Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

In a late-19th-century Sierra Nevada logging camp, a Chinese American girl spins tall tales and dreams of a better future.Mei helps her father in the kitchen, feeding the dozens of hungry men who work at their logging camp. At night, she entertains listeners with her made-up stories about Auntie Po, an elderly Chinese woman taller than the pine trees who has a blue water buffalo. In these stories clearly inspired by Paul Bunyan, Auntie Po is a guardian figure, protecting the logging crew from threats including giant mosquitos and unscrupulous companies. But in the real world, anti-Chinese sentiments have turned into acts of violence. When the logging company caves under a boycott, the White camp boss dismisses all the Chinese workers, leaving frustrated Mei angry at her own helplessness. Nuanced portrayals of characters' relationships keep the themes of discrimination and allyship in focus; the tenuous friendship between Mei's father and the camp boss in particular highlights the difference between offering verbal support and taking meaningful action. The clean, expressive linework and muted watercolors portray both the dangerous realities of logging and quiet, emotional moments with equal effectiveness. In a sweet, naturally inserted subplot, Mei, who wears trousers rather than dresses, says she is not interested in boys and is clearly enamored of her closest White female friend.A timely and ultimately hopeful tale. (author's note, bibliography) (Graphic historical fiction. 10-14)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

Gr 5-8 In Sierra Nevada in 1885, three years after the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act, 13-year-old pie maker Mei helps her father run the logging camp's kitchen. Mei, who is Chinese, also spends time with her best friend Beatrice (Bee) Andersen, who is white, and masterfully spins tall tales about a female Chinese folk hero named Po Pan Yin, aka Auntie Po, and her blue buffalo Pei Pei. As Mei grapples with her growing feelings for Bee, she suddenly starts to see Auntie Po and Pei Pei in real life. Rising racial tension in the area reaches a boiling point when Chinese cook Ah Sam and another Chinese worker are attacked on their way back to the logging camp. Changes are coming to Mei's life, and even the mother of all loggers, Auntie Po, can only do so much to help. The author interweaves fabulism and historical fiction into a well-designed, evenly paced, stirring narrative. There is a strong sense of place, thanks to stunning watercolors and Mei's informative narration of how a logging camp is run. The Auntie Po stories add a layer of humor or poignancy and act as an emotional channel for Mei's internal struggles. Mei's gradual queer awakening is treated sensitively as an important part of her story line. Mei; her father, Hao; Ah Sam; and some background logging camp characters are of Chinese heritage; the majority of the rest of lumberjacks are white; and there is a Black family living at the camp as well. VERDICT A moving read that skillfully explores themes of racism, privilege, and identity. A must for all libraries.Pearl Derlaga, York County P.L., VA

ALA Booklist (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

In a mountain logging camp in 1882, Chinese American Mei and her father run the camp kitchen and make delicious meals for the workers after their days of laboring. Mei makes the pies and regales the camp's children with stories, including the legend of Po Pan Yin, an elderly Chinese woman who logs the forest with her giant blue ox. Mei is accused of stealing Paul Bunyan, but Mei molds Auntie Po into her own guardian spirit. Mei must navigate an increasingly dangerous world after passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, as well as her friendship with and growing romantic feelings for Bee, the daughter of the boss. On the surface, this story is the birth of a folktale, but the author explores much deeper topics: grief, family, loyalty, racism, and self-discovery. Mei's journey tugs at the heartstrings, and, while we want her to get her heart's desires, the ending reflects a more realistic outcome for Mei and Bee. Watercolors are beautiful and illustrations are crisp and simple, conveying a childlike air while tackling serious subject matter.

Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

In this graphic novel, thirteen-year-old Mei Hao shares her homemade pies and homespun tales about the eponymous Auntie Po (a Chinese Paul Bunyan-type figure of Mei's own creation) with her white best friend Beatrice Andersen and many other eager listeners at Mr. Andersen's 1885 Sierra Nevada logging camp. Mei works hard to help her father cook for the camp's lumberjacks, plus separate meals for the Chinese workers, who aren't given board or allowed to eat with the others. But she dreams of a day when she and Bee can open a hybrid bookstore-pie shop together, even as she realizes that dream -- and her unrequited love for Bee -- may well be impossible. While Khor's pencils are digital, the rawness and unpredictability of their hand-painted watercolors complement Mei's fluctuating emotions and the harsh life at the camp, where incidents of racism and logging accidents can occur, both devastating. Khor frequently uses the whole page for their illustrations and works outside of panels, techniques that aptly enhance the historical and mythic scope of the narrative and that ultimately affirm Mei as the author of her own destiny. A multifaceted addition to the historical graphic novel genre, this unique bildungsroman successfully presents many formidable topics with intentional and comprehensive grace. Niki Marion

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

In a late-19th-century Sierra Nevada logging camp, a Chinese American girl spins tall tales and dreams of a better future.Mei helps her father in the kitchen, feeding the dozens of hungry men who work at their logging camp. At night, she entertains listeners with her made-up stories about Auntie Po, an elderly Chinese woman taller than the pine trees who has a blue water buffalo. In these stories clearly inspired by Paul Bunyan, Auntie Po is a guardian figure, protecting the logging crew from threats including giant mosquitos and unscrupulous companies. But in the real world, anti-Chinese sentiments have turned into acts of violence. When the logging company caves under a boycott, the White camp boss dismisses all the Chinese workers, leaving frustrated Mei angry at her own helplessness. Nuanced portrayals of characters' relationships keep the themes of discrimination and allyship in focus; the tenuous friendship between Mei's father and the camp boss in particular highlights the difference between offering verbal support and taking meaningful action. The clean, expressive linework and muted watercolors portray both the dangerous realities of logging and quiet, emotional moments with equal effectiveness. In a sweet, naturally inserted subplot, Mei, who wears trousers rather than dresses, says she is not interested in boys and is clearly enamored of her closest White female friend.A timely and ultimately hopeful tale. (author's note, bibliography) (Graphic historical fiction. 10-14)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In 1885, following the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese American Mei, 13, works alongside her father at a California logging camp, feeding 100 white lumberjacks and 40 Chinese workers. In her free time, Mei regales the women and children at camp with stories of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, reimagined as the legends of Auntie Po and her faithful blue buffalo, Pei Pei. Through these tellings, Mei navigates the dangers and politics of lumber camp work, her yearning to hold on to her cultural identity, her burgeoning acknowledgment of her queerness, and the waning dream of university education. When tragedy strikes, Mei-s faith in her invented god, Auntie Po, falters. But by connecting with traditions old and new, and harnessing the healing power of