Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Finalist: MAGNOLIA WU UNFOLDS IT ALL by Chanel Miller
Introduction by Heavy Medal Award Committee Member Gabrielle Stoller
Sometimes, you encounter a book that surprises you. Can a book in a mere one hundred thirty-something pages make waves in a Newbery sense? Is that enough time to grow character arcs? What about creating a setting that you feel immersed in? Upon reading MAGNOLIA WU UNFOLDS IT ALL, Chanel Miller did this and more.
Magnolia Wu is a hilarious character. The inner monologue given to readers made me crack up laughing a couple of times, even while out in public. Family dynamic vibes reminded me of a show I watched called “Kim’s Convenience” where an Asian family owns a small business–and all the interesting people that walk through its doors. Here EVERYONE can relate to socks missing their mates (I’m not convinced there isn’t a sock monster living in my dryer) and trying to reunite them. It is a great setting with which to introduce topics like making friends, making space for others, AAPI hate, and acceptance. Every single character encountered, from the bellman to the bully, had a strong voice. I wanted to linger with each of them in other settings.
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Speaking of settings, the reader is transported to a laundromat and indeed I could picture it. I could taste the smells of New York City. I was experiencing new surroundings along with Iris; Magnolia was a fantastic guide. Was she a fantastic friend? I leave that for others to decide but using kitty litter to help apologize says a lot about a person.
The plot and pacing was enjoyable. As someone who went in with very low expectations of this book, I found MAGNOLIA WU UNFOLDS IT ALL could be a sleeper hit with Newbery–just as it was for me. What about you?
Heavy Medal Award Committee members and others are now invited to discuss this book further in the Comments section below. Let the Mock Newbery discussion begin!
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About Emily Mroczek-Bayci
Emily Mroczek (Bayci) is a freelance children’s librarian in the Chicago suburbs. She served on the 2019 Newbery committee. You can reach her at emilyrmroczek@gmail.com.
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I very much appreciated this story, and think it would be a wonderful elementary read aloud. However, I don’t believe that it stands out enough to be a Newbery contender. It fits perfectly in the Ivy & Bean category and while the laundromat setting and diversity in characters offer some distinction, I feel that this is a wonderful “just regular” kid lit debut for Miller. In other comments here there has been discussion about whether diversity / political issues should enter into the Newbery discussions, and I believe that the topic of discrimination and immigration in this book may veer into that category. Is the reason adults are thinking this book is Newbery-worthy because it deals with this important topics, or is the actual text rich enough for the award? Magnolia is precocious and the story is quirky, but I am curious as to what others believe make this stand out at an exceptional level?
Interesting that the political issues were brought up because, surprisingly, I didn’t feel it defined the book as much to me as others in our discussions. While I touched on AAPI hate, I read this book as one more about friendship and self-discovery.
In response to thinking Newbery worthy…..I will confess that a lot on our list intrigue me this year (because ones I thought we would end up discussing did not make the Top 15). However, I do think this is a book that stands out for children. I see kids finding missing socks funny. And it is written well. Again, the “important topic” did not stand out to me as much as, say, Louder Than Hunger did.
I LOVED this book and I completely agree with Gabrielle that this could be a sleeper hit. While it is a lot shorter than many Newbery winners in the past and definitely bridges that gap between “early chapter books” and a more typical middle grade novel, I think it was readable, relatable and super effective at showing who Magnolia was, what it was like to be in her shoes and introduced a super effective take on “you never truly know who people are” by exploring her neighbors’ and classmates’ rich and varied lives through their left behind socks.
This book has everything I need and want out of a great book: an excellent plot, immersion in place, well thought out and vibrant characters plus a lot of quirk and whimsy to deliver a very real and thoughtful message. I want to bring up the discussion on KAREEM BETWEEN about politicism and highlighting how minority communities can be targeted falling flat in that novel because it was so didactic. I think MAGNOLIA WU UNFOLDS IT ALL takes a lot of the similar themes and explores them in a way that don’t hit the reader over the head and really make you empathize with the characters and their journey. Anti-Asian sentiment is still a very real thing in the US that Asian Americans have to struggle with every day and I thought the way that Chanel Miller wove that into MAGNOLIA WU was effective and poignant.
I, like Gabrielle, wanted to linger in Magnolia’s world. It can be hard to capture in book discussion what exactly makes a book work or connect with an audience (whether that’s one of the many Newbery criteria: delineation of character, plot, theme style). I think MAGNOLIA WU UNFOLDS IT ALL should be in our Top 5 discussion and I think of the many wonderful books published this year, this book especially will delight the actual audience it was intended for: children, while also making adults fall in love with it along the way.
I had a similar conversation in my head as Lauren highlights about KAREEM BETWEEN, needing to ask myself why it felt like MAGNOLIA WU worked in covering similar themes and KAREEM didn’t. I think Lauren’s explanation is right, I think it felt better integrated as an aspect of the story and that it wasn’t teaching us about the subject. We’ll get there tomorrow, but I think MALLORY IN FULL COLOR falls somewhere in between the two, except when it comes to gender and a very ripped-from-current-politics subject of drag story hours.
It’s interesting that Kate mentions that MAGNOLIA would be good for an elementary read aloud, because it does feel like it’s targeted to a younger audience than most (all?) of the other short listed novels this year. (Maybe text size on the page is driving some of that perception, though.) And, as Gabrielle notes, it’s a relatively short book, but as she also notes, in its short space it builds a cool little immersive world with colorful characters. I don’t know if this fits neatly into a Newbery criterion, but the couple of books I read before this one felt a bit like homework, and it can be so refreshing just to have fun reading a book. That can’t be everything, there has to be depth, but it’s something.
I felt the same way, Brian. Many times I caught myself thinking “OMG this book is so cute!” which is GREAT if you’re trying to gauge potential interest for younger audiences – but Newbery crtieria expects more from a book. I do think that Chanel Miller excels in writing well-developed, dynamic characters, especially in such a short book. Iris helps Magnolia pause and reflect while encouraging her to pursue her strengths and validating her feelings. Magnolia, meanwhile, learns to think more about where others are coming from, like when she thinks of Iris as a plant that’s been uprooted and realizes that her dislike of New York City isn’t personal (p. 67). (I loved that analogy and the fact that both of these characters were named after flowers!) In truth, their friendship develops beautifully and the kitty litter beach apology was a rewarding moment after their journey.
And can we talk about the moment when Iris tells Alan: “It’s going to happen. This little patch of noodles is going to be worth a lot one day. What you can do is really special, and if someone doesn’t think so, it’s their problem, not yours” (61-62)! That was another learning moment for Magnolia and one in which we see Iris also opening up! So I’m not sure yet if MAGNOLIA WU is a top 5 contender… but the character development and message that others pointed out certainly make this more than just a cute book.
P.S. My absolutely favorite line in this book: “Magnolia wished all socks would lead to Luis” (42).
Bina, one thing that stood out to me was that of Chanel’s writing. You mentioned that she wrote a well developed character and I agree. I was not expecting that (my only interaction with her had been her memoir Know My Name, a must read in my opinion). So agree short book with dynamic characters…impressive
This was one I read a few months ago after seeing it on the blog. At the time it didn’t wow me and I was like – ok, next. When I reread a book, especially in this case, I really look for the why. Why did someone feel like this is Newbery worthy?
Setting – Miller does a great job with the setting, the laundromat, NYC, all the sights and sounds.
Characters – There are quite a few characters in this short book and they are all unique and memorable.
Plot – For such a short book this is a well developed plot and quite clever. The SOC (stream of consciousness) method for finding the sock owners was quirky and fun.
Writing – There were many cases of really good sentence level writing and language. The description of the fan on pg. 62 “her hair drifting off her shoulders in the wind and then drifting back down”. The whole idea of transplant shock on page 67 and how that related to Iris. The whole section with Aspen and the flamingoes – staying gray and how he was “dipping a toe in vulnerable waters” pg. 86.
There are several other parts in my notes but I will save that for future possible discussions.
For the intended audience, younger elementary or early middle grade, this book was a neat package. I agree with the comments made about the political theme and how it was handled in this book vs. others.
I think my only hesitation is just how easy it all was overall – to find the owners of the socks in a city like NYC. I guess also was if the sock owners were all customers and the socks seemingly were so important to them, why hadn’t they noticed them hanging in the laundromat? Does it matter? Especially for the intended audience?
I could get behind a continuing discussion of this…
The mystery of missing socks is paired with a fun friendship story in
MAGNOLIA WU UNFOLDS IT ALL. The plot was original and fun, with hints of mystery. Nine-year-old Magnolia and her friend Iris become NYC Sock Detectives. Their mission is to track down the owners of every mysterious missing sock unearthed in her parents’ bustling laundromat. The delineation of the setting was creative, alternating between the family laundromat and unique locations in New York City. The book paints an honest but affectionate picture of busy city life.
The characterization was age-appropriate. A big part of that was sharing the experience of a first-generation American, examining the experience of mixed cultural identity. This has been a popular subject matter for the past few years. Chanel Miller presented the material with a gentle, understanding tone that invited readers into that experience. I annotated many examples, such as: “In silence, they shared the unspoken understanding that the underlying message was Go back to where you came from. Magnolia had felt that same message in various forms over the years, although those words had never been spoken to her directly. She felt it when the blouse woman spoke down to her mom, accusing her of not knowing English… It was humiliating, the way people made them feel like they were not worthy of being understood, too odd to be respected, too unfamiliar to belong.” (p.113-114)
The fun, playful, and quirky line art illustrations were well-placed in the margins of the text. They added to the storytelling. Perfect for those ready to graduate from early chapter books but not quite ready for more complex novels, MAGNOLIA WU UNFOLDS IT ALL fits in the sweet spot of engaging fiction for in-between readers. It was exciting to see a short book (145 pages) that was well-written for children grades 3+. The book had a literary quality.
From the first page, I was drawn in with “Magnolia Wu was almost ten. She was eager to turn ten, because the number 9 looked like a sprout coming out of the ground, small and easily stomped. Ten was a strong, two-digit number that looked like a sword and shield that belonged to someone who was about to conquer the world. (p.1) Throughout the story, the descriptive writing was excellent.
My only note was that sometimes the sock mysteries were solved in a way that seemed too simple and convenient. It is a top book for the year but did not quite make it to my Top 5 Newbery contender list.
Excellent books for mid-elementary readers are harder to find than full-length books for upper middle grades; and often, it’s much more difficult to write a concise story than a long one. MAGNOLIA is full of heart and charm.
As others have mentioned, the delineation of setting is beautifully done: I could picture the laundromat, pizza place, and apartment easily. Magnolia herself is a wonderful character who experiences a lot of emotions, including being uncertain about the responsibilities of friendship (“Magnolia had never had a best friend and didn’t know the responsibilities of the new position. How did best friends make up? …Did fighting mean the end of things? Did people recover from these kinds of wounds?” p. 105) and being frustrated with parents who were loving and physically present but always busy. Anti-Asian prejudice is handled in a manner that reflects reality, and while some of the sock mysteries are solved too easily, that could feel like a touch of magic; at least, I was willing to suspend disbelief.
I’ve been recommending this book to readers a lot since I read it back in September, and I wouldn’t mind seeing some Newbery shine on the cover.
Jenny notes that “it’s much more difficult to write a concise story than a long one,” and I think that’s a key to MAGNOLIA WU’s Newbery potential. I see the sock mystery as kind of a light-hearted framework to hold a story together, with the characters and themes springing from within that. And those characters and themes are pretty powerfully developed for such a short and outwardly simples story.
Magnolia’s voice is especially strong. It’s written in third person, but we’re definitely inside her head. Her voice is funny and distinct, and also conveys the setting, which is not just the neighborhood she lives in: it’s the neighborhood through her unique eyes: “Magnolia watched from the hole in her sheet, wincing from the force of each word. If the woman had speech bubbles, they would’ve been spiky like sea urchins, jutting out like spears.”
STILL SAL by Henkes takes a generally similar approach, with third person narration conveying a young person’s perceptions. Also done well, and with a younger character, but there’s a freshness and energy to Magnolia and her world that really stands out.
I really liked this one and I think that Jenny really hits the nail on head when she says that it is more difficult to write a concise story than a long one. Magnolia Wu packs a punch for such a short novel with setting and characterization and plot. I really hope that we will see more Magnolia Wu books in the future.
There are many reasons I think this book is exceptional and deserves Newbery recognition, but the one I want to highlight is that, in the Year of the Bad Mom, Magnolia’s mom is a realistically good mom with understandable flaws (or, if not “flaws,” at least attributes that annoy Magnolia). Mrs. Wu doesn’t play a huge role in the book overall, but her quirks are funny and memorable. Notice how Chanel Miller doesn’t tell readers Mrs. Wu is stingy but shows us specific things Magnolia has observed. Though she’s described as being frugal and hardworking throughout, at the end of the story we see Mrs. Wu’s softer side, as she puts Magnolia’s emotional needs first when Magnolia really needs her.
Here are some examples from the text:
“The only times she’d seen her mom rest were when she watched movies on her laptop or snacked on dried, salted plums on the phone with Auntie Mei. Magnolia hoped they could at least create a spa day, placing cucumber slices over their eyes, but knew her mom would never waste food by putting it on her face like that.”
“Mrs. Wu believed that birthday candles were a needless expense—if they already had large scented candles, Magnolia could blow those out instead.”
“‘Sometimes people can be mean, yeah?’ said Mrs. Wu. ‘Shout at us, insult us, treat us as less than. It’s not easy. It’s stressful, me and Dada, we feel it, we’ve suffered. But I know something nobody else knows: that no matter what bad things happen, I already won. I am in New York City with my daughter. My secret is that I am the luckiest person in the world.'”
That last quote illustrates how this book can be both very funny and very emotionally resonant.
I also want to say that I agree the solving of the sock mysteries is unrealistic, but I think that’s on purpose. Miller is adding to a long tradition of children’s book that are mostly realistic with an element of fantasy. I’m thinking of Newbery books like THE MIXED UP FILES (could kids really live in a museum undetected?), THREE TIMES LUCKY (could kids really solve a murder?), and MANIAC MAGEE (could a kid really bridge a racial divide single-handedly?).
Novels for children often have unrealistically rosy endings (HANK HOOPERMAN comes to mind). I’m not saying unrealistic elements can’t be criticized, but we can wonder how well it serves the story and how well it works for young readers. In the case of MAGNOLIA WU I think it’s very well done.