The Ping-Pong Queen of Chinatown
Publisher,Quill Tree Books
Publication Date,
Format, Hardcover
Weight,
No. of Pages, 352
Shelf: FICTION / YOUNG ADULT FICTION / FAMILY & FRIENDSHIP
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Perfect for fans of Ben Philippe and Mary H. K. Choi, this charming, insightful YA novel follows two high school students who form a complicated, ground-shifting bond while filming a movie.
High school junior Felix Ma wants to prove to his parents that he’s not a quitter. After crashing out of piano lessons and competitive ping-pong, Felix starts a film club at his school in a last-ditch attempt to find a star extracurricular for his college applications.
Then he meets Cassie Chow, a bubbly high school senior who shares Felix’s anxieties about the future and complicated relationship with parental expectations. Felix feels drawn to Cassie for reasons he can’t quite articulate, so as an excuse to see her more, he invites Cassie to star in his short film.
The project starts out as a lighthearted mockumentary. But at the urging of Felix’s college admissions coach, who wants to turn the film into essay material, it soon morphs into a serious drama about the emotional scars that parents leave on their kids. As Felix and Cassie uncover their most painful memories, Cassie starts to balk at opening her wounds for the camera.
With his parents and college admissions coach hot on his heels, Felix discovers painful truths about himself and his past—and must decide whether pleasing his parents is worth losing his closest friend.
About the Author
Andrew Yang is a writer and reality TV enthusiast living in New York City. He studied computer science at the University of Chicago and has a day job as a coder. Andrew is a devoted fan of the writer Elena Ferrante, whose Neapolitan Novels are his favorite book series. He is the author of I'm Not Here to Make Friends and The Ping-Pong Queen of Chinatown.
Reviews
"A compelling story of personal growth and new understanding." —Kirkus Reviews
"Candid prose deftly articulates Felix’s inherent privilege as well as the ways in which Felix and Cassie’s class differences impact their friendship, home lives, and futures." —Publishers Weekly
"Yang creates an extraordinarily rich cultural background in this beautifully written work. " —School Library Journal
Dimensions: 13.97 x 2.64 x 20.96 cm
