School Library Journal Starred Review (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Gr 5–8 —Christina Soontornvat starts 7th grade without any classes alongside her best friend, Megan. With a dad who's Thai and a mom who's white American, she feels like an outsider in many ways, whether due to fashion, Thai lunches, love of fantasy fiction, or having a last name that teachers fumble. The school malcontent, Tobin, calls her "rice girl" among other racist jabs. Christina and Megan still hang out, though, and find shared purpose in cheerleader tryouts. Megan becomes a quick star with the cheerleading squad, leading Christina to feel insecure about their friendship. Soontornvat's lived and emotional experiences come through loud and clear across several characters in this graphic memoir, including Megan's backstory growing up Iranian American and both girls' family histories of immigration to America. Thai customs are demonstrated during a scene at a Thai Buddhist temple, and Christina's parents run a Chinese-style restaurant. Christina is eventually able to see the upsides of growing up in Texas despite setbacks from those who stereotype her. Cacao's manga-inspired artwork captures every nuanced emotion, from the nauseating stress of tryouts to lingering regret over hurtful words that can't be unsaid. The student body of Christina's middle school appears to be mostly white, with some racial diversity in crowd scenes. An afterword by Soontornvat includes reflections on her youth and how she decided her story was worth telling. VERDICT Readers of this empowering graphic memoir will want to invite Christina to sit at their table to share food, stories, and the secrets to self-confidence.—Thomas Maluck

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

Christina tries to become a cheerleader in hopes of being popular.Christina and her best friend, Megan, love the Lord of the Rings and playing pretend, but now that they're starting middle school, there are more important things to worry about, like homework, sports, and popularity. Fitting in in their small Texas town isn't easy, especially when Christina has a Thai dad and White American mom, and Megan is Iranian American; both girls experience constant racist comments. Admiring the confidence and popularity of the cheerleaders, they try out for the squad. The cheers, moves, stunts, and training are challenging, but Christina finds it all fun until the final tryout: This one will take place in front of the whole seventh grade, and their classmates' votes will determine who makes the squad, a system designed to bring about humiliation and embarrassment. Determined Christina gives it everything she's got, but Megan's decision not to be her partner for tryouts causes a rift as they confront difficult truths about being outsiders. This superlative graphic memoir is a funny, relatable, and genuine story of friendship and belonging. Christina struggles with identity in many areas of her life, for example, can she be both Buddhist and Presbyterian? The jokes, daydreams, and quips are delightful without overshadowing or diminishing the impact of her experiences with racism and exclusion. The attractive, expressive illustrations feature clean lines and bright colors.A funny, painfully honest look at a middle schooler finding her way. (author's note, photos) (Graphic memoir. 8-12)

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

Soontornvat (The Last Mapmaker) and illustrator Cacao artfully depict cheerleading drama and middle school woes in this moving graphic memoir. Christina lives with her Thailand-born father and white mother in a small Texan town, where they own the first Asian restaurant in the county. Her gregarious father, “always the center of attention,” makes self-deprecating jokes in order to fit in, humor that Christina replicates to score points with white classmates, infuriating her Iranian American best friend, Megan. Auditioning together for the cheerleading squad, Christina and Megan face racist remarks from classmates (a bully repeatedly calls Christina “rice girl”). Nevertheless, the tweens endure a long and difficult training, finding a true passion for the sport leading up to their final tryout: performing a routine in front of the entire seventh grade, which votes to determine who makes the squad. Soontornvat’s denouement is genuinely nail-biting, and the girls’ earnest love for cheerleading is infectious, despite their experiences with outward prejudice. Via emotive close-ups, Cacao confidently conveys the girls’ persistence, fluidly injecting their athletic pursuits with lively energy using bright color palettes and varied character design. An author’s note and photographs conclude. Ages 8–12. Agent: (for Soontornvat) Stephanie Fretwell-Hill, Red Fox Literary; (for Cacao) Tara Gilbert, Jennifer De Chiara Literary. (Sept.)

Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Color by Amanda Lafrenais. Soontornvat shares an intimate glimpse into her youth in this coming-of-age graphic memoir. As one of the only Asian American students in her small-town Texas middle school, she endures the typical experiences of children of immigrants in a white, homogenous town: mispronunciation of a "foreign" name; teasing and disgust around "smelly" packed lunches; the reduction of one's identity to "rice girl." Fortunately, Christina has a best friend in fellow outsider Megan, whose father is from Iran. Christina and Megan both want desperately to be chosen for the school's cheerleading squad, and Soontornvat immerses readers in their months of intense practice, shown in the dynamic cartoony illustrations. Both girls ace the tryout, but neither makes it; as a heartbroken Christina muses, maybe everyone saw them as just "too different." By pushing herself to try new activities such as Impromptu Speaking (and with support from family, friends, and the "uncles" at her parents' Thai restaurant), she begins to grow more confident, deriving strength from her community. Here, she shares her story: a "story that needed to be told" for a "young person who needed to read it."

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Christina tries to become a cheerleader in hopes of being popular.Christina and her best friend, Megan, love the Lord of the Rings and playing pretend, but now that they're starting middle school, there are more important things to worry about, like homework, sports, and popularity. Fitting in in their small Texas town isn't easy, especially when Christina has a Thai dad and White American mom, and Megan is Iranian American; both girls experience constant racist comments. Admiring the confidence and popularity of the cheerleaders, they try out for the squad. The cheers, moves, stunts, and training are challenging, but Christina finds it all fun until the final tryout: This one will take place in front of the whole seventh grade, and their classmates' votes will determine who makes the squad, a system designed to bring about humiliation and embarrassment. Determined Christina gives it everything she's got, but Megan's decision not to be her partner for tryouts causes a rift as they confront difficult truths about being outsiders. This superlative graphic memoir is a funny, relatable, and genuine story of friendship and belonging. Christina struggles with identity in many areas of her life, for example, can she be both Buddhist and Presbyterian? The jokes, daydreams, and quips are delightful without overshadowing or diminishing the impact of her experiences with racism and exclusion. The attractive, expressive illustrations feature clean lines and bright colors.A funny, painfully honest look at a middle schooler finding her way. (author's note, photos) (Graphic memoir. 8-12)