Reviews

The Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack Cheng

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bookswithabbey1's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

smlunden's review against another edition

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3.0

important messages, and would recommend, but i didnt want to be reading it, it made me feel sad

thenextgenlibrarian's review

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4.0

Changes at school, at home and with friends have Andy asking who am I?

I received an ARC of this book from the publishers for an honest review.

Not only is Andy is starting 6th grade with his best friend Cindy, but Cindy pushes Andy into joining the dance club and Andy’s grandparents are coming to stay in his parent’s house for six months. At first all seems well until Andy’s science partner, Jameel, seems to be a bully but maybe a friend? And Cindy is slipping away from Andy to be with the “Tall Girls”. I really enjoyed this book. There are many transition/losing/gaining friends middle-grade books but I felt this one more realistic. Andy deals with more than just losing friends; he deals with anxiety, bullying, macro/micro acts of racism, and an awakening of not only who he is but also the struggles of the adults around him. That said, this book manages to deal with the issues with a delicate hand, careful to inform but not traumatize the reader. I also loved that there was no romantic interest between Cindy and Andy, just a loving platonic childhood friendship. My only complaint is that I wanted to know so much more, especially about Ah Dia and his life in China with its own tumultuous transition. It is a minor compliant though as loving characters and wanting to continue on their journey with them is always a sign of a good book.

thenextgenlib's review

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4.0

Changes at school, at home and with friends have Andy asking who am I?

brogan7's review

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emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Oh, this book was a five through and through until the end. My son and I both enjoyed it, wanted to read more, followed the emotional ups and downs, the various characters, the evolutions along the way.

There were a few moments that stretched plausibility...a kid doesn't become friends with his bully, not with that kind of a turnaround. But even stretching to that (because we wanted to have that possibility happen)--one thing a bully is not is emotionally mature, and Jack Cheng asked of us again later in the story to believe in Jameel's maturity (couldn't quite go there either).

However. The story, overall, is about middle school kids living middle school problems...being Asian in a white supremacist society, negotiating friendships when friendships are changing, dealing with mental health issues (anxiety and hair pulling), figuring out how to grow up and what kind of person you want to be, and dealing with aging grandparents, loss and vulnerability and love.

There's a lot packed into this one, Jack Cheng is an author to watch.

Content Warnings