The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei

February 15, 2022
A girl learns to balance fairness with friendship. The novel begins in Toronto as 12-year-old Holly-Mei Jones attempts to mollify teammates who are shunning her for having cost them the win in their field hockey game as well as a class pizza party due to her insistence on doing the right thing and following the rules no matter the consequences. Her problems increase when Mom announces a promotion necessitating their family's temporary relocation to Hong Kong in two weeks. The plot incorporates expected signals of privilege: a luxurious expatriate life in the former British colony and interactions with Hong Kong's cosmopolitan elites. Gemma Tsien--queen bee and daughter of the PTA chair at the exclusive private school where Holly-Mei and younger sister Millie enroll--poses the primary challenge to Holly-Mei's social acceptance. However, a near-fatal accident during Gemma's birthday party and a group project hiccup become bonding experiences that make both girls sympathetic to each other's pressures to live up to parental expectations, establish guanxi, or connections, and not do anything to lose face. With a Taiwanese mother and White English father, Holly-Mei's feeling of connection to Chinese culture grows even as she observes socio-economic polarities in Hong Kong. Through cultivating new friendships, she also succeeds in mending an old one. The aftermatter includes a glossary of Chinese language terms and two recipes. Sweet illustrations enhance the text. Life upheaval offers a tween lessons on socialization in this story of personal growth. (Fiction. 9-12)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 1, 2022
Grades 4-7 Twelve-year-old Holly-Mei's social life is suffering when her mom announces her big promotion, which means relocating their family from Toronto to Hong Kong for two years. While her younger sister, Millie, grapples with uprooting her life, Holly-Mei envisions a clean slate. But her mom's advancement up the corporate ladder means more than just a flat overlooking the sea and enrollment in the top private school; it means making connections (guanxi) and keeping up their reputation with Hong Kong's elite. So it probably doesn't bode well to inadvertently piss off the queen bee and daughter of the influential PTA chair. The first in Matula's debut middle-grade series is a whirlwind of new experiences for readers as mixed-race Holly-Mei (Taiwanese and British) finally sees herself reflected in her environment but strains against newfound societal expectations. Although the family's clear privilege at times makes it difficult to empathize with them, the fusion of Mean Girls and a kid's version of Crazy Rich Asians will have readers returning. A glossary of Chinese terms and recipes are a welcome addition.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2022

Gr 4-6-In this debut novel, Holly-Mei and her family move from Canada to Hong Kong. There, she struggles to find her place with friends and at school. Because Holly-Mei's mother has taken a much higher position in her company, she is now attending a very exclusive private school and the expectations and social class issues are heightened. Holly-Mei is half Taiwanese and half English, so she is excited to be in a new school and country where she won't be a minority anymore. But with all these subtopics, the all-encompassing theme in the book is that of friendship. From the opening in China, where Holly-Mei is navigating the loss of friendships as a result of her too-truthful actions, to the more heightened friendship stakes in her new school, readers will empathize with her struggles. Some very light mentions of crushes and flirting occur among the seventh grade characters, but nothing more than blushes and giggles, a gentle way of exploring a different aspect of friendship. Matula's flowing prose especially shines with lavish descriptions of Hong Kong food and culture. An author's note includes Chinese pronunciation guides, notes on culture, and some recipes to try out. The only flaw that drags down an otherwise lovely book is an occasional didactic moment where a lesson is spelled out too obviously. VERDICT A sweet coming-of-age novel that explores culture and friendship with an authentic character sure to engage middle grade readers.-Elizabeth Nicolai

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.