Mindy Kim and the yummy seaweed business by Lyla Lee, illustrated by Dung Ho

Mindy has a lot of "new" in her life. She's moved across the country, from California to Florida, with her dad for a new job. Her mother died a short time ago and she and her father are having a hard time transitioning. Now she has to attend a new school where she is the only Asian-American girl. Not just the only Korean-American kid, but the only Asian-American student in the whole school!

Her first day is discouraging; nobody talks to her, her teacher can't pronounce her name and wants to use an "English" name for her instead, and a mean kid makes fun of her food, including her seaweed snacks. But that gives Mindy an idea. Determined to make friends, she starts distributing snacks and soon all the kids are talking to her and she has a friend! But things go wrong when she tries to make money for a puppy, to cheer up her dad and make herself feel better, and she not only gets in trouble, she might lose the only friend she's managed to make. Can Mindy fix things and will she ever fit into her new home?

The galley I received just had sketches, but I looked at some of the art online and the neat black and white illustrations are attractive and contrast the children at school, who appear to include black and white children, and Mindy's Korean-American family and adult support system outside of school.

Is this a little melodramatic? Of course it is, but it's also fairly realistic. While I would hope that teachers and kids wouldn't be so prejudiced and difficult towards someone from a nationality they haven't met, we all know there are those adults and children who would behave this way. This is light and funny and deals with sensitive subjects with ease. Is it great literature? No. But as I have said before, kids of all colors and cultures deserve fun, quick reading! There should be dramatic stories about friendship and school woes for kids from many different cultures and this is perfect.

As it happens, not only do I want to offer different perspectives to the (white) kids in my town, we also have a small but significant Korean population. This also seems to surprise people, but it really makes perfect sense - Kikkoman has a big factory in our county and they sponsor students to a local university, about an hour away. Mostly Korean, but some Japanese and Chinese students as well. Many of these are adults and have children, so I like to make sure I have some materials on hand for these kids to see themselves and that will mirror their own experiences.

Verdict: Whether they are Asian-American or not, kids who enjoy Junie B. Jones and similar tales of school and friendship woes will enjoy this new series and learn a few things about a different culture. Be prepared to tell them where they can find their own seaweed snacks!

ISBN: 9781534440074; Published February 2020 by Aladdin; ARC provided by publisher