Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies

by Stacey Lee

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Readers will laugh out loud alongside Winston Chu and his friends in this – you guessed it – whimsical contemporary reimagining of a Chinese folktale. When 12-year-old Winston is gifted an enchanted dustpan and broom from Mr. Pang’s Whimsies shop he is taken on the adventure of a lifetime chock full of magic and mayhem.

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents best-selling author Stacey Lee's modern reimagining of a classic Chinese folktale—replete with magic, boba, and lots of trash talking.

Twelve-year-old Winston Chu is supposed to learn impulse control at the cooking academy his mom enrolled him in. But learning to think before he acts won’t happen overnight.

While skateboarding home with a pie in hand, Winston inadvertently stops a robbery at Mr. Pang’s Whimsies, an oddities shop in Chinatown. As a reward, Mr. Pang invites Winston to choose any item in the store. But the strange old man warns Winston to browse carefully, for the first thing Winston touches will be the thing he gets. Before Winston can decide, a magpie flies under a shelf, and he impulsively grabs an old broom to sweep it out.

Mr. Pang hands him the broom, along with a dustpan. “Two for one. Congratulations.”

Deflated, Winston returns home, determined to put the broom incident behind him. Or at least in the closet. But when some of his most beloved possessions go missing, all Winston can think about are the broom and dustpan. Did they somehow take his stuff? And what—or who—will they dispose of next?

It’s time to break into Mr. Pang’s Whimsies, where clearly there’s more going on than meets the far-seeing eyeball. It’s time to fight magic with magic. And this time, Winston better have a plan.

Endorsed by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, soon to be a series on Disney+.

Look for these other exciting adventures from Rick Riordan Presents:
Rick Riordan Presents: The Last Fallen Moon by Graci Kim
Rick Riordan Presents: Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
Rick Riordan Presents: Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori M. Lee
Rick Riordan Presents: Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781368074803
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/07/2023
Series:	Winston Chu Series , #1
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	67,939
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Stacey Lee is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of historical and contemporary young adult fiction, including The Downstairs Girl, a Reese’s Book Club Late Summer 2021 YA pick, and her most recent novel, Luck of the Titanic, which received five starred reviews. A native of southern California and fourth-generation Chinese American, she is a co-founder of the We Need Diverse Books movement and writes stories for all kids (even the ones who look like adults). Stacey loves board games, has perfect pitch, and through some mutant gene, can smell musical notes through her nose. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @staceyleeauthor.

Website: www.staceyhlee.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/staceyleeauthor
Twitter: twitter.com/staceyleeauthor

Editorial Reviews

12/19/2022

In contemporary San Francisco, 12-year-old Winston Chu seeks to remember his translator father, who died in a friendly fire incident while serving in Iraq. On the night before that event’s third anniversary, Winston makes a shoofly pie in cooking class to honor him. But when the dropped pie startles two purported burglars outside of Mr. Pang’s Whimsies—a local store that Winston’s never before seen—the shop’s mysterious owner invites him to choose one item for his own. Accidentally ending up with a disappointing old broom and dustpan, Winston is further dismayed to experience a string of mishaps, and learns that according to Chinese custom, broom-inhabiting spirits may cast bad luck when the object is improperly used. When multiple dear items, then loved ones, begin disappearing, Winston and his friends must unravel the mystery of the shop, the spirits, and the broom’s seemingly targeted effect on Winston’s life. Contemplating grief’s lingering nature, Lee (Luck of the Titanic) plots a quickly paced, Chinese folklore–inspired story narrated by a sincere protagonist bolstered by loyal family and friends. Characters cue as racially diverse. Ages 8–12. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"From creepy Coco to delicious bubble tea, Stacey Lee weaves together elements from west, east, and in between to create a magical world all its own. I became a fan all over again."——Abigail Hing Wen, New York Times best-selling author of the Loveboat, Taipei series

"It is a spectacular kind of joy to find a book that makes you wonder and dream and believe that magic is just around the corner waiting to happen—Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies does this and more. In her explosively clever middle grade debut, Stacey Lee has written a brilliant adventure full of humor, heart, and whimsically wicked objects."——Stephanie Garber, New York Times #1 & internationally best-selling author of the Caraval series

"Lee deftly crafts an adventure that strings together seemingly random clues only to have them fall satisfyingly into place in the end. Themes of friendships, grief, and family love are explored throughout . . . There’s plenty of magic, healing, and love to enjoy on this roller-coaster ride."——Kirkus Reviews

“Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies is a roller coaster ride of enchanting surprises and chaotic magic that leads the reader through the most epic journey! I didn't want it to end!!”——Ellen Oh, award-winning author of Finding Junie Kim and the Spirit Hunters trilogy

“Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies is the best kind of adventure story—one with both hilarious magic and a heartfelt emotional core!"——Xiran Jay Zhao, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

“We read to learn, right? Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies teaches you all sorts of useful skills, like how to get your sister's soul out of a doll, how to help celestial spirits find love, and what not to choose when a strange shopkeeper offers you one free gift. Lee's tale is full of family, friendship, hijinks, hilarity, and flying pizza slices that will slap you if you're not careful—all told by a master raconteur.”——Carlos Hernandez, award-winning author of Sal and Gabi Break the Universe

From the Publisher

2022-11-29
A Chinese American family becomes entangled in magical mischief.

Eighth grader Winston Chu and his family are still processing the friendly fire death of his father who was serving in Iraq. On the eve of the third anniversary of losing his dad, Winston, along with trusted soccer mates Mav, Bijal, and Cassa, stumble across Mr. Pang’s Whimsies, a store of magical knickknacks in San Francisco’s Chinatown that Winston had never noticed before. Winston, armed with a pie, inadvertently helps Mr. Pang by scaring away some Hawaiian shirt–clad troublemakers, but he disappointingly ends up with just an old broom and dustpan as tokens of the shop owner’s gratitude. What Winston does not know is that these objects are possessed by the spirits of the cloud weaver and the cowherd, star-crossed lovers from Chinese folklore. Things only get more complicated when Winston’s younger sister, Coco, gets swapped with a changeling from the shop. The friends must figure out how to get her back using clues from Winston’s family’s beloved collection of traditional Chinese stories, Tales From the Middle Kingdom. Lee deftly crafts an adventure that strings together seemingly random clues only to have them fall satisfyingly into place in the end. Themes of friendship, grief, and family love are explored throughout. A few lingering questions hint at a sequel. Cassa reads White; Mav has some Senegalese ancestry, and Bijal’s name cues him as South Asian.

There’s plenty of magic, healing, and love to enjoy on this roller-coaster ride. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews