It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with a review of The Not-So-Simple Question by Christina Matula

The Not-So-Simple Question (The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei #3) by Christina Matula
Publisher:  Inkyard Press
Format:  E-ARC
Number of pages:   240 pages
Publishing:   April 23rd, 2024
Source:  Banholzer PR

Opening Line:  "It's the last Saturday of the Easter holidays, and I can't believe how lucky I am to be at a party at Repulse Bay beach with my fantastic friends for Jinsae's thirteenth birthday."

The Not-So-Simple Question is the third installment in the Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei series.  It centers on a girl of mixed Asian descent-born and raised in Canada with a Taiwanese mother and grandmother, and a British father who relocated from Toronto to Hong Kong about nine months ago following her mom's job transfer.  Since then, Holly-Mei, nicknamed Hols and her younger sister Millie have been attending Tai Tam Prep, a private school filled with privileged students, whom Hols struggles to relate to.  Especially when the topics of dating and dance lists are brought up.  And who is now facing more anxiety when her friend Gemma organizes an elaborate End of Year Couples Party, and insists everyone must bring a date, a prospect Holly-Mei doesn't feel prepared for.  

To distract herself from the dreaded couples party, Holly-Mei becomes involved in the school's dragon boat races and engrosses herself in her school's Experience Week, a week of cultural immersion where students visit various locations in Mainland China, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam and more.  They explore their cultural heritage, connect with their family history, and explore topics that interest them, like researching plant life or exploring foods from a different region.  Each student must write a report and present their findings to the class to add an educational component to the week.  At first, Hols is excited about her project; she chose Taiwan to explore her Ah-Ma's childhood home.  However, when a student remarks that Hols is only half Taiwanese, Hols is suddenly confronted with complexities of having a mixed-race identity and whether "being half of something is enough"?  

The Not-So-Simple Question explores how ethnicity, nationality, culture and race shape how and what a person identifies themselves as.  Hols finds the comment by one of her classmates about being only half Taiwanese unsettling and it makes her feel insecure.  She questions what "only" really implies.  "In the context of pizza, it sounds like you're expecting more."  She compares herself to other students who she believes are fully immersed into their culture, and envies how deeply connected to their heritage they seem to be.  They can speak the highest level of the language and play an instrument native to their culture.  But as she begins to explore Taiwan and interacts with more people, she learns the distinctions between ethnicity and nationality, and that countries are made up of many different cultures.  She realizes that she doesn't need to favor one side over the other but is instead free to define her personal identify as she wishes.

Even without reading any of the previous books in the series, this book stands well on its own.  I found the drama and stressors of dating are portrayed in a way that can resonate with those who are experiencing similar apprehensions about boyfriends and the timing of starting to date.   I absolutely loved Hols trip to Taiwan.  The author's lovely, detailed and immersive descriptions of the foods, sights and sounds of Hols exploration of Tawain makes you feel like you're experiencing all the same things as Hols.  The mentions of the foods that she ate were so detailed that it made my mouth water.  I enjoyed following all the places she visited and learning the complex issues surrounding Taiwan's potential reunification or separation from Japan.  As well as found the insights into colonialism's impact on Taiwan's Aboriginal people and the cultural distinctions between Hong Kong and Taiwan to be very enlightening.   As a bonus, the Dragon Boat Race and Hols Field Hockey added a bit of a sports vibe that was enjoyable.  Overall, this story was a pleasure to read, and I would highly recommend it. 

**A huge thank you to Banholzer PR for the uncorrected E-ARC in exchange for a review.**

   I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog HERE