Maizy Chen's Last Chance By: Lisa Yee

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Recommendation: Grade 5+

It's summer holiday and 11 year old Maizy finds herself on a road trip from Los Angeles to Last Chance, Minnesota where her grandparents live and own the Golden Palace restaurant.  Maizy's grandfather is not well and they are coming to help out.  Although Maizy regularly chats with her grandparents, she's never been to Last Chance and this small rural town is very different from Los Angeles.  Maizy spends a lot of time with her grandfather who tells her stories of his family's history in America.  She also gets to know some of the town's people.  This story is great!  It has a little bit of everything.  It's realistic fiction as Maizy deals with the reality of her family relationships and her ailing grandfather.  It's historical fiction as Maizy's grandfather shares the stories of the early Chinese immigrant's experience in America.  It's also a mystery as Maizy and her new friend work to figure out who stole the bear carving from outside the Golden Palace.  I highly recommend this book.  It's my favourite summer read so far!