SYNOPSIS

Maizy and her mom travel from Los Angeles to the tiny town of Last Chance, Minnesota, to help take care of Opa (grandpa) who is ill.

While learning how to help out in the family’s Chinese restaurant, Maizy gets to know the town’s neighbors and makes new friends.

She discovers that her first impressions about an old customer were wrong; finds the stolen restaurant mascot, a 6-foot wooden bear; wonders about her mom’s and grandma’s strained relationship; and uses smuggled food to repair Opa’s friendship with a neighbor.

She also begins to insert custom-made messages into customers’ fortune cookies.

At home, Opa improves Maizy’s poker skills and tells her about great grandpa Lucky’s treacherous travels from China to Last Chance.

Lucky was the one who started the family restaurant and helped many illegal immigrants find refuge and a job in his kitchen.

A few surprise guests attend Opa’s funeral – descendants of the people rescued by Lucky who Maizy has tracked down!

PERFECT AGE 10-14

We love

• Maizy is an inspiration and so much fun. We loved how cleverly she helped two grumpy old men get over old grudges!
• Lucky’s stories are beautifully sprinkled in between the present-day narrative to share important notes about Maizy’s heritage and her descendants’ impactful experiences.
• Maizy lost her phone for the whole summer – and things still turned out OK without a new one!!
• Thoughtful treatment and descriptions of human interactions and conflicts – of which there are various – to teach lessons about compromise, patience and defending principles.

WATCH OUT FOR (Language, Big / Sensitive Topics, Outdated Concepts):

• Violent racism against and mistreatment of Chinese immigrants in the US in the 19-20c. is described in some detail; a preview may be helpful to younger readers.
• Opa, a lovable, big-personality character in the book, dies toward the end. The experience is understandably traumatic for his family.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

• Why do you think Maizy was excited to track down Lucky’s “visitors”? Why do you think their descendants came to Opa’s wake?
• What are some lessons from poker that you noticed Maizy remembered in life away from poker?
• What inspired Maizy to write secret messages and sneak them into the fortune cookies? What reactions did they elicit?
• What exactly did the mayor do to make Maizy upset and over time, lose his job?
• In the Epilogue, Maizy said she was wrong about some first impressions. What situations can you think of when your first impressions weren’t accurate?