AMERICAN PANDA by Gloria Chao. New York: Simon Pulse, 2018. 320p.  ISBN 978-1481499101 hc. $16.99     Gr. 8-12    YA FIC

As she begins classes at MIT to become a doctor, Mei Lu realizes that she's not able to fulfill her Taiwanese parents' dream of a prestige medical career.  She's a germaphobe.  Her parents also want her to date someone rich and Taiwanese, get married, and have children.  Mei Lu is a dancer at heart with her own dreams to open a dance studio.  In the midst of this juggling act, Mei Lu meets an attractive, intriguing, Japanese student who seems to like her too.  How can she tell her parents that she needs an alternative plan, when they've already cut her older brother, Xing, out of their lives for becoming engaged to an American?  How can she re-connect with Xing, keep a relationship with her parents, and make a life of her own choosing?  The title, AMERICAN PANDA is a subtle way to tell readers that  American and Taiwanese cultures aren't easy to separate as black and white.  Mei Lu's life has a lot of blurry lines.  As an aside, pandas are native to Taiwan.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI