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Summary
Summary
Award-winning author Wendy Wan-Long Shang brews a frothy and bright story, filled with humor and heart, about friendship, first crushes, and finding one's own way in Bubble Trouble .
How many problems can a delicious cup of bubble tea cause? Plenty, if you're Chloe Wong. For starters, Chloe wants to go on the class trip to Broadway -- an expense Chloe's not sure she and her dad can afford since her mom passed away -- and those yummy cups of boba cost money. And then there's the fact that the incorrigible Henry Lee is the bobamaster at Tea Palace, and when he's not annoying Chloe, he's usually coming up with the perfect drink for every occasion. For Chloe, lover of neatness and control, the arrival of bubble tea is nothing but trouble!
But bubble tea really wreaks havoc when Chloe finds herself banned from Tea Palace (for dumping boba on someone who really deserved it!). She comes up with the idea to make her own boba and sell it, with the help of her best friend Sabrina, her inventor dad and (whether she wants it or not) her rescue dog. Suddenly neatnik Chloe will have to contend with sticky drinks, the complications of running her own business and...maybe the messiness of admitting that she actually like -likes someone? Will Chloe be able to step out of the bubble she has built around herself and into an exciting new adventure to go along with her boba tea?
Author Notes
Wendy Wan-Long Shang is the author of The Great Wall of Lucy Wu , which was awarded the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature; The Way Home Looks Now , an Amelia Bloomer Project List selection and a CCBC Choices List selection; The Secret Battle of Evan Pao , which received multiple starred reviews; Sydney Taylor Honor Book This Is Just a Test , which she cowrote with Madelyn Rosenberg; and Not Your All-American Girl , a Tablet Magazine Best Children's Book, also cowritten with Madelyn Rosenberg. She lives with her family in the suburbs of Washington, DC.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this lighthearted novel by Shang (The Great Wall of Lucy Wu), an entrepreneurial middle schooler endeavors to make and sell her own boba to raise money for a class trip. Twelve-year-old theater-lover Chloe is ecstatic about her drama class's upcoming field trip to a Broadway show. But while most members of her affluent D.C. neighborhood think nothing of the expense, Chloe hesitates to ask her father for the funds, especially since finances are tight following her mother's death. A messy incident at a local boba shop inspires Chloe to start her own boba business to pay her way. But handling the sticky drinks and bustling business, on top of navigating her stubbornly growing feelings for cute if irksome classmate Henry Lee, is almost more than Chloe can juggle. But help from her tech-savvy dad, best friend Sabrina, and new rescue dog Phineas bring Chloe closer to her goal. Shang has developed a feast for the senses; anyone with a sweet tooth will rejoice at Chloe and Henry's blossoming romance alongside abundant confectionary descriptions. Empathetic depictions of tween friendships, familial relationships, and moving on from loss deepen this quick-moving read. Chloe and Henry are Chinese American; Sabrina is Latinx-cued. Ages 8--12. (July)
Kirkus Review
Boba tea may be the source of--and the solution to--this middle schooler's troubles. Twelve-year-old music lover Chloe desperately wants to go on her school's Broadway trip despite the teasing of her classmate Henry, "Mr. I-Hate-Broadway." But the cost for the shows, meals, and transportation is $375, and ever since Chloe's mom died, her dad has been working from home as an inventor, and she's sure the money's not there. Sabrina, Chloe's best friend, is eager to help her raise the funds, but when it becomes clear that Chloe's not cut out for babysitting and she gets banned from Henry's family's bubble tea shop for disruptive behavior, the two of them, with help from Chloe's new dog, develop a brilliant and delicious moneymaker. This is buoyant fare, touching only lightly on tough topics like grief and financial troubles. Chloe's and Henry's families are Chinese American; Sabrina is cued Latina. Chloe's intense desire for organization and neatness hints at neurodivergence, and while this is not explicitly identified, her family and friends seem to recognize and accommodate her needs. The story's primary and secondary romances are predictable, sweet, and age appropriate. What may linger longest are the fantastic bubble tea descriptions, which will have readers salivating--and curious about the science of popping boba. Indeed, the only thing missing here may be a recipe. Sweet fun. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
