Noodle & Bao

September 1, 2024
Two kids try to save their beloved neighborhood from gentrification. "This is a love story between people...and a town." Momo grew up in Town 99. Her favorite place to eat, Noodle & Bao, belongs to Noodle, her best friend Bao's grandmother. When the landlord sold the building, Noodle had to close the restaurant and instead open a food cart. Bao says the business is struggling. Ms. Jujube, the owner of Fanc� Caf�, the restaurant that took their place, is trying to force them out. Momo also notices changes--higher rent, "shiny new stores and big buildings appearing," and neighbors moving away. Then Fanc� Caf�'s owner announces that she's opening Fanc� Hotel, which she says will transform the "dirty old neighborhood." Momo and Bao try everything they can think of to protect Town 99--it isn't easy, but gathering everyone together is the only way to protect their neighborhood. This fantasy world, which is populated with humans and anthropomorphized animals, is based on the real history of American Chinatowns and the struggles of community organizations against gentrification. Lu uses light humor to tell the story in an accessible way. Informative backmatter offers additional context. Illustrated in black and white accentuated by shades of salmon, the charming, whimsical illustrations highlight the food and various neighborhood details. Noodle is Taiwanese, and her dialogue is written in English and traditional Chinese characters; Momo's family and some other characters use English and romanized Cantonese. An empowering combination of food, humor, and advocacy.(Graphic fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 15, 2024
Grades 3-7 Momo loves Chinatown-inspired Town 99, with its lively atmosphere and delicious treats, especially from her friend Bao's food cart, which they run with their grandma Noodle. But in Town 99, rents are rising, and businesses are getting pushed out. A fancy new caf� ignites a conflict between a wealthy developer and Noodle & Bao's food cart, though Bao, who dreams of culinary school, is hungry for change. In bubbly, manga-inspired artwork, Lu thoughtfully and respectfully dives into issues around gentrification, specifically pertaining to food culture: Noodle resists Bao's new flavors, which reflect the multicultural milieu they've grown up in, but she ultimately acknowledges that businesses like theirs need to grow and change to survive. Momo's efforts at community organizing, too, are handled with nuance: she learns that it's not as easy as making signs and shouting. Back matter explains the history of Chinatowns in America and describes both gentrification and community organizing in more detail. Young readers will likely recognize Town 99's struggles in their own communities and be empowered by Momo's challenging but galvanizing experiences of activism.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2025
Momo has spent her entire life in her beloved Town 99, a fictional setting resembling real-world Chinatowns but where humans and anthropomorphic animals from different cultures coexist. Gentrification threatens the survival of Noodle & Bao, the restaurant run by Momo's best friend's ah-ma (grandmother) -- and it also threatens Momo's own housing situation. Not content to stand by and do nothing, Momo makes plans to organize Town 99's residents against the corporation funding the town's gentrification. Lu's clean and expressive graphic-novel style, with most characters drawn with exaggeratedly round features and figures, radiates gentleness and warmth. The limited two-tone palette of black and red, combined with a mix of flat coloring and screen tones, creates contrasts and highlights as well as visual variety and texture. The use of multiple Chinese languages (Mandarin and Cantonese), usually but not always accompanied by English translations, represents the linguistic diversity of the setting and appeals to audiences with multiple literacies, adding layers of nuance and enjoyment for those in the know. Blending silly moments and fantastical elements with a more serious real-world issue, this book serves as both a loving tribute to Chinatowns and an invitation to young readers to stand up against injustice in their own communities. Back matter gives information on Chinatowns, gentrification, community organizing, and language. Shenwei Chang

(Copyright 2025 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)