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Sue Cheung
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Chinglish Paperback – September 5, 2019

by Sue Cheung (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 334 ratings
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It is difficult trying to talk in our family cos:
a) Grandparents don’t speak English at all
b) Mum hardly speaks any English
c) Me, Bonny and Simon hardly speak Chinese
d) Dad speaks Chinese and good English – but doesn’t like talking
In other words, we all have to cobble together tiny bits of English and Chinese into a rubbish new language I call 'Chinglish'. It is very awkward.

Jo Kwan is a teenager growing up in 1980s Coventry with her annoying little sister, too-cool older brother, a series of very unlucky pets and utterly bonkers parents. But unlike the other kids at her new school or her posh cousins, Jo lives above her parents' Chinese takeaway. And things can be tough – whether it's unruly customers or the snotty popular girls who bully Jo for being different. Even when she does find a BFF who actually likes Jo for herself, she still has to contend with her erratic dad's behaviour. All Jo dreams of is breaking free and forging a career as an artist.

Told in diary entries and doodles, Jo's brilliantly funny observations about life, family and char siu make for a searingly honest portrayal of life on the other side of the takeaway counter.
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    12 - 15 years
  2. Print length
    384 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Dimensions
    5.08 x 0.91 x 7.8 inches
  5. Publisher
    Andersen Press
  6. Publication date
    September 5, 2019
  7. ISBN-10
    1783448393
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1783448395
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Andersen Press (September 5, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1783448393
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1783448395
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 - 15 years
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 0.91 x 7.8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 334 ratings

About the author

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Sue Cheung

Sue Cheung

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Sue Pickford was born in The Midlands to Chinese parents who emigrated to England in the 1960s and opened up a restaurant. Her passion for drawing led to her winning a scholarship to The London College of Fashion. Afterwards she completed a course in advertising & illustration and got a job in an agency sketching storyboards, visualising press and billboard ads and illustrating. She eventually worked her way up and spent many years in London as an Art Director before finally moving to the south coast to write and illustrate children’s books. She has done 120 scuba dives around the world, has two rescue cats with issues, plays guitar badly and can do headstands on demand.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
334 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Alec Cizak
5.0 out of 5 stars Great YA Book Promoting Individuality
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2019
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In a time when collectivism is pushed by the status quo (i.e., conformity) over individuality, it's refreshing to see a book, particularly a book aimed at young readers, that promotes individuality. Chinglish tells the story of a teenager growing up between cultures in 1980s England. She doesn't quite identify as Chinese, doesn't quite identify as English. She's a girl with no country! Of course, when tribalism fails the intelligent, individuality will emerge. This is a book that could only come from a Gen X writer. Neither Boomers nor Millennials seem to appreciate the power of individuality the way Generation X does (or, at least, did; I don't know where the majority of my generation has gone off to, but I'm happy to see Sue Cheung hasn't forgotten what it was like to overcome bullies in the 1980s by simply being yourself). Hopefully, the generation after the Millennials will read books like this and the art of TRULY being yourself will re-emerge. The engine of evolution, after all, is powered by individuals. Highly recommended.
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Nga Seg Son
5.0 out of 5 stars Unputdownable
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2021
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Good bedtime reading with hilarious caricatures
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Whispering Stories
5.0 out of 5 stars The story was enjoyable the whole way through
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2020
1984, thirteen-year-old Jo Kwan’s parents have bought a Chinese takeaway in Coventry, meaning that she no longer has to reside above the horrid butcher’s shop in Hull and that she will now be living in the same city as her older brother, who lives with their Grandparents.

Unfortunately, things don’t go quite according to plan. The shop is only small which means the accommodation above is tiny too, just two-bedrooms and no living-room. This is not good, she now will have to share a bedroom with her little sister Bonny who is a real hand full.

With Grandparents who don’t speak any English, a Mother who barely speaks English, a Father who just doesn’t speak and Jo and her siblings not being able to speak Chinese this is the start of the wild, unpredictable and often hilarious goings-on in Jo’s life.

Having lived through the 80s, although a lot younger than Jo, I turned seven towards the end of 1984, this book brought back lots of memories of the era. It was a wonderful look at life through the eyes of Jo and her family. With pop stars, music, TV shows, radio shows, magazines, and movies all getting a mention it was hard not to feel nostalgic.

The book is told in diary format as Jo decided she was going to document all the good and hilarious things that happened in her life, although a few not so funny moments are recorded too including racism, bullying, and child abuse. As well as these topics she also wrote the usual diary entries from girls her age, clothes, body problems, friends and money issues.

From hoovering up hamsters to having a goat as a lawnmower it’s not only humans who make it into her story. Along with Jo’s family, her neighbours, school friends, and customers also get discussed in her diary too.

The book sees Jo grow and how her life changes as it spans four years of her life. It was enjoyable, poignant, and often had laugh-out-loud moments surrounded by the realism of what Jo’s teenage life was like as a Chinese girl living in a mainly white society.

There are amazing and very funny illustrations throughout the book and they really do bring Jo’s past to life. The book does carry an important message for teenagers though, about being yourself, following your dreams and never giving up.

The story was enjoyable the whole way through mainly down to not only the context of Jo’s diary but how connective and touching author Sue Cheung’s words felt.

Book Reviewed on Whispering Stories Book Blog
*I received a free copy of this book, which I voluntarily reviewed
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Muffy Mac-D
1.0 out of 5 stars For British audience of about 10 years old
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2020
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Cute premise, but not for older young adults or adults! So not. Very simple writing and way too much British slang that we, in the United states, have no reference! Too many English terms as well. We do not know what a sob is and many others that really take away from the story. Did not care for the way animals were thought of and treated. Even if it is culturally acceptable to treat animals like objects or without feelings , the author should have added some sympathetic wording and opposition to the way they were regarded. After all, young people who may not yet have a stance on animals and how they should be treated, come away thinking that it’s ok to hit, let go and that it’s ok when horrific accidents happen. Animals were regarded and discussed as throw aways.
The child/ adult physical abuse was very serious and nothing was done about it. That’s not ok either. Even if this truly did happen, action to protect should have been inserted to show others that it’s not ok to hurt and harm anyone!
I was disappointed in this book. Not much to it. Perhaps it was my fault and maybe didn’t notice that it was really for a British audience of about 10 years of age.
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Top reviews from other countries

georgina
5.0 out of 5 stars A hilariously funny but sad reminder to never lose hope.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 9, 2019
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Chinglish is a hilariously funny book aimed at a teenage audience but it’s suitable for adults of all ages. It does come with a hint of sadness but also shows that we should never give up hope no matter how difficult it is growing up. It’s a fiction book but it’s based on the true events documented by a teenager growing up in the 80’s living with her crazy family and unable to properly communicate with her parents. The character Jo Kwan experiences many difficult situations above the usual teenage struggles and strife and uses humour to help her cope. It covers some very real and sensitive topics but shows the reader that you can overcome any bad times and should never lose hope.
It’s an easy book to read written in the form of a diary split into manageable chapters with plenty of funny illustrations created by the author herself.
Sue is a very talented writer and artist and is very brave for sharing her story to help others. I couldn’t put the book down. I’m tempted to read it again and I’m looking forward to the next book!
3 people found this helpful
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Pete
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, mad & funny but very dark in places....sums up the 1980's
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2020
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I loved this book, aimed at the young adult market it also appeals to adults who can identify with the Chinese takeaway background and the illustrations are a unique way to communicate some of the wacky scenes. The ubiquitous Chinese takeaway is a neglected subject in British storytelling, there was at least one in every UK town however small but the inhabitants mostly an unknown quantity to most people, being seen as an indistinguishable blur of hardworking Chinese. Most of these family businesses are dying out, the 2nd generations populate the professions and the hard life of the takeaway seems a world apart. As one of these 2nd gen's, this bought me back to my childhood helping out in the family takeaway, the highs (always great food on hand and talking to nice customers) the lows ( dealing with the Friday night nasty customers) and the familiarity of the odd things and people that were part of my daily life, that seem so alien now. Some people have commented that the description of physical abuse in this book is not appropriate, but it is a key part of the story and needs to be told. Abuse, physical and mental was not spoken about in this community though there were many times we could see it happening to friends and family so I am glad it is being discussed. However, this is not the main thrust of the book which made me laugh out loud and ended in a feelgood way. Would be good to have a follow up of the next adventures ..what Jo did next ?
7 people found this helpful
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A E Summers
4.0 out of 5 stars Semi-autobiographical and quite sad
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2019
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Easy to read in diary style. Set in the eighties so there are many references to the styles, technologies and social prejudices of the time. I thought it might be appropriate for the school library but I would suggest older pupils. A little more hard-hitting than Adrian Mole. Language is quite strong and it touches on an abusive relationship within a family. However, I wish there had been a book like this around when I was a young teen. It is a humorous but also angry look at this writer's family. It made me wonder if she had found any forgiveness for them (perhaps in her next book!). Worth a read.
2 people found this helpful
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A. I. McCulloch
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging early teen /YA fictionalised autobiography. Amusing and different.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2019
Verified Purchase
Have to give this five stars, despite the fact that I ordered it following a mention in the Big Issue, thinking it was either an adult autobiography or adult fiction.
It’s young adult fiction, directed towards the younger end, with our heroine, Jo Kwan, sixteen at the end of the story.

This is a fictionalised version of what really happened to the author growing up, and it’s a great read for young teens.
There are some very familiar themes here, but there are also some very unfamiliar ones.
It’s one thing to grow up in a bilingual household, but another thing to grow up in a bilingual household where virtually nobody else outside the family speaks your language.
That’s an interesting twist.

Jo bucks some stereotypes, and is a really likeable character. Children whose parents grew up in the Eighties will enjoy this, and those adults will enjoy sneaking a read too. Great evocations of time and place. Quite a thick book, but don’t let reluctant readers be put off by this, as it is extensively padded out with the author’s cartoons, some of them very amusing.
13 people found this helpful
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ZRaphael
3.0 out of 5 stars Nice perspective of Chinese teenager, humour falls flat
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2020
Verified Purchase
I bought this book because I’d read an interview with the author in an online newspaper and she seemed really funny (and this book was portrayed as being about her life as a second generation Chinese immigrant teenager growing up in the U.K.)
Well, the interview was funny, but the book was not. The humour is there but it’s short lived and kinda flat at times. I thought it might be a good read for my young daughter but I’m glad I read it first - the plot meanders along without much happening - the narrator moans about her life A LOT but then there’s a random twist - the dad is physically abusive towards his family. I couldn’t understand why no one had mentioned this any where. It does give a different viewpoint on life in the U.K. which I really appreciated... but perhaps not suitable for less mature readers who might find some of the scenes disturbing. More suitable for 13+ readers
One person found this helpful
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