The many meanings of Meilan, by Andrea Wang
Type
Label
The many meanings of Meilan, by Andrea Wang
Language
eng
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references
Index
no index present
Intended audience
Grades 4-6
resource.interestAgeLevel
Ages 9-12
Literary Form
novels
Main title
The many meanings of Meilan
Nature of contents
bibliography
Responsibility statement
by Andrea Wang
Summary
Meilan Hua's world is made up of a few key ingredients: her family's beloved matriarch, Nai Nai; the bakery her parents, aunts, and uncles own and run in Boston's Chinatown; and her favorite Chinese fairy tales. After Nai Nai passes, the family has a falling-out that sends Meilan, her parents, and her grieving grandfather on the road in search of a new home. They take a winding path cross-country before landing in Redbud, Ohio. Everything in Redbud is the opposite of Chinatown, and Meilan's not quite sure who she is -- being renamed at school only makes it worse. She decides she is many Meilans, each inspired by a different Chinese character with the same pronunciation as her name. Sometimes she is Mist, cooling and invisible; other times, she's Basket, carrying her parents' hopes and dreams and her guilt of not living up to them; and sometimes she is bright Blue, the way she feels around her new friend Logan. Meilan keeps her facets separate until an injustice at school shows her the power of bringing her many selves together
Target audience
pre adolescent
Creator
Subject
Content
Author
Incoming Resources
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