MAIZY CHEN’S LAST CHANCE
Grades 5 and Up
Lisa Yee
Random House, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-98483-025-8
288 pp.
Summary
Spending the summer in Last Chance, Minnesota, where her grandparents run the Golden Palace Restaurant, was not what Maizy Chen had hoped for. She and her family are the only Asian-Americans in this small midwestern town. During her poker-playing sessions with her dying Grandpa (Opa), Maizy learns about the historical challenges that have faced Chinese immigrants - and that are still on-going. When Bud, the restaurant’s iconic bear statue, is stolen and then vandalized with hate speech, Maizy finds unexpected friends in Last Chance as she investigates the crime. This story reminds us that a caring community can overcome the hateful words and actions of a few - and that there’s always room for food and celebration.
Curriculum Connections
Themes/Topics: immigration, friendship, racism, family.
Cross-Curricular
From Penguin Random House, see the Educator's Guide accompanying Maizy Chen’s Last Chance. Included are activities, resources, and discussion questions.
Social Studies
Much of the story focuses on the story of how Maizy’s family immigrated to the United States, including obstacles and successes over the generations.
From the New York Historical Society, the Chinese-American Exclusion/Inclusion exhibit does a remarkable job of sharing the stories of Chinese immigration and history through documents, interviews, artifacts, and more. Many parts of the exhibit can be accessed online. Make sure to check out the related curriculum guide.
The Chinese Chinese Historical Society of America has a wealth of resources, including a virtual tour of the Exclusion/Inclusion exhibit (above).
Asian Americans is a PBS documentary that gives a history of Asian-Americans through personal stories. While it does not exclusively focus on Chinese-Americans, there are segments that refer to some of the history mentioned in the novel.
Language Arts/Creative Writing
Maizy’s curiosity is piqued about her family’s history by the photographs of young Chinese men in the office of the restaurant. The expression “a picture is worth a thousand words” exists for a reason. The exhibit Portrait of America features large-scale photographs of recent immigrants. Choose one of the photos from the exhibit, list questions that you would ask this person about their experiences. Discuss what you can infer about their life from the photograph and/or words shared.
Discussion Questions
Maizy and her grandfather spend a lot of time playing poker together. He uses the game to teach Maizy some life lessons by using poker as a metaphor for life. What are some examples of the lessons that he teaches Maizy through the game of poker? How do they apply to her life?
What meaning does the bear statue in front of the Golden Palace restaurant hold for Maizy’s family and the community? Can you think of a statue, building, or piece of public art that is meaningful for your family or community?
When the bear statue was first stolen, who did you suspect and why? Were you correct? If not, were you surprised about the actual person who stole it and why?
Maizy figures out a way to put her own fortunes into the fortune cookies for specific customers. What is the purpose of the fortunes that she writes? How do customers respond to them? Can you think of a fortune that you would write for a friend or family member?
Author Online
Lisa Yee was raised near Los Angeles, where she grew up reading and riding the teacups at Disneyland. She worked as a writer/producer at Walt Disney World, where she once got to play Mickey Mouse, and has directed creative projects for Fortune 500 clients and led creativity seminars for dairy farmers. What she most likes to do is write – including not only books, but jingles, commercials, a newspaper column, and even labels for cans of refried beans. Find her on Instagram and Facebook.
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