Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee

While she may be a bona-fide genius, 11-year-old Millicent Min, who has skipped five grades and is taking a college class for fun, learns that using just the brain does not a whole person make. With the help of her wacky grandmother, a new best friend, and a boy she thought she hated – not to mention a volleyball team she joined under great duress thanks to her parents – young Millicent proves that in spite of her out-of-the-world IQ, she’s really just a regular kid with all the angst and joys on the journey toward adolescence. A fast, fun, brainy read.

Tidbit: This is the first of a highly entertaining trilogy by the delighfully clever Lisa Yee that features three very different lives of three friends who spend a summer hanging out together. Think of it as a nonviolent Rashomon for older kids. Each title stands alone, but read them all (Millicent Min, Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time, and So Totally Emily Ebers) for some fabulous fun.

Review: “New and Notable,” AsianWeek, October 17, 2003

Readers: Middle Grade, Young Adult

Published: 2003