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The Unbeatable Lily Hong
A smart, funny, and heartfelt middle grade novel about Lily Hong’s attempts to save her parents’ Chinese school and the town’s community center using all the resources she has—devoted friends, ingenuity, a passion for filmmaking, mediocre dance moves (at best), and perhaps even her archnemesis. If there’s one thing Lily Hong can’t stand, it’s being second best. That’s why she and Max Zhang have been bitter rivals ever since he swooped into town as the new kid with the cool clothes and his fancy downtown Chinese school and showed her up in the fifth-grade reading challenge. She had wanted to be the one to win the pizza party for their class. Okay, so that was two years ago . . . her best friends Kelli and Lauren didn’t totally get it, but they were on her side. And that’s why they agreed to help Lily with her submission for the Clarktown’s Got Talent video competition. Filmmaking is Lily’s passion—which means winning is more important to her than ever. Unfortunately, finding time to work on her video submission is proving harder than ever. In addition to doing regular homework and attending the Chinese school her parents own and run out of the Clarktown Community Center, Lily’s been getting weird vibes from her parents lately and she can tell something is up. Then her mom announces that the Clarktown Community Center is having its first showcase, and the students of Hong Chinese Academy will be performing as a group—traditional Chinese dance! Lily is more confused than anything else—the community center is practically falling apart and they think this is a good time to put on a show? Could it be that the community center is in trouble and the only way to save it is to make the showcase a huge success? Lily has no choice. She’ll have to juggle the video competition and the art of Chinese dance simultaneously. But when Max Zhang unexpectedly shows up in her class at Chinese school with his perfect Mandarin and his surprisingly good dance skills, Lily might just have to embrace her longtime rival as a key part of her plan to save the community center.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published January 2, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 15, 2024
Even though young adult is no longer my normal, I feel like I'm a little more lenient with middle grade. Lily is a Chinese American living an hour outside of Seattle. Unlike most people with a Chinese background, Lily is Hui Muslim. While I knew a bit about the Uyghurs in Western China, I knew next to nothing about the Hui. I would have liked that to be expanded upon, but perhaps it won't hold young people's attention.
Like any other young person, Lily is a little bit on the dramatic side. The only other Chinese American at school, Max, is Lily's self proclaimed rival. Obviously, a little more is happening under the surface, but Lily doesn't realize until much later.
Lily and her friends are Buffy fans, which won them some points with me. Vampire slaying, forever! They are also part of the acting troupe that puts on plays. As always, there is more drama that is associated with this.
The thing with the most drama of all? The Chinese community center is going to be torn down and turned into fancy offices! Oh no! What to do? Don't worry. They figure it out. Along with some lessons about what gender and so forth is "allowed" to do the lion dance. Don't worry. That went in the direction I wanted it to.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Clarion Books
Like any other young person, Lily is a little bit on the dramatic side. The only other Chinese American at school, Max, is Lily's self proclaimed rival. Obviously, a little more is happening under the surface, but Lily doesn't realize until much later.
Lily and her friends are Buffy fans, which won them some points with me. Vampire slaying, forever! They are also part of the acting troupe that puts on plays. As always, there is more drama that is associated with this.
The thing with the most drama of all? The Chinese community center is going to be torn down and turned into fancy offices! Oh no! What to do? Don't worry. They figure it out. Along with some lessons about what gender and so forth is "allowed" to do the lion dance. Don't worry. That went in the direction I wanted it to.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Clarion Books
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November 27, 2023disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
This was so lovely! I need more middle grade in my life, and this absolutely scratched that itch.
I loved that we got to read about a 12-year-old Hui (Chinese Muslim) kid, and Lily was so genuine in her curiosity, passion, envy, and hope. I loved the academic rivalry she had with Max, a classmate whose parents are land developers and want to buy the community center that her parents' Chinese school is based out of.
The "save the family business"/"save the community center!" plot was so precious, familiar, and yet, still felt as if it could stand on its own. Lily's friendships and her fascination with Buffy the Vampire Slayer was so sweet. Her yearning to attend Emerald City Comic Con with her friends was perfectly portrayed! I truly felt like I was read in the first-person POV of a 12-year-old who was trying her best to not disappoint her friends and community center, even though she was being pulled in different directions. I appreciated how conflicted she felt and how she grappled with the guilt she felt over lying, and felt it was true to how a 12-year-old would assess the situation.
I appreciated the subplot of the dance teacher Vivienne with Lily's Auntie Li, which I did not see coming at all. That was a fun little tangent! We stan a bit of queer representation, especially in Chinese American communities!
I would absolutely read from Diana Ma again in the future, and I'll be buying this for the kids in my life who are middle-grade age!
This was so lovely! I need more middle grade in my life, and this absolutely scratched that itch.
I loved that we got to read about a 12-year-old Hui (Chinese Muslim) kid, and Lily was so genuine in her curiosity, passion, envy, and hope. I loved the academic rivalry she had with Max, a classmate whose parents are land developers and want to buy the community center that her parents' Chinese school is based out of.
The "save the family business"/"save the community center!" plot was so precious, familiar, and yet, still felt as if it could stand on its own. Lily's friendships and her fascination with Buffy the Vampire Slayer was so sweet. Her yearning to attend Emerald City Comic Con with her friends was perfectly portrayed! I truly felt like I was read in the first-person POV of a 12-year-old who was trying her best to not disappoint her friends and community center, even though she was being pulled in different directions. I appreciated how conflicted she felt and how she grappled with the guilt she felt over lying, and felt it was true to how a 12-year-old would assess the situation.
I appreciated the subplot of the dance teacher Vivienne with Lily's Auntie Li, which I did not see coming at all. That was a fun little tangent! We stan a bit of queer representation, especially in Chinese American communities!
I would absolutely read from Diana Ma again in the future, and I'll be buying this for the kids in my life who are middle-grade age!
December 27, 2023
This book was such a fun read!! I loved it - Lily, her friends, and her family told a wonderful and heartwarming story about the power of community and relationships. I'm really glad I had the chance to read it early (thank you NetGalley for the advance read). I'm looking forward to recommending this book to my kiddos at the library, particularly those who are looking for Chinese American representation. I'll look forward too to seeing it on our shelves!
September 17, 2023
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Lily's parents run a Chinese school which meets in the local community center, so Lily and her brother attend classes there. The center is having a hard time financially, especially since the building is older and in need of repairs. Lily knows that her parents are trying to help with a fundraiser, but an enormous amount of money is needed for the residents to buy the building. In addition to this worry, Lily is at odds with a boy at school, Max. The two have a long standing rivalry, at least from Lily's point of view. She is still angry because he read more books than she did, especially since they were short books and she was finishing the last in a long fantasy series. As part of the fund raiser, one of Lily's mother's friends, Vivienne, comes to teach the children in the school a Chinese dragon dance. Vivienne, who is somewhat famous and lives in the city, is the one who has been sending Lily and her brother mysterious gifts, and there seems to be some unexplained tension between the women. Max comes to visit the Chinese school, even though he is attending a larger and more prestigious one in a larger urban area, and he happens upon the dancers, and turns out to be a good dancer himself. On top of all of this, Lily is trying to film a fan fiction version of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer with her good friends Lauren and Kelli, hoping to submit the film to a local contest, and go to a nearby ComicCon with these friends. She's hiding this from her friends at Chinese school and her parents, which causes increasing tensions as her friends don't understand why she doesn't show up for all of their plans. Max turns out to be a decent guy, and Lily's friends tell her that they must like each other, but when Max's parents have a plan not only to buy the community center, but to tear it down and build a multi-use office building, she's angry. Is there a way for the center to continue, and will Lily be able to keep her world from shifting drastically?
Strengths: This was an interesting look at a particular community. I loved the community center and the wide range of activities that were hosted there. Lily has several interests and is trying to balance everything, which is a very realistic take on middle school. I loved that she wasn't happy to blindly accept that girls did the fan dances and only boys could be the dragon in the number that was being performed. I'm not usually a fan of the enemy-to-lovers trope, but this had a twist; Max had always found Lily interesting, and the "rivalry" was pretty much all on her part. Tween readers will savor all the levels of drama that this has.
Weaknesses: Lily is not very understanding of the feelings of others, and seems to create some of her own problems by being very inflexible. Also, Max's parents were very sympathetic when approached about the problems with the new center, so I was surprised that this ended the way it did. I imagine that the building that houses the center needs MAJOR updates!
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who are concerned about changes in their community and have enjoyed books like Giles' Take Back the Block , Reed's Simon B. Rhymin' Gets in the Game, or Dilloway's Five Things About Ava Andrews.
Lily's parents run a Chinese school which meets in the local community center, so Lily and her brother attend classes there. The center is having a hard time financially, especially since the building is older and in need of repairs. Lily knows that her parents are trying to help with a fundraiser, but an enormous amount of money is needed for the residents to buy the building. In addition to this worry, Lily is at odds with a boy at school, Max. The two have a long standing rivalry, at least from Lily's point of view. She is still angry because he read more books than she did, especially since they were short books and she was finishing the last in a long fantasy series. As part of the fund raiser, one of Lily's mother's friends, Vivienne, comes to teach the children in the school a Chinese dragon dance. Vivienne, who is somewhat famous and lives in the city, is the one who has been sending Lily and her brother mysterious gifts, and there seems to be some unexplained tension between the women. Max comes to visit the Chinese school, even though he is attending a larger and more prestigious one in a larger urban area, and he happens upon the dancers, and turns out to be a good dancer himself. On top of all of this, Lily is trying to film a fan fiction version of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer with her good friends Lauren and Kelli, hoping to submit the film to a local contest, and go to a nearby ComicCon with these friends. She's hiding this from her friends at Chinese school and her parents, which causes increasing tensions as her friends don't understand why she doesn't show up for all of their plans. Max turns out to be a decent guy, and Lily's friends tell her that they must like each other, but when Max's parents have a plan not only to buy the community center, but to tear it down and build a multi-use office building, she's angry. Is there a way for the center to continue, and will Lily be able to keep her world from shifting drastically?
Strengths: This was an interesting look at a particular community. I loved the community center and the wide range of activities that were hosted there. Lily has several interests and is trying to balance everything, which is a very realistic take on middle school. I loved that she wasn't happy to blindly accept that girls did the fan dances and only boys could be the dragon in the number that was being performed. I'm not usually a fan of the enemy-to-lovers trope, but this had a twist; Max had always found Lily interesting, and the "rivalry" was pretty much all on her part. Tween readers will savor all the levels of drama that this has.
Weaknesses: Lily is not very understanding of the feelings of others, and seems to create some of her own problems by being very inflexible. Also, Max's parents were very sympathetic when approached about the problems with the new center, so I was surprised that this ended the way it did. I imagine that the building that houses the center needs MAJOR updates!
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who are concerned about changes in their community and have enjoyed books like Giles' Take Back the Block , Reed's Simon B. Rhymin' Gets in the Game, or Dilloway's Five Things About Ava Andrews.
February 1, 2025
Seventh-grader Lily Hong has a lot on her plate. She’s working on her Buffy video with her best friends for a filmmaking competition; competing for the top spot in class with obnoxious arch-rival Max Zhang; and attending the Chinese school her parents run out of the local community center. Then she learns the community center is in serious trouble—$100,000 of it. If they can’t raise the money through her mom’s first-ever Chinese dance show, it will be sold to Max’s developer parents. A dance show that Lily—a seriously mediocre dancer—now has to participate in alongside Max. While trying to balance everything, Lily grows closer to Max… right up until the little white lies she’s been telling to keep everyone happy balloon out of control. Can she make things right with the people she cares about, save the community center, and rediscover what she really wants?
Diane Ma’s Lily is a fully-realized character with strengths and weaknesses that naturally spring from one another: she’s clever, but judgmental and quick to take offense; tenacious but intransigent; and spirited but hyper-competitive. Most of the other characters are not drawn with as much dimension, but their interplay with Lily is always interesting to read. Humor, interpersonal drama, and tweenage awkwardness dominate the novel, but Ma also manages to touch on issues as varied as gentrification, the difficulty of balancing personal goals with familial expectations, and how easy it is to lose the joy of personal passions.
Readers will alternately enjoy and groan at Lily’s antics, and Ma does a nice job of balancing the action of the A and B plots with calmer side moments. Recommended for fans of the rivals-to-first-crush dynamic, such as Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables.
[Note: Lily and her family are Hui (Chinese Muslims). Lily’s aunt has a subplot with a woman she once loved, though no term is ever used to describe their relationship. Lily’s friend Lauren reads as Black and her friend Kelli reads as white.]
Recommended for ages 8-13.
S.P.
Children's Librarian
Diane Ma’s Lily is a fully-realized character with strengths and weaknesses that naturally spring from one another: she’s clever, but judgmental and quick to take offense; tenacious but intransigent; and spirited but hyper-competitive. Most of the other characters are not drawn with as much dimension, but their interplay with Lily is always interesting to read. Humor, interpersonal drama, and tweenage awkwardness dominate the novel, but Ma also manages to touch on issues as varied as gentrification, the difficulty of balancing personal goals with familial expectations, and how easy it is to lose the joy of personal passions.
Readers will alternately enjoy and groan at Lily’s antics, and Ma does a nice job of balancing the action of the A and B plots with calmer side moments. Recommended for fans of the rivals-to-first-crush dynamic, such as Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables.
[Note: Lily and her family are Hui (Chinese Muslims). Lily’s aunt has a subplot with a woman she once loved, though no term is ever used to describe their relationship. Lily’s friend Lauren reads as Black and her friend Kelli reads as white.]
Recommended for ages 8-13.
S.P.
Children's Librarian
May 23, 2024
Seventh-grader Lily Hong has a lot on her plate. She’s working on her Buffy video with her best friends for a filmmaking competition; competing for the top spot in class with obnoxious arch-rival Max Zhang; and attending the Chinese school her parents run out of the local community center. Then she learns the community center is in serious trouble—$100,000 of it. If they can’t raise the money through her mom’s first-ever Chinese dance show, it will be sold to Max’s developer parents. A dance show that Lily—a seriously mediocre dancer—now has to participate in alongside Max. While trying to balance everything, Lily grows closer to Max… right up until the little white lies she’s been telling to keep everyone happy balloon out of control. Can she make things right with the people she cares about, save the community center, and rediscover what she really wants?
Diane Ma’s Lily is a fully-realized character with strengths and weaknesses that naturally spring from one another: she’s clever, but judgmental and quick to take offense; tenacious but intransigent; and spirited but hyper-competitive. Most of the other characters are not drawn with as much dimension, but their interplay with Lily is always interesting to read. Humor, interpersonal drama, and tweenage awkwardness dominate the novel, but Ma also manages to touch on issues as varied as gentrification, the difficulty of balancing personal goals with familial expectations, and how easy it is to lose the joy of personal passions.
Readers will alternately enjoy and groan at Lily’s antics (be prepared for LOTS of secondhand embarrassment!), and Ma does a nice job of balancing the action of the A and B plots with calmer side moments. Recommended for fans of the one-sided-rivals-to-first-crush dynamic; think Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables.
[Note: Lily and her family are Hui (Chinese Muslims). Lily’s aunt has a subplot with a woman she once loved, though no term is ever used to describe their relationship. Lily’s friend Lauren reads as Black and her friend Kelli reads as white.]
Recommended for ages 8-13. Thanks to HarperCollins for the copy via the Southeast Ohio Young Adult Media Group.
Diane Ma’s Lily is a fully-realized character with strengths and weaknesses that naturally spring from one another: she’s clever, but judgmental and quick to take offense; tenacious but intransigent; and spirited but hyper-competitive. Most of the other characters are not drawn with as much dimension, but their interplay with Lily is always interesting to read. Humor, interpersonal drama, and tweenage awkwardness dominate the novel, but Ma also manages to touch on issues as varied as gentrification, the difficulty of balancing personal goals with familial expectations, and how easy it is to lose the joy of personal passions.
Readers will alternately enjoy and groan at Lily’s antics (be prepared for LOTS of secondhand embarrassment!), and Ma does a nice job of balancing the action of the A and B plots with calmer side moments. Recommended for fans of the one-sided-rivals-to-first-crush dynamic; think Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables.
[Note: Lily and her family are Hui (Chinese Muslims). Lily’s aunt has a subplot with a woman she once loved, though no term is ever used to describe their relationship. Lily’s friend Lauren reads as Black and her friend Kelli reads as white.]
Recommended for ages 8-13. Thanks to HarperCollins for the copy via the Southeast Ohio Young Adult Media Group.
November 2, 2023
I love this book for so many reasons. I love the friendships and the lessons learned about how to be a good friend. I love the strong ethnic identities of the students, and the conflict that that sometimes includes. I love the cooperation and community ties. I love that none of the characters are perfect - each has their own weaknesses, but those imperfections are not treated as flaws, but as another means to celebrate differences and inclusion. I love that as an American teaching in China, it bridges the cultural divide so beautifully and is something that students in both countries would find interesting and engaging. I love that I could have it in my classroom library in both countries and know that all the students would enjoy reading it and finding different things of interest in it. I especially love that my Chinese students will see themselves in a Western book and will be able to identify with a character they read about in English.
This is very clearly a middle grades book - it's not trying to be anything more or less, and I love that, as well.
I really enjoyed Lily and her friends and family and look forward to future books from the author.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Clarion Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.
This is very clearly a middle grades book - it's not trying to be anything more or less, and I love that, as well.
I really enjoyed Lily and her friends and family and look forward to future books from the author.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Clarion Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.
September 28, 2023
This novel has a fantastic cast, the main character is energetic and as the title points out unbeatable, she slows down for nothing.
Lily is twelve and into making fantasy movies, a huge geeky fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and comic cons. She has amazing and loyal friends and a great plan to succeed in her double life as belonging to her middle-grade school life but also her Chinese community. For a while, she keeps all separated and juggles both areas as distinct problems to solve but there is just so much this energetic pre-teen can do. Her archenemy turns out to be a good listener and friend. Then all her plans crumble but she doesn't quit.
This is an exciting read with a rom-com vibe. I love the twists and misunderstandings that just make us turn the page to see how she is going to tackle the next difficulty. I love a character that is not perfect but gives her best to improve.
This is an author that I will be on the lookout for her next middle-grade project. It reminded me of Turning Red which is one of my favorite animations.
Thank you, publisher and Netgalley for this e-ARC.
Lily is twelve and into making fantasy movies, a huge geeky fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and comic cons. She has amazing and loyal friends and a great plan to succeed in her double life as belonging to her middle-grade school life but also her Chinese community. For a while, she keeps all separated and juggles both areas as distinct problems to solve but there is just so much this energetic pre-teen can do. Her archenemy turns out to be a good listener and friend. Then all her plans crumble but she doesn't quit.
This is an exciting read with a rom-com vibe. I love the twists and misunderstandings that just make us turn the page to see how she is going to tackle the next difficulty. I love a character that is not perfect but gives her best to improve.
This is an author that I will be on the lookout for her next middle-grade project. It reminded me of Turning Red which is one of my favorite animations.
Thank you, publisher and Netgalley for this e-ARC.
December 8, 2023
I really enjoyed this book! The thing I love about middle grade books is that there is always hope. Always optimism. Even when things look bleak. And this one had a lot of it. It also had a lot of humor, wonderful characters, great friendships, a crush or two, and a fun plot to keeps things interesting.
There is also an important theme around community and how something like a community center can really bring people together. The message was subtle but beautifully woven into the story.
Let's talk about Lily Hong. She is incredible. I adored her. She is a filmmaker at heart but puts her all into everything. Lily was hilarious and witty and quick thinking and always up to something. I think we all know kids like Lily and embrace the chaos that surrounds them.
Lily and her friends decide to save the community center where her mom's Chinese school, plus a lot of other clubs and businesses are at. It's wonderful to see how they come together and bring Lily's plan to life.
The representation was also terrific. Lily is Hui, Chinese Muslim, and her identity was such an important piece of this story.
A great story for kids ages 8 and up!
There is also an important theme around community and how something like a community center can really bring people together. The message was subtle but beautifully woven into the story.
Let's talk about Lily Hong. She is incredible. I adored her. She is a filmmaker at heart but puts her all into everything. Lily was hilarious and witty and quick thinking and always up to something. I think we all know kids like Lily and embrace the chaos that surrounds them.
Lily and her friends decide to save the community center where her mom's Chinese school, plus a lot of other clubs and businesses are at. It's wonderful to see how they come together and bring Lily's plan to life.
The representation was also terrific. Lily is Hui, Chinese Muslim, and her identity was such an important piece of this story.
A great story for kids ages 8 and up!
January 26, 2026
Lily Hong is determined to win the Clarktown's Got Talent video competition with her film that she's making with her best friends Lauren and Kelli. But when her mom suddenly announces that she and the othestudents at her parents' Chinese school will be performing a traditional dance in a community center showcase, her plans are thrown off. It doesn't help that her annoying archenemy Max Zhang's parents are trying to buy the community center, which is in danger of closing. Suddenly Lily finds herself lying to people she cares about to try and be in two different places at once, and on top of that she is really worried about the fate of her parents' Chinese school. Will Lily be able to save the center and win the contest all at once or has she taken on too much?
Overall, I enjoyed this story's hopeful message and likeable cast of characters. I felt that the "Lily and Max are enemies" plotline got a little old over time, but I liked the way it was resolved. Overall I liked this book, particularly its exploration of Chinese culture. Any kid who likes a bighearted story or who wants to learn about other cultures will enjoy The Unbeatable Lily Hong.
Overall, I enjoyed this story's hopeful message and likeable cast of characters. I felt that the "Lily and Max are enemies" plotline got a little old over time, but I liked the way it was resolved. Overall I liked this book, particularly its exploration of Chinese culture. Any kid who likes a bighearted story or who wants to learn about other cultures will enjoy The Unbeatable Lily Hong.
December 12, 2023
I had a lot of fun! I'm trying to read more middle grade in general especially because of GR eliminating that category in their awards this past year.
I'm a sucker for any book that has Chinese language in it of course and most Chinese Americans will know the busy day of school and Chinese school. Lily and her friends are a fun bunch - they feel like pre-teens and have the dreams of pre-teens. It's a book I would have very much loved when I was growing up to see people who had my shared experience in text. It was also cool to see Hui Chinese represented, which I don't often see.
Save the Chinese school/community center is always a fun storyline mixed in with Lily's conflict to balance her school friends and her Chinese school friend Tina.
I'm a sucker for any book that has Chinese language in it of course and most Chinese Americans will know the busy day of school and Chinese school. Lily and her friends are a fun bunch - they feel like pre-teens and have the dreams of pre-teens. It's a book I would have very much loved when I was growing up to see people who had my shared experience in text. It was also cool to see Hui Chinese represented, which I don't often see.
Save the Chinese school/community center is always a fun storyline mixed in with Lily's conflict to balance her school friends and her Chinese school friend Tina.
January 1, 2024
Lily is a seventh grader who loves making films. However, when she is forced to be part of a Chinese dance group, she finds herself drawn in many directions. It takes her realizing she needs the support of her friends to figure out balance and save her community center.
I found Lily to be unlikeable at first, but she has a lot of growth throughout the book! I like a lot of the messages the book had, although I think the crushes on each other could have been a more minimal storyline. There is one line at the end that makes it seems like Lily thinks Max loves her??? And that was just weird with them being twelve. I do think though the messages about community and friendship outweigh that!
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I found Lily to be unlikeable at first, but she has a lot of growth throughout the book! I like a lot of the messages the book had, although I think the crushes on each other could have been a more minimal storyline. There is one line at the end that makes it seems like Lily thinks Max loves her??? And that was just weird with them being twelve. I do think though the messages about community and friendship outweigh that!
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 5, 2025
This is really fun! I'm not sure how well Lily's interest in Buffy will play to a modern kids audience, but I laughed really hard at the Star trek club's mediation services, and I loved all of the various groups that make up the community center (fencing club! Creative Anachronism Society, the détente between the Knitting League and the Quilting Club and the Crochet Society). Lots of spirit, shenanigans, great friendships, competition. Also a lot of lying -- mostly unnecessary lying -- and a suprising amount of successful sneaking around. I feel that is excellently balanced by the total lack of shaming and bullying -- these kids are confident in their abilities, into high achievement, and talented.
July 3, 2024
Lily is super competitive – especially when it comes to classmate Max. When his video is chosen over hers to appear on the school website she becomes even more determined to beat him. She plans to win the school district video competition even though no middle school film has ever won. She’s also trying to help raise money for the community center where she attends Chinese school. When she overextends herself, Lily finds herself jeopardizing her friendships and losing her love for filmmaking. Readers will root for Lily while laughing at her obsession with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and learning about the feud between the quilt club and the knitting club.
January 15, 2024
This is probably about as exciting as a kids' book can get. Music would be ab even nicer addition. It teaches tolerance and understanding of kids whose parents are of different heritage. It also discusses expectation management which is super important for highly scheduled children of today. Friendship management is also a main theme. I recommend this for 4th grade and up although the main characters are in middle school. I found the Chinese pronunciation to be a little off but exposure is what's important.
January 4, 2024
Lily is a really great character who doesn't give up at all costs. She has great friends and an arch nemesis who might actually turn out to be a good friend.
This is a really cute middle grade book, with a great message of not giving up even when things get out of whack.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
This is a really cute middle grade book, with a great message of not giving up even when things get out of whack.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
February 28, 2024
Unbeatable Lily Hong by Diana Ma
Lily has been academic rivals with Max Zheng since 5th grade. Max dresses in fancy designer clothes that Lily’s family can’t afford, and lives in the posh gated community, that his real estate developer parents built. Lily’s parents run a Chinese school in the local community center.
Lily has two close friends who work with her to make films which she writes and directs. Max also likes to make films, so this is another area of rivalry. Lily finds out that the community center is in financial trouble, and may close, which would be a disaster for her parent's school. Max’s parents want to tear down the center to put up a high rise office building. The community center is going to throw a fundraising show featuring all the groups who use it, in an effort to save it. At the same time Lily and her friends are trying to create a film to submit for an annual town contest.
The rehearsals for Lily’s film are at almost the same time as the Chinese dance rehearsals for the fundraiser. Lily is scared to let her friends down by telling them that she has to cut their time short, so she keeps ducking out of film rehearsals early, and arriving late to the dance rehearsals. Instead of explaining her rehearsal conflict to her friends, Lily doesn’t explain the situation, and tells some lies.
This was a heartwarming story with some funny scenes, and a plot that moved along briskly. I really enjoyed the passion that Lily and her friends brought to their artistic projects, and the scenes of the film that they were working on. It felt like an authentic middle school Buffy the Vampire Slayer inspired production, that also integrated present day enthusiasm for social issues: “The Chosen One Slays Big Business on the Hellmouth.”
I generally don’t like plots that revolve around a character telling lies, but despite this preference the book was so engaging that I zoomed through it.
Lily has been academic rivals with Max Zheng since 5th grade. Max dresses in fancy designer clothes that Lily’s family can’t afford, and lives in the posh gated community, that his real estate developer parents built. Lily’s parents run a Chinese school in the local community center.
Lily has two close friends who work with her to make films which she writes and directs. Max also likes to make films, so this is another area of rivalry. Lily finds out that the community center is in financial trouble, and may close, which would be a disaster for her parent's school. Max’s parents want to tear down the center to put up a high rise office building. The community center is going to throw a fundraising show featuring all the groups who use it, in an effort to save it. At the same time Lily and her friends are trying to create a film to submit for an annual town contest.
The rehearsals for Lily’s film are at almost the same time as the Chinese dance rehearsals for the fundraiser. Lily is scared to let her friends down by telling them that she has to cut their time short, so she keeps ducking out of film rehearsals early, and arriving late to the dance rehearsals. Instead of explaining her rehearsal conflict to her friends, Lily doesn’t explain the situation, and tells some lies.
This was a heartwarming story with some funny scenes, and a plot that moved along briskly. I really enjoyed the passion that Lily and her friends brought to their artistic projects, and the scenes of the film that they were working on. It felt like an authentic middle school Buffy the Vampire Slayer inspired production, that also integrated present day enthusiasm for social issues: “The Chosen One Slays Big Business on the Hellmouth.”
I generally don’t like plots that revolve around a character telling lies, but despite this preference the book was so engaging that I zoomed through it.
December 6, 2024
Wonderful for young readers, obviously -- Lily is so real and funny and endearing--but it's the teachers among us that need to be putting this in our classroom libraries! Trust that this is the kind of important book that will make spaces better places :)
February 22, 2024
read for children's lit class. definitely not the target audience but I thought it was a compelling story, albeit a little too busy at points.
March 17, 2024
3.5/5
May 20, 2024
This book was absolutely charming and cute. If you're interested in hearing more of my thoughts on this one, be sure to check out my video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQxWH...
December 18, 2025
Maybe a smidge longer of a read than I would have liked but this 100% the kind of book I would have adored reading as a kid in middle school
May 3, 2024
3.5 stars
Lily loves making films and she loves beating her rival Max at anything and everything. When her parents language school at their local community center is in danger, she decides to put her talents to good use but once again her rivalry with Max is eclipsing her efforts.
This is a solid middle grade read with . However, it is a good example of being honest with family and friends.
Lily loves making films and she loves beating her rival Max at anything and everything. When her parents language school at their local community center is in danger, she decides to put her talents to good use but once again her rivalry with Max is eclipsing her efforts.
This is a solid middle grade read with . However, it is a good example of being honest with family and friends.
September 29, 2024
middle school book. Main character chinese muslim, takes place in small town outside of seattle. Picked it up because I heard a review. Read thinking that I might give to Kiley, but I don't think I can. (Due to one gay adult relationship storyline.) Book is entirely G rated
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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