Measuring Up

Measuring Up (2020) is a middle-grade graphic novel written by Lily LaMotte and illustrated by Ann Xu. It tells the story of 12-year-old Cici when her family immigrates from Taiwan to Seattle. She enters a competition to win money so that her A-má can visit, and she comes to recognize that cooking is her passion. It is a story of the immigrant experience in the US and the ways in which children have to wrestle with the culture of their homeland and that of the United States.

In 2021, Measuring Up won the Cybils Award for an Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novel. It was also a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and has been nominated for the Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award, the Georgia Children’s Book Award, and the South Carolina Association of School Librarians Junior Book Award. It was also a National Endowment for the Arts January Reading Across America selection.

This guide refers to the 2020 version of Measuring Up published by HarperAlley.

Plot Summary

Measuring Up opens in Taiwan. Cici describes how the best part of her life there is her A-má, her grandmother. Soon after, she and her parents prepare to depart for the United States. A-má shows her how to wash rice, reminding her that she must do so until the water becomes clear, and Cici thinks about how her future is similarly opaque.

Cici and her parents move to Seattle. She quickly makes friends, though her parents are hesitant to let her take part in sleepovers. She also is teased for the Taiwanese food she once brought to lunch before switching to more traditionally American meals. Cici’s parents encourage her to do well in school.

Cici tries to convince A-má to come to the US for a visit; A-má ultimately agrees to do so for Cici’s father’s birthday. However, A-má needs money for the plane ticket. Cici is determined to find a way.

Cici decides to enter a cooking competition that takes place over several rounds each Saturday. There, she ends up on a team with a girl named Miranda, whose family runs a restaurant. When they must use rice for a dish’s first ingredient, Cici feels confident, but Miranda corrects her technique and says that they should make risotto. They move on to the next round, where they make a Bolognese sauce. Cici adds chicken liver to give the meat additional flavor. The judges like this, and Miranda decides to invite Cici over to practice for the competition.

At Miranda’s, Miranda discovers that Cici is a “supertaster” since she can always parse out which spices go into a blend. Cici is thrilled. Miranda reveals that she does not want to run her family’s restaurant and that she loves making comic books.

The next Saturday, Miranda and Cici make chocolate chip cookies with zucchini. Then, the judges reveal that all future rounds will be individual. Cici is on her own. She goes to the library, where a librarian recommends The French Chef by Julia Child. Cici quickly falls in love with watching Julia Child, who reminds her of A-má.

On the way home, Cici visits Miranda’s restaurant, where Miranda’s father accuses her of spying. Miranda does not come to her defense.

Cici struggles to make potato pancakes until her mother helps her. This comes in handy when she makes potato pancakes for the next round of the competition, in which she advances. The judges compliment Cici for making a dish influenced by Julia Child. After one more round, she moves on to the finals.

Cici’s father reminds her to study for an upcoming test, and when Cici goes to her grandmother for comfort, A-má reiterates her son’s statement. Cici begins to wonder if she’s begun to prioritize cooking too much over school.

One day, Cici’s friends offer to help Cici practice for the final round. Cici is worried that they’ll finally notice how Taiwanese she is but allows them to come over. When they see the altar to her ancestors, they each reference their own family traditions concerning the dead. Cici begins to feel like they’re similar.

Cici gets her most recent math test back and receives a B+. She lies to her parents and says that she didn’t get the test back. However, her father checks online and is upset because she didn’t ace it and because she lied. Cici says that her American friends are allowed to get Bs. Her father insists that their family will always be treated differently because they are Taiwanese. He tells her that she can’t compete in the cooking competition. She is determined to make him see how important it is to her that A-má visit; she says that she loves her grandmother, an expression they don’t often use. He allows her to compete.

On the day of the final round, Cici’s friends cheer her on with her parents. The secret ingredient is cardamom, and Cici makes iû-png, a traditional Taiwanese dish. She realizes that she is Taiwanese and American and feels both Julia Child and A-má with her. She also feels like she belongs there. With the addition of lavender to the dish, Cici wins the competition.

Everyone is proud of Cici, and her father lets her sleep over at a friend’s home.

Time passes, and A-má comes to visit. She meets all of Cici’s friends and they explore Seattle. The novel ends with Cici making iû-png again, with her friends and family together.