American Panda

(Paperback, Reprint)

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Description

At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies.

With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei cant bring herself to tell them the truththat she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.

But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels

From debut author Gloria Chao comes a hilarious, heartfelt tale of how, unlike the panda, life isnt always so black and white.

Weepingly funny. The Wall Street Journal
Delightful. Buzzfeed
Charmed my socks off. David Arnold, New York Times bestselling author of Kids of Appetite and Mosquitoland

Reviews

Seventeen Magazines Best YA Novels of 2018
Bustles Best YA Book of 2018
PopSugars Most Riveting YA Book of 2018
A Chicago Public Library Best YA Book of 2018
A Paste Magazine Best YA Book of 2018
Booklists Best Debut YA Book of 2018
A Junior Library Guild Selection
YMCAs Summer Reading List for Teens

Weepingly funny. The Wall Street Journal

Delightful. Buzzfeed

Vibrant and bright. Bustle

Beautifully told. Hypable

A soulful and hilarious debut. Booklist, starred review

Effervescent. Publishers Weekly, starred review

Universal. School Library Journal, starred review

This deserves a place on every shelf, though it will not stay there long. VOYA, starred review

Eye-opening, hilarious, and sometimes heartbreaking. Shelf Awareness

An earnest, funny, and emotional story. Book Riot

American Panda is an absolute delight; an insightful, incisive, and often hilarious story of one girl's struggle to balance her family's expectations against her own secret ambitions. Overflowing with wit and empathy, Chao's debut charmed my socks off. David Arnold, New York Times bestselling author of Kids of Appetite and Mosquitoland

A charming and hilarious tale of a precocious Taiwanese American walking the tightrope of family expectations...in ice skates. Mei Lu is a goofy, lovable American teenager. I loved her. Stacey Lee, award-winning author of Outrun the Moon

"Incredibly timely, honest, and movingthe must-read book of the season!" Sandhya Menon, New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi

A dazzling debut that hooked me with its humor and heart from the very first page. Lisa Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Magician

The perfect coming of age story for anyone who's ever felt unsure of where they belong. Kerri Maniscalco, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Stalking Jack the Ripper

Author Bio

Gloria Chao is the critically acclaimed author ofAmerican Panda,Our Wayward Fate, andRent a Boyfriend. When shes not writing, you can find her with her husband on the curling ice or hiking the Indiana Dunes. She does not regret putting aside her MIT and dental degrees to write, and she is grateful to spend her days in fictional characters heads instead of real peoples mouths. Visit her tea-and-book-filled world at GloriaChao.Wordpress.com and find her on Twitter and Instagram @GloriaCChao.