Danny Chung Sums It Up

Gr 4-7–When Ba (dad) and Ma tell 11-year-old Danny that he is getting bunk beds and a “surprise,” he is excited. However, that excitement quickly evaporates when Danny arrives home to find that his surprise is nothing he could have anticipated—his Nai Nai (grandmother) from China in the top bunk! Nai Nai has come to stay with Danny’s family in Great Britain. This was not what he wanted; he had envisioned sleepovers with his best friend Ravi. Just when he thought it could not get worse, Danny is asked to “grannysit” Nai Nai over spring break. Despite their generational, cultural, and language differences, Danny and Nai Nai form a strong bond over spring break (and bingo) that is tested when Nai Nai finds some of Danny’s early illustrations of her as the comic book-esque villain Ant Gran. Hurt, Nai Nai heads off into the city alone. Danny vows to set things right, and with his friend Ravi, he locates Nai Nai in the city. Through his apology, Danny and Nai Nai’s relationship only strengthens, and he ultimately realizes how great a team he and Nai Nai truly make. This is a richly illustrated, humorous, and heartfelt realistic fiction tale with a diverse set of relatable protagonists.