Danny Chung Sums It Up

by Maisie Chan (Author) Natelle Quek (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

A touching and funny middle-grade story about a boy whose life is turned upside down when his Chinese grandmother moves in

Eleven-year-old Danny's life is turned upside down when his Chinese grandmother comes to live with his family in England. Things get worse when Danny finds out he'll have to share his room with her, and she took the top bunk!

At first, Danny is frustrated that he can't communicate with her because she doesn't speak English--and because he's on the verge of failing math and Nai Nai was actually a math champion back in the day. It just feels like he and his grandmother have nothing in common.

His parents insist that Danny help out, so when he's left to look after Nai Nai, he leaves her at the bingo hall for the day to get her off his back. But he soon discovers that not everyone there is as welcoming as he expected...

Through the universal languages of math and art, Danny realizes he has more in common with his Nai Nai than he first thought. Filled with heart and humor, Danny Chung Sums It Up shows that traversing two cultures is possible and worth the effort, even if it's not always easy.

Select format:
Paperback
$8.99

Review quotes

"Told with humor and authenticity, this refreshingly sweet story also touches on the challenges Danny and his family face as British Chinese people. . .Funny and heartwarming; a balanced equation of family, culture, and being true to yourself." — "Kirkus Reviews"
Maisie Chan
Maisie Chan is a British-born Chinese author. She has written early reader books for Hachette and HarperCollins; a collection of fairy tales, myths, and legends in Stories From Around the World for Scholastic; as well as many stories for The Big Think, a well-being curriculum based around stories for elementary school children. She also started the group Bubble Tea Writers to support and encourage new British East and Southeast Asian writers in the United Kingdom. When Maisie isn't writing, she enjoys yoga, dim sum, and singing really loudly. She has lived in the UK, United States, and Taiwan. Originally from Birmingham, Maisie now lives with her family in Glasgow.

Natelle Quek is an illustrator based in London. She has been drawing for as long as she could hold a pencil, and she now focuses on children's illustration. In her free time, Quek loves to explore museums and nature trails with her husband, hunt down delicious pastries, and cuddle her pets.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781419748219
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Harry N. Abrams
Publication date
September 20, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV003000 - Juvenile Fiction | Art & Architecture
JUV039120 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Prejudice & Racism
Library of Congress categories
Grandmothers
Family life
Art
England
Mathematics
Chinese
JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Multigenerational
JUVENILE FICTION / Art

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