The Mystery of the Painted Fan

Jacob is a young Vietnamese American boy that plays hockey. He wants a pink helmet, likes getting his nails painted with his sisters and other things purported to be more feminine. His parents and Ông Nội are oddly supportive of this. His Vietnamese family friends and teammates are less supportive.......more

I loved the message and the magical realism. I loved the family members and learning about Vietnamese culture. It’s the third on a series, but can be read as a standalone; that said, I kinda want to read the other 2 stories, about the sisters, now.......more

This was my favorite book in the Nguyen kids middle grade early reader series and featured the youngest sibling, Jacob. This book was a Forest of Reading nominee and has been subjected to shadow banning based on the fact that Jacob is gender nonconforming. They love to play hockey and want to wear a......more

I've adored this series so far. I can't help but think that this title was both heavier and more muted than the first one. The theme was heavy but approached in a much different and culturally diverse manner (as opposed to the usual story that is centred around white queerness/challenged gender norm......more

This book is being challenged in a lot of schools and libraries now. Mostly it’s about Jay being bullied for being like a “girl” wearing a pink helmet, having long hair, and preforming a fan dance. Most of the conflict is internal with Jay trying to figure out who he is and learn to cope with the bu......more