Patty
Ho just wants to go through high school quietly, only being noticed by the love
of her life, Mark Scranton. Patty has many issues that make this impossible:
her genius, Harvard-bound brother Abe, the school racist Steve Kosanko, and her
completely insane mother who thinks nothing Patty does is right and will not
let her date anyone.

Patty’s
mom is Taiwanese and has been left by Patty’s white, American father.

After
Mama Ho takes her to the Belly button reader and finds a white boy in her
future, Patty is sent to Stanford’s math camp for the summer. Patty is
horrified at the thought of spending the summer doing equations with Asian
geeks. All of this changes when Patty meets Stu, Asian god and fellow math
geek. As Patty enjoys her new freedom from Mama Ho, she finally starts to see
who she really is. All this may change for her if she doesn’t hurry up and
return one of Mama’ fifty messages.

Chen
Headley does a wonderful job showing how difficult it is being one of the only
mixed race children in a community. She is able to show prejudice from other
children and how much a minority group leans on one another and competes with
each other. Patty’s embarrassment at the hands of Mama Ho is true for most
teens but is multiplied by her obsession with Patty’s involvement with boys.
The author’s ability to make Mama human goes along way in making the story
believable. If not for Patty’s major revelation about her mother, Mama would be
a cliché.

Patty
is a great role model that deals with an obnoxious brother, strange roommate
and possible boyfriend in ways that stay true to who she really is.

© 2006 Amy Ridley

Amy Ridley
received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University.

Categories: Children