THE MANY MEANINGS OF MEILAN

A family feud before the start of seventh grade propels Meilan from Boston's Chinatown to rural Ohio, where she must tap into her inner strength and sense of justice to make a new place for herself in this powerful and resonant middle grade debut.

Meilan'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; her cousin and best friend, Xing; and the deeply rich corners of her own imagination where her stories come from.

Fallout over money after Nai Nai passes sends Meilan, her parents, and her grieving grandfather on the road in search of a new home. They take a winding path cross-country, stopping to visit friends and friends-of-friends before landing in Rudbud, Ohio, where a job posting at the local bakery serves as a sign. Everything in Redbud is the opposite of Chinatown--Meilan's is the only non-white face in her classroom, she lives in a house with too much space instead of an apartment filled with family, and her window invites the shadow of a massive walnut tree rather than the soft glow of neon lights. Meilan's life has changed so drastically, she's not quite sure who she is--and so she decides she is many Meilans, each inspired by a different Chinese character with the same pronunciation as her name. Sometimes she is Orchid, as she was in Boston; sometimes she is Mist, cooling and invisible; sometimes she is Basket, carrying her parents' hopes and dreams; sometimes she is bright Blue, the way her new friend Logan sees her when they are alone together. But when an injustice happens at school, Meilan realizes that she must summon her many selves and her many stories to truly step into her full power.

Andrea Wang writes books for children. Her debut picture book, The Nian Monster, is an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor Book. Her second picture book, Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando, is a Junior Library Guild Selection. She loves to travel and sample new foods. Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of her writing is about food. Andrea holds an M.S. in Environmental Science and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing for Young People. She lives in Colorado with her family and their dog, Mochi.