The Many Meanings of Meilan
Published by Kokila Books/Penguin Young Readers
ISBN-13: 978-0-5931-1128-4 (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 978-0-5931-1130-7 (Paperback)
August 17, 2021
Cover art by Violet Tobacco. Jacket design by Kristie Radwilowicz.
Meilan Hua’s world is made up of a few key ingredients: her family’s beloved matriarch, Nainai; the bakery her parents, aunts, and uncles own and run in Boston’s Chinatown; and the Chinese fairy tales Meilan loves.
After Nainai passes, the family has a falling-out that sends Meilan, her parents, and her grieving grandfather on the road in search of a new home. They take a winding path cross-country before landing in Redbud, Ohio. Everything in Redbud is the opposite of Chinatown and Meilan’s not quite sure who she is — being renamed at school only makes it worse. She decides she is many Meilans, each inspired by a different Chinese character with the same pronunciation as her name. Sometimes she is Mist, cool and invisible; other times, she’s Basket, carrying her parents’ hopes and dreams and her guilt about not living up to them; and sometimes she is bright Blue, the way she feels around her new friend Logan. Meilan keeps her facets separate until an injustice at school shows her the power of bringing her many selves together.
The Many Meanings of Meilan, written in stunning prose by Andrea Wang, is an exploration of all the things it’s possible to grieve, the injustices large and small that make us rage, and the peace that’s unlocked when we learn to find home within ourselves.
2022 Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) Best Book Award Honor Book
2022 Ohioana Book Award Finalist
2023-2024 South Carolina Children’s Book Award nominee
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection 
⭐️ School Library Journal starred review
⭐️ Booklist starred review
Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year 2022 Edition
Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature Best Books of 2021
New York Public Library Best Books for Kids 2021
New York Times 25 Best Children’s Books of 2021
School Library Journal Best Middle Grade Books 2021
The TODAY Show: Read with Jenna Authors’ Favorite Books
“Wang’s middle grade debut is a vibrant exploration of family and identity… Meilan’s story should be on library shelves everywhere.”
~ School Library Journal, starred review
“Wang’s resonant middle grade debut features stunning prose and a fierce protagonist… Meilan’s journey to reclaiming her identity and finding her inner strength is remarkably compelling and relatable.”
~ Booklist, starred review
“Having found a character who embraces the complexity of being both Chinese and American, I would have been able to echo her words: ‘I am not alone.'”
~ New York Times Book Review by Jean Kwok
“Meilan discovers the specific origins of her name–and, satisfyingly, the strength to proudly stand her ground.”
~ The Horn Book
“Meilan’s compartmentalization is cleverly rendered in different readings of her name… [Her] encounters with microaggressions and racism are all too real in this gently fantastical tale.”
~ Publishers Weekly
“Underscores the importance of personal stories.”
~ Kirkus Reviews
“This timely middle grade novel about embracing identity regardless of approval and standing up for oneself is a must-read.”
~ School Library Journal for SLJ Best Books 2021
“…A moving story about one girl’s search for self, and how she finds her voice and her place in her family and her community. It’s easy to compartmentalize our identities, and to run from the things that make us scared. But through Meilan, Andrea Wang teaches us that there is an alternative—one that is imperfect, but full of hope, growth, and ultimately, love. The Many Meanings of Meilan is a middle grade must-read for 2021.”
~ Graci Kim, bestselling author of The Last Fallen Star
“Andrea Wang, just like her character Meilan, is gifted at telling stories that are deep and true. The Many Meanings of Meilan is a powerful and beautiful story about justice, family love, and standing up for your truth.”
~ Debbi Michiko Florence, author of Keep It Together, Keiko Carter, Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai, and the Jasmine Toguchi series
