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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSEleven-year-old Maizy Chen has spent her whole life in Los Angeles, and her grandparents' Chinese restaurant in tiny Last Chance, Minnesota, has always felt more like a rumor than a real place. When her grandfather Opa falls seriously ill, Maizy and her mother make the cross-country drive to the Golden Palace, where Maizy finds herself waitressing, befriending an extremely chatty boy named Logan, and being drawn into Lucky Stories, her grandfather's tales of their ancestor Lucky Chen, who sailed from China in the 1800s, worked on the transcontinental railroad, survived racism and violence, and eventually planted roots in the last place anyone would expect. As the summer deepens, Maizy chases down the mystery of who kidnapped the restaurant's beloved wooden bear Bud, researches the paper sons who once sheltered at the Golden Palace, and tries to understand why her mother and grandmother can't seem to stop fighting long enough to see how much they love each other.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Maizy Chen's Last Chance
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about Maizy Chen's Last Chance. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book is there a Chinese restaurant with a giant carved wooden bear out front?
✓ Answer
Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee
Bud the Bear stands guard outside the Golden Palace, the family's Chinese restaurant in a small Minnesota town. Lucky, Maizy's great-great-grandfather, named the bear after Budai, the Chinese monk whose belly people rub for good luck. Bud becomes one of the most important symbols in the story.
- First half
In what book does a sick grandfather have ribbons woven through the spokes of his wheelchair?
✓ Answer
Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee
To cheer Opa up, Maizy weaves colorful ribbons that Eva gave her through the spikes of his wheelchair. When Maizy later pushes him down Main Street, the ribbons whirl like pinwheels and people applaud. Opa jokes that he has always wanted a parade.
- First half
In what book does a girl invent fortunes that say "Fighting is easy. Forgiving is hard."?
✓ Answer
Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee
After her mom and Oma fight again over a cash register, Maizy types up identical fortunes for both of them that read "Fighting is easy. Forgiving is hard." The cookies are her quiet way of nudging the two stubborn women toward making up, the same trick she uses on Opa and Werner during their long feud.
- Second half
In what book does a granddaughter named Lynn Fong email about a paper son ancestor?
✓ Answer
Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee
Lynn Fong, who lives in New Jersey, writes to Maizy about her grandfather Eddie, who passed through the Golden Palace in the 1930s. This connection helps Maizy realize that the paper sons history is scattered across the country and worth piecing together.
- Second half
In what book does a girl take a flash photo and discover her own mother?
✓ Answer
Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee
Maizy expects to catch teenagers vandalizing Bud, but when her Polaroid flash lights up the figure beside the bear, it is her mother. Charlotte had been looking for her and chased off the real culprit, who left behind a brush dripping yellow paint.
- Near the end
In what book does a rich customer over-order food just to support a struggling restaurant?
✓ Answer
Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee
Maizy follows Lady Macbeth home to drop off her leftovers and ends up inside the creepy mansion, where she learns that the woman's toddler son Emmett and her husband both died of scarlet fever long ago. Lady Macbeth orders too much food on purpose to support the Chen family without their knowing.
