Summary: Alterations
It’s June 1994, and Kevin Lee is having a rough go at life. His parents are recently divorced and his dad is essentially absent from their lives. They live with their mom in the apartment above her alterations shop. His mom is always busy and rarely present for the kids because she’s trying to keep up with work as a single parent. Kevin’s Popo is fresh off the boat from mainland China and is now sharing their cramped apartment along with his sister Betty, with whom he shares a room. Kevin’s main escape is his imagination and his comics which he loves to read and draw. After a stinky incident with a centuries-old egg, his Popo makes him for lunch, and everyone at school starts teasing him and calling him egg boy, much to his dismay. Determined to change his image at their school field trip to Thrill Planet, he sneaks onto the most dangerous ride in the park with surprising results.
The Good (& the Not-So-Good)
This one was a mixed bag for me. I liked the illustrations in this graphic novel, and it starts off well with Kevin’s distinct voice grabbing readers’ attention right away. Unfortunately, it’s very slice-of-life, so we follow Kevin around for most of the book, but not much happens so a lot of the story lagged for me.
Kevin doesn’t go to Thrill Planet until the last 25% of the book and because I expected the whole story to be set there, I was waiting a long time. Also, parts of it felt repetitive and slow. For example, Kevin bickering with his sister and the constant accusations of the mom being busy. Finally, Kevin has a sworn enemy, Lily, and I couldn’t help but feel like the strain in their relationship was contrived, and that plot point was not well resolved (Did she stop being his friend because he saw her parents arguing? Or because he’s Chinese and likes her?).
Still, this book had some strong points. Sometimes, Kevin and especially his Popo are really funny, and I loved their interactions — especially Pop’s expressions. There are also lot of interesting musings about what it was like to be Chinese Canadian in the 90s and many wacky imaginative scenes (particularly those in Kevin’s imagination) that some boys might love.
Content Notes
Here are some specifics to know about the content.
Content Warnings
- Death: None
- Alcohol/substance abuse: None
- Sexual: None
- Violence: None
Diversity
- Ethnic: Kevin and his family are of Chinese descent
- Sexual orientation: None
Recommended for ages: 9+
Good for kids who like:
- Mexikid by Pedro Martin
- Link + Hud: Heroes by a Hair by the Pumphrey brothers
- Wacky humor
- Slice-of-life graphic novels
Publisher Details
Publisher details | Union Square Kids |
Author: | Ray Xu |
Illustrator: | Ray Xu |
Publication date: | January 30, 2024 |
Audiobook? | No. |
Page count: | 240 |
Cover artists | Designer: |
Buy This Book
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