Day 7: Millicent Min, Girl Genius (children's book)
Millicent Min, Girl Genius, by Lisa Yee
Probably intended for children ages 9-12, but enjoyable by all
How can you not love a children's book that begins with a one-page resume for Millicent Min, 11-year-old prodigy and a rising high school senior, impatient for college and "real life" and tired of the childish exploits of fellow pre-teens who just want to hang out and play with their friends? A resume that includes both her "short term objectives" ("to become JFK High School valedictorian...and earn a scholarship to an Ivy League university of my choice") and the long-term ("To be awarded the Fields Medal, a MacArthur Grant, and other prestigious honors, and embark on several careers, including psychometrician, journalist, judge, and acclaimed pastry chef"), as well as a section for television appearances (appearing on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno at the age of two, she was asked to recite the presidents of the United States. "In what order would you like to hear them" she asked. "Alphabetical or by year in office?").
But despite the fact that Millicent is smarter than her parents, her beloved grandmother Maddie, and that stupid jerk Stanford Wong--a family friend, budding jock, and failure in sixth grade English she's been hired to tutor over the summer--she hasn't yet learned how to make friends her own age. Her classmates hate her for her effortless academic success, Maddie's about to depart on a trip, and Millie's been bitterly disappointed to discover that her fellow students in her first college class, a summer poetry course, aren't that much more intellectually stimulating than Stanford himself. Enter Emily, an enthusiastic new 11-year-old arrival in town who hasn't yet heard that Millicent is a genius. Millicent hatches an clever plan: befriend Emily on Emily's terms, with no talk of her early departure for college, her IQ scores, or her multiple appearances on television talk shows. You can probably imagine where this plot goes--or, if you're like me and a bit slow at plot, I'm not going to ruin it for you. Suffice it to say that the book is a 250-page romp--pre-teen fluff, with a happy, educational ending in which even the genius Millicent learns something.
What I adore about this book is the way is completely casts aside stereotypes about Asian Americans: Millicent is an academic wunderkind, but Stanford certainly isn't, and Millie herself is third generation, with quirky parents and a grandmother who's considering learning Chinese to better promote her new-age fung shui business. Even more importantly, it reverses some of the things we think we know about academic achievers: Millicent's academic victories are almost effortless (she is a genius, after all), and all the older Asians in her life are telling her to slow down and enjoy herself, rather than pushing her to go further. The better half and I have discussed this book at length, trying to figure out just how calculated is it--did the author realize she was fighting stereotypes by exaggerating and embracing them, at least in Millicent's character? Or was this just a happy coincidence? In the end we decided it didn't really matter--it's a fun book, and we love a spunky, hard-working, know-it-all heroine who fits some of the expectations we have for her but not others.
You can take a peek at the book on Amazon and buy it at your local bookstore or borrow it from the library, where you can probably also find sequels Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time and So Totally Emily Ebers.
Probably intended for children ages 9-12, but enjoyable by all
How can you not love a children's book that begins with a one-page resume for Millicent Min, 11-year-old prodigy and a rising high school senior, impatient for college and "real life" and tired of the childish exploits of fellow pre-teens who just want to hang out and play with their friends? A resume that includes both her "short term objectives" ("to become JFK High School valedictorian...and earn a scholarship to an Ivy League university of my choice") and the long-term ("To be awarded the Fields Medal, a MacArthur Grant, and other prestigious honors, and embark on several careers, including psychometrician, journalist, judge, and acclaimed pastry chef"), as well as a section for television appearances (appearing on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno at the age of two, she was asked to recite the presidents of the United States. "In what order would you like to hear them" she asked. "Alphabetical or by year in office?").
But despite the fact that Millicent is smarter than her parents, her beloved grandmother Maddie, and that stupid jerk Stanford Wong--a family friend, budding jock, and failure in sixth grade English she's been hired to tutor over the summer--she hasn't yet learned how to make friends her own age. Her classmates hate her for her effortless academic success, Maddie's about to depart on a trip, and Millie's been bitterly disappointed to discover that her fellow students in her first college class, a summer poetry course, aren't that much more intellectually stimulating than Stanford himself. Enter Emily, an enthusiastic new 11-year-old arrival in town who hasn't yet heard that Millicent is a genius. Millicent hatches an clever plan: befriend Emily on Emily's terms, with no talk of her early departure for college, her IQ scores, or her multiple appearances on television talk shows. You can probably imagine where this plot goes--or, if you're like me and a bit slow at plot, I'm not going to ruin it for you. Suffice it to say that the book is a 250-page romp--pre-teen fluff, with a happy, educational ending in which even the genius Millicent learns something.
What I adore about this book is the way is completely casts aside stereotypes about Asian Americans: Millicent is an academic wunderkind, but Stanford certainly isn't, and Millie herself is third generation, with quirky parents and a grandmother who's considering learning Chinese to better promote her new-age fung shui business. Even more importantly, it reverses some of the things we think we know about academic achievers: Millicent's academic victories are almost effortless (she is a genius, after all), and all the older Asians in her life are telling her to slow down and enjoy herself, rather than pushing her to go further. The better half and I have discussed this book at length, trying to figure out just how calculated is it--did the author realize she was fighting stereotypes by exaggerating and embracing them, at least in Millicent's character? Or was this just a happy coincidence? In the end we decided it didn't really matter--it's a fun book, and we love a spunky, hard-working, know-it-all heroine who fits some of the expectations we have for her but not others.
You can take a peek at the book on Amazon and buy it at your local bookstore or borrow it from the library, where you can probably also find sequels Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time and So Totally Emily Ebers.