-schooler who gets a chance to choose one of the absurd but intriguing goodies from Mr. Pang’s shelves. Except that all he gets is a dirty broomstick and dustpan, and then he wants to forget it all happened. But he can’t, when magic starts overtaking his life. I love the kind of stories that invite you to climb into your imagination and see where it takes you. Laughing Place: Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies feels like a very intimate narrative with the primary focus more on the Chu family and Winston’s friends than the grand god-like supporting characters. Was your original intention to make this a very personal story with Winston as our voice in the world, or did that happen organically as you wrote? Stacey Lee: I definitely intended this to be a personal story focused on Winston. The god-like supporting characters provide more the shifting weather through which Winston must navigate, literally in the case of the Cloud Weavers. For me, relationships are the key to happiness—and friends and family are especially important at Winston’s age. I even get to work in a little tiny crush for Winston. Laughing Place: Philippa is a very interesting character because when we initially meet her, she has grown distant from Winston. We know Philippa is very involved with Coco, so it never feels like she is completely ignoring her younger brother. How hard was it to keep Philippa cold and distant even though you knew how important she would be to Winston’s success? Stacey Lee: Philippa was one of my favorite characters to write because she’s so opposite to Winston, she is his foil. From a writing standpoint, a character like her provides contrast—Winston has a tight group of friends who’ve helped him through the loss of his dad. Philippa has more of a loner, personality wise, but also because of the way she is dealing with her grief. She’s cynical, grumpy, and irritable. Winston’s sentimental and generally optimistic. Yet, even though each annoys the other, they are the only ones who understand how it feels to lose their dad. They have shared trauma, and a fierce love for their family, which ultimately brings them closer. Laughing Place: You set the story in San Francisco, why did you choose this location? Stacey Lee: I really love the chance to be able to feature Asian Americans in children’s fantasy, a genre in which we’ve historically been absent, and San Francisco is where the first wave of Chinese immigrated to America. It’s also where my mom was born (1942!), and incidentally, she went to Winston’s school, Francisco Middle School. So you could say I chose SF for its relevance to the Chinese American community, and my family. Plus, it has some really cool settings, like the Transamerica Pyramid, the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower. There are a lot of places for Whimsies to hide in San Francisco. Laughing Place: Winston seems like a very different lead character. He has friends, he is learning to cope with the death of his father, has a supportive family, and seems genuinely optimistic. Why did you steer away from the lone kid without a friend stereotype for your main character? Stacey Lee: I wasn’t so much steering away from the lone kid stereotype as I was wanting to show the importance of friendship bonds during this age. Plus, it’s one thing to ride on a flying unicorn pinata by yourself, a completely different experience if you’re riding with your buds. I love the energy that different friends can bring to one’s life, not just singly but together. My son was around Winston’s age when I started writing this book, and I would be lying if I said driving the soccer-carpool didn’t influence some of the conversations between Winston and his buddies. Laughing Place: Mr. Pang is a tricky villain for the story. At first glance he seems eccentric, then mystical, and then dangerous. Even though we know that he is not to be trusted, I never felt like Mr. Pang was evil. Is there more to Mr. Pang’s story that you held back for a potential follow up book? Stacey Lee: As much as I try to write completely evil characters, it never quite happens. I think it stems from my eternal hope that everyone has a little good to offer the world, and if they don’t, maybe we at least find something sympathetic about them. And conversely, every good person has a little darkness in them, and exploring those contradictions makes stories interesting. As for Mr. Pang, hold onto your canoes, we’ll definitely be finding out more about him in book 2. Laughing Place: Monroe is unique. He is not what I would have expected, and it was refreshing to see this supporting character come in as a decent person. Why did you choose to make Monroe so likable? Stacey Lee: Sometimes characters write themselves, and that was definitely the case with Monroe! His character kicked up his Van sneakers and made himself at home with his chill vibe. Once there, I found he was indispensable to the gang, and not just because he was their chauffeur. He is the healthy older sibling Winston has been craving and ironically, key in nudging Winston’s actual older sibling Philippa out of her grief. Laughing Place: Winston’s mom is very much on the fringe of the main story. One would think that she would be able to spot the change in Coco immediately. Is Winston’s mom still dealing with the grief over the loss of her husband, and we don’t see that as much in the story because Winston reflects what most teens might see, the world according to them, or does Winston’s mom reflect the burn out of a single parent who is desperately trying to hold the family together while mourning the loss of her husband? Stacey Lee: Both. Winston’s mom is definitely still mourning; I’m not sure you ever fully get over the death of someone close. So she’s definitely feeling the burnout of raising teenagers and toddlers in the same house as a single parent. But the story takes place in just over a week and a half. Having been through the toddler-raising stage twice, we all just hope it’s teething… Laughing Place: Do you see yourself in any characters of your book? How much of Winston’s personality comes from you? Stacey Lee: Winston’s sentimentality and peacemaking, Philippa’s night-owl tendencies, Mav’s love of thinking deeply, and Coco’s industriousness and sense of fun. Laughing Place: If you are given the option between an epic two-hour movie version of the book on the big screen, or a lengthy streaming service adaptation, which one would you choose and why? Stacey Lee: I love going to the movies, not just because of the bad-for-you-popcorn, but because it’s an event! But I also like streaming because of pajamas. So, although I’d be happy either way, since there’s a giant popcorn machine in the book, I’m going to go with the movie. Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies is available in bookstores now.
Ridiculous Magic: PW Talks with Stacey Lee
The new middle grade fantasy Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies offers a mix of magic and Chinese folklore
Mar 17, 2023
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In Stacey Lee’s Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies, the titular protagonist finds himself on a weird and wild adventure after inadvertently thwarting a break-in at a curiosity shop. The middle grade novel is an addition to the Rick Riordan Presents library of action-filled, character-driven stories that integrate diverse world mythologies. Lee (The Downstairs Girl) based Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies on a classic Chinese folktale. Lee spoke with PW about writing fantasies featuring underrepresented cultures, creating her character’s unique personality, and the joys of crafting a world filled with “ridiculous magic.”
What can you share about the inspiration behind Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies?
Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies is about a 12-year-old kid growing up in San Francisco who saves a strange curiosity shop from being broken into. As a reward, he is given the chance to choose one of the absurd but intriguing goodies, or "whimsies," from the shop. The first thing he touches will be the thing he takes home. Because he is a kid who has itchy fingers, he impulsively grabs a broom, which comes with a free dustpan, and his life is upended when the cleaning tools begin stealing his stuff, including his baby sister.
My son was definitely the inspiration for this story, though I’m not supposed to tell people that, which is why the dedication says up front, "To Bennett and Avalon, this book is not about you." Mostly. His button has been stuck on "go" since he was born, which has meant lots of adventures for me. He’s touched more than his share of things he’s not supposed to touch and I’ve had a broken toe, a black eye, and a busted minivan to prove it. This was all before he turned four! So I wondered, what if there were magical consequences for a good kid whose motor always ran a little too fast?
Tell me about your titular protagonist. What’s he up against in Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies? What makes him the perfect character for this story?
Winston’s father, a translator for the army, died three years before the book takes place, and Winston’s worried his family is forgetting about him. He’s also dealing with his first crush, on a cello prodigy whom he knows is out of his league—but he’ll still learn the ukulele to impress her. And of course, when the broom and dustpan begin taking over his life, he’s got to get a handle on just what they want from him. Winston is your typical fun-loving middle schooler, but as someone who knows grief, he has tremendous sympathy for those in trouble. Plus, as his soccer team’s midfielder, he’s used to juggling lots of balls.
What surprised you most during the writing process?
How much I loved the process of producing a book with ridiculous magic at its core. You get to explain things like how marshmallow Peeps don’t need legs to hop with a completely straight face.
What does it mean to you to publish the book with Rick Riordan Presents?
The dream of a lifetime. When I was in middle school, the idea that a Chinese kid could be front and center of a fantasy was itself a fantasy. To be part of RRP’s mission to publish great books by underrepresented cultures and backgrounds, inspired by mythology and folklore, is such a privilege for me! Plus, it really makes me cool to the carpool kids. My own kids are now teens and more difficult to impress.
Would the kid in you have loved this story? What do you hope today’s young readers take away from the book?
Absolutely. I loved fantasy growing up and anything with humor, and that is what I tried to serve up with this book. Bonus points for any book where the characters get to fly. I was obsessed with the flying bed in Disney’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks and the flying peach in James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. For this book, I just want readers to forget about their troubles for a little while and have a good time helping Winston with his.
Stacey Lee. Disney/Riordan, $17.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-36807-480-3
In contemporary San Francisco, 12-yearold Winston Chu seeks to remember his translator father, who died in a friendly fire incident while serving in Iraq. On the night before that event's third anniversary, Winston makes a shoofly pie in cooking class to honor him. But when the dropped pie startles two purported burglars outside of Mr. Pang's Whimsies--a local store that Winston's never before seen--the shop's mysterious owner invires him to choose one item tot his own. Accidentally ending up with a disappointing old broom and dustpan, Winston is further dismayed to experience a string of mishaps, and learns rhat according to Chinese custom, broom-inhabiting spirits may cast bad luck when the object is impfopetly used. When multiple dear items, then loved ones, begin disappearing, Winston and his friends must unravel the mystery of the shop, the spirits, and the broom's seemingly targeted effect on Winston's life. Contemplating grief's lingering nature, Lee (Luck of the Titanic) plots a quickly paced, Chinese folklore-inspired story narrated by a sincere protagonist bolstered by loyal family and friends. Characters cue as racially diverse. Ages 8-12. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary. (Feb.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 PWxyz, LLC
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"Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies." Publishers Weekly, vol. 269, no. 53, 19 Dec. 2022, p. 91. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A731556047/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7ecdf4b4. Accessed 19 May 2023.
Lee, Stacey WINSTON CHU VS. THE WHIMSIES Rick Riordan Presents/Disney (Children's None) $17.99 2, 7 ISBN: 978-1-368-07480-3
A Chinese American family becomes entangled in magical mischief.
Eighth grader Winston Chu and his family are still processing the friendly fire death of his father who was serving in Iraq. On the eve of the third anniversary of losing his dad, Winston, along with trusted soccer mates Mav, Bijal, and Cassa, stumble across Mr. Pang's Whimsies, a store of magical knickknacks in San Francisco's Chinatown that Winston had never noticed before. Winston, armed with a pie, inadvertently helps Mr. Pang by scaring away some Hawaiian shirt-clad troublemakers, but he disappointingly ends up with just an old broom and dustpan as tokens of the shop owner's gratitude. What Winston does not know is that these objects are possessed by the spirits of the cloud weaver and the cowherd, star-crossed lovers from Chinese folklore. Things only get more complicated when Winston's younger sister, Coco, gets swapped with a changeling from the shop. The friends must figure out how to get her back using clues from Winston's family's beloved collection of traditional Chinese stories, Tales From the Middle Kingdom. Lee deftly crafts an adventure that strings together seemingly random clues only to have them fall satisfyingly into place in the end. Themes of friendship, grief, and family love are explored throughout. A few lingering questions hint at a sequel. Cassa reads White; Mav has some Senegalese ancestry, and Bijal's name cues him as South Asian.
There's plenty of magic, healing, and love to enjoy on this roller-coaster ride. (Fantasy. 8-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Lee, Stacey: WINSTON CHU VS. THE WHIMSIES." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Dec. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A729727284/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1d6cf007. Accessed 19 May 2023.