Six New Books Celebrating Diversity Within Diversity

“Can there be diversity within diversity?” Riley Jo — the protagonist of Grace Shim’s new YA release — wonders, observing that other Asian students at her performing arts school are in orchestra, while she is a guitarist. The answer might be an obvious YES, but in real life, the differences — and conflicts — among people who look like you are a lot more complex. 

In Mochi Mag’s latest roundup of books released in March and April, we capture some of the highs and lows of belonging to a group: It can feel like a warm hug or a gust of chilly wind. 

Just a heads-up: Some of these treasures are linked to Bookshop.org, where every purchase supports both your reading journey and ours. Happy reading!

“Unhappy Camper” by Lily LaMotte and illustrated by Ann Xu and Sunmi (HarperAlley, April 23, 2024)

In this graphic novel, two sisters go to a Taiwanese American summer camp in Seattle. Claire is so excited about being a junior counselor and embracing Taiwanese culture. Michelle feels forced to go when she just wants to fit in with the popular crowd in junior high. 

I loved the sisterhood aspect. Claire and Michelle find it hard to understand why the other wants to stand out or fit in. Both of their feelings are valid. Culture could seem so uncool when you are in middle school and coping with peer pressure. But at an older age, you might feel a little more confident and bold enough to embrace your culture. The heart of this graphic novel is how the sisters reconcile opposing attitudes and repair their relationship. LaMotte’s story, like in “Measuring Up,” has a lot of heart and protagonists who want to see their way through challenges, whether it’s a cooking contest or an unhappy time at summer camp. It was a treat to see campers doing activities like learning calligraphy, making shaved ice, and singing traditional Taiwanese songs through Xu and Sunmi’s artwork.

“Summer at Squee” by Andrea Wang (Kokila, March 5, 2024)

Similar to “Unhappy Camper,” “Summer at Squee” contains scenes that will be relatable if you’ve ever gone to Chinese school or summer camp. The novel is told through Phee’s POV. Phee (short for Phoenix) loves two things: sewing and Squee, the Chinese heritage summer camp she has gone to ever since she was old enough to. It’s her special space, one where she and her Squad make memories. 

But this summer, Squee doesn’t feel so comfortable anymore. When five new campers reveal that they are adoptees, tension grows between the American-born Chinese campers and the Chinese adoptees, who don’t want to be there.

Wang does something special here by including adoptees and their experiences at a heritage camp: People expect them to know Chinese culture, yet they don’t have an easy way to access it. While it is a middle-grade novel, “Summer at Squee” touches on heavy topics, like resentment of the other and how painful growth can be. Wang’s sensitivity in writing about Phee’s experience comes through.

“49 Days” by Agnes Lee (Levine Querido, March 5, 2024)

In Buddhist tradition, a person spends 49 days in limbo after passing away. In this graphic novel, we follow a young woman as she climbs a mountain during her time in between this life and the next. Kit can’t seem to surmount the mountain; every time she makes a bit of progress, a memory — a tie to the living — sets her back. At the same time, we see her loved ones coping with their loss. They regret the choices they made during their short time together, and mourn the time that will never be.

The illustrations are sparse as to be meditative, like taking deep breaths just to get to the next moment, which is how grieving feels. Lee’s story reminds me of “Let There Be Light” by Liana Finck, which looks at birth from a religious, but highly personal, perspective. “49 Days” shows that grief is a mountain to climb for the one who has to do it alone, and a painful journey for the people left behind. Readers will feel triumph and sadness at seeing Kit’s completion.

“The First State of Being” by Erin Entrada Kelly (Greenwillow Books, March 5, 2024)

There are many ways to highlight the value of a single, ordinary life, and “The First State of Being” does that through time travel. Michael Rosario is 12 years old, has a crush on his babysitter, and is having a miserable time living in Fox Run Apartments in Delaware — until he encounters 16-year-old Ridge from the future. The premise of this Y2k historical fiction is similar to “When You Reach Me” by Rebecca Stead and will also appeal to fans of “A Wrinkle in Time.”

Entrada has written a very cool book that brings readers back to 1999. Every day could be new for someone from the future, and this perspective reinvigorates Michael into living in the First State — not rehashing the past, not worrying about the future, but being present.

The chat logs and informational text from 2199 that describe the world in 1999 were fun to read, and added a sci-fi dimension to the book that could be fun for middle-grade readers new to the genre. I like the message that even a little bit of time with someone can make a big impact on their life; the size of that impact will grow as time goes on. 

“Not Your Average Jo” by Grace Shim (Kokila, March 12, 2024)

“Not Your Average Jo,” a YA novel showing the nuances of diversity, is the story of Riley Jo, a bedroom guitarist from Arkansas. She grew up without a Korean American community and with a lot of assumptions by her white classmates. When she moves to Los Angeles to attend a performing arts boarding school, she thinks she will finally fit in and not be the odd one out. But she feels just as out of place because she isn’t the Korean American that people expect her to be. On Day 1, her contemporary bandmates think she is in orchestra, and her advisor assumes she plays K-pop. The assumptions grow from there, even more so in this diverse city than in Bentonville, Arkansas.

This book made me laugh because it highlights how expectations from both our Asian American peers and other Americans – whether they mean well or are trying to put us down – misrepresent a person. For example, Riley’s roommate thinks it is a big injustice how Riley’s advisor slighted her, but Riley doesn’t think it’s worth speaking up about. Meanwhile, her bandmate pigeonholes her into either playing K-pop or backup, literally taking away her voice. Riley doesn’t see a duty to represent every Asian American, and that is totally OK. 

My favorite storyline is Riley’s relationship with her parents, who don’t want to see her struggle — no parent does — and try to protect her. She finds out their reasoning and their experiences the hard way when she can’t bear it anymore. Bridging the generational gap is so healing to read about, and is the best part of this story.

“Rules for Rule Breaking” by Talia Tucker (Kokila, March 19, 2024)

In “Rules for Rule Breaking,” we see another example of differences between two Korean American teens. They not only disagree – they are rivals. Bobby Bae and Winter Park are high achievers who, for once, just need to break some rules. They go on a road trip to visit colleges together, against their wishes, incorporating the enemies-to-lovers trope in a fun way. 

Tucker does a good job depicting the intense pressure that high school students face to get into top colleges. Extracurriculars consume their lives, and academic competition is fierce. But this is only the background for the actual story, which is about two childhood friends who find that they are right for each other. 

Like “Not Your Average Jo,” Tucker’s debut novel is not trying to lean into or dispel stereotypes about Asian Americans. Even when the main characters are model students, they become more than that by pushing each other and embracing low-stakes risks. The refreshing point here is that their growth isn’t proven by becoming the opposite of who they were; they get to be high achievers who have taken risks. These stories celebrate multiplicity within and among ourselves.

Cover: Jason Leung / Unsplash