Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business Book Review

Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business 

T has been taking seaweed snacks
in his lunch, too. I think of Mindy
as I pack them up.

Written by Lyla Lee

Illustrated by Dung Ho

Published by Simon and Schuster, January, 2020

Review

At the start of the year, I was privileged to be a Cybils judge for the early chapter-book division, which is where I first encountered Mindy Kim. After reading Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business as a judge, I realized that this would be a great series to read with T. The series is about Mindy Kim, a primary-grade Korean-America girl who lives with her dad in Florida (her mother is deceased). 

Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business is the story of Mindy navigating her new school and life in Florida now that she and her dad have relocated from California. As the only student of Asian descent, Mindy feels under the microscope; her classmates' reaction to her kimchi and seaweed snack lunch on day one doesn't help. Readers will feel Mindy's discomfort at her classmates' ignorance, and relief when she befriends Sally, the sensible child who asks to try the seaweed and scoffs at the other children's prejudice. Duly chastened, the other children try seaweed too and realize how yummy it is. This leads Mindy and Sally into an entrepreneurial venture that lands them in the principal's office and hampers their budding friendship.  Mindy's dad offers gentle guidance for repairing the rift with Sally, and readers will be gratified to see the healthy and productive steps that Mindy takes. As an adult reader, I'm glad to see healthy and realistic resolutions modeled for a young audience.

While the storyline keeps you turning the pages, it is the characters that make you invested in the series. Relatable and realistic, Mindy, her dad, and her friend Sally all develop organically; I felt like I was getting to know real people, and Mindy's experience brought back memories of my own new-girl-in-first grade experience. Everything about Mindy felt authentic, and T found her relatable. He liked her and noted similarities between them, such as a love of ice cream and cute dogs. T also liked Sally, but not the other children who weren't nice to Mindy or her teacher, who seemed like a passive xenophobe. 

The characters are sympathetic and the emotional, exciting plot does not slacken. Mindy Kim is one character we are excited to read more about!

Note: A review copy was provided by Simon and Schuster upon request, for the purpose of an honest review.