Eureka

by Victoria Chang

For fans of Inside Out and Back Again, Other Words for Home, and A Place to Hang the Moon -- Eureka is a gorgeous and emotionally resonant novel-in-verse by multiple-award-winning poet Victoria Chang that sensitively and lyrically renders the tragic events surrounding the 1885 expulsion of Chinese Americans from Eureka, California.

Love illuminates the dark.

The year is 1885. San Francisco is dangerous for Chinese immigrants like twelve-year-old Mei Mei. She must venture on her own, without her family or friends, to Eureka, California, where it is supposedly safe.

But 300 miles from home, Mei Mei misses her Ma Ma’s kindness, helping out in her Ba Ba’s store, and playing hide-and-seek with her best friend, Hua Hua. Despite her fear and the increasing violence against her community, she finds hope in an unexpected friend, the giant Redwood trees, and a new learning how to read in English. As the world around her grows more scary, Mei Mei discovers her own power, as well the joy of found family, the importance of courage, and the nature of freedom.

Genres: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction

1 pages, Audio CD

Expected publication January 27, 2026

About the author

Victoria Chang's latest book of poems is With My Back to the World (Farrar, Straus & Giroux and Corsair in the UK), which received the Forward Prize in Poetry for the Best Collection. Her most recent book is The Trees Witness Everything (Copper Canyon Press, 2022). Her prose book, Dear Memory, was published by Milkweed Editions in 2021. Her recent book of poems, OBIT, was published in 2020 by Copper Canyon Press. It was named a New York Times Notable Book, as well as a TIME, NPR, Publisher's Weekly, Book of the Year. It received the LA Times Book Prize, the PEN Voelcker Award, and the Anisfield-Wolf Award. It was also a finalist for the Griffin Poetry Prize and the NBCC, and long listed for the NBA. She is the Bourne Chair of Poetry and the Director of Poetry@Tech at Georgia Tech.

Her website is www.victoriachangpoet.com. Twitter: @VChangPoet.

Reviews

[rachel x]

"For fans of Inside Out and Back Again, Other Words for Home, and A Place to Hang the Moon -- Eureka is a gorgeous and emotionally resonant novel-in-verse that sensitively and lyrically renders the tragic events surrounding the 1885 expulsion of Chinese Americans from Eureka, California."

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Set in 1884, this novel in verse follows the journey of Mei Mei from San Francisco to Eureka, California. Mei Mei's parents run a grocery store in the city, but are increasingly concerned about their daughter's welfare, as other young Chinese girls have been kidnapped. They send her 300 miles north to live with her aunt and uncle, who have told them that Eureka has schools where Chinese students attend with white students. Since Mei Mei has been attending a small school held in a church basement, she is very excited about this new opportunity, although she doesn't want to leave home. Her best friend, Hua Hua, also leaves, but Her entire family goes to live in Arcata. Her aunt, however, lets her know that she will be working as a servant in the home of the wealthy Bobbitt family. The father is a local banker, the mother and young son are very mean, and the daughter, Sara, is kind and offers to teach Mei Mei how to read. The cook, Mrs. Yu, and the kitchen boy, Tom, help Mei Mei navigate life in the new town. There are many problems between the white and Chinese population, and the Chinatown area is at the end of a sewer line, so always smells like garbage. The homes are ramshackle, and the local tongs frequently clash with each other. Mei Mei's uncle is heavily involved in this activity, so her aunt is very concerned. Both Mei Mei's mother and aunt had their feet bound as children, so find it hard to walk. Mei Mei's mother never leaves the home, but her aunt is able to get around with some help. When the tong activity escalates and two white people are shot, the town tells the Chinese population that they must leave or be forcibly removed. Sara manages to get a wagon for Mei Mei so that she can get her aunt to San Francisco, but when she arrives home with Mrs. Yu and Tom, her aunt and uncle have fled. As the group leaves, they can tell that the Chinatown has been burnt. The journey to San Francisco is treacherous, but Mei Mei's parents welcome all three travelers and settle them into life in the city.
Strengths: Historical fiction is a great way to learn about what life was like in different places and times, and I was not familiar with the details of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 or the impact that it had on Chinese American society at the time. Viewing this time from the point of view of a young girl was a good choice, and young readers will be appalled at how Mei Mei is treated. I loved that she was interested in education, and it was a bright spot to see Sara helping her to learn to read. Later in the book, it comes out that she taught Tom as well, and this small act of humanity made life seem a tiny bit less bleak. The details about bound feet were interesting as well. Thank goodness the practice was banned in 1912, although it was enforced until 1949.
Weaknesses: This is a really interesting topic, but I could have used more details about the general politics and events at the time. Novels in verse are more poetic, and often lack the details needed for readers who may not have background knowledge. Since I can't think of any nonfiction books for middle grade readers that could be used to scaffold this knowledge, more information would have been helpful.
What I really think: It's hard to find fictional books about this period of US history, so this is a good choice for readers who enjoyed stories about the Chinese American experience like Ingold's Paper Daughter or Yee's Maizy Chen's Last Chance Yep's The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung: A Chinese Miner, California, 1852.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written completely in verse, this is the story of the 1885 expulsion of Chinese from Eureka, California. It centers around a young girl who is sent to Eureka because it is thought to be safe, but for her, it turns out to be the most dangerous time of her life and not just when she is forced to flee the city. It's a heartbreaking rendering of a time in history that needs to be remembered and not repeated.

I enjoyed this story for it's historical content. I wasn't even aware of it before reading this book, so I felt like I learned a lot and want to learn more about this horrible time. The book is a quick read, but I think it gives just enough information for its intended middle grade and ya audience. I, personally, wanted a bit more of the story, but I can research it on my own. I appreciated that, although there was plenty of violence, it was handled with tact for a younger crowd. The poetic verse was also a great way to tell this story, and I think it will hit well with a lot of young historical fiction fans and with grown ups like me who feel like they missed this lesson in school.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy of Eureka by Victoria Chang! Eureka follows a twelve-year-old girl, Mei Mei, as she explores her own identity in tumultuous 1885 California. Throughout the book, Mei Mei finds parallels between herself, her mother, and those around her as she tries to find safety in a world that is not accepting of Chinese immigrants. She finds her voice and position in a world that does not want the same for her. Chang builds Mei Mei as a character through her interactions and actions, strongly connecting to her feelings and reflecting on her life as a whole, making this novel relatable to the targeted demographic. This novel in verse was both educational and accessible for middle grade students, and I'm looking forward to supplying it in my classroom library to build understanding in a little-known piece of American history.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of the book

Eureka was a moving and thoughtful look at a little known moment in history. I loved the use of novel in verse as it helped the reader not only move easily through the book but also feel the tension as it ebbed and flowed in the book. I loved the relationships that we saw form in the book and also wished that we could have seen more of it at times. I thought the use of culture was also very well done and would lead young readers to want to know more about it. Overall it was an amazing read.

[Quinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love historical fiction, but the in verse style made this hard to get into. Although Mei Mei is a likable and sympathetic character, I couldn't quite connect with her as much as I wanted to. I also wish her relationships with other characters, particularly Tom and Sara, had been developed more. There was just something lacking that prevented me from feeling fully immersed in the story.

[Laurel Zeisler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books in verse. The author did a nice job of teaching about a time in history that schools don't teach about and making the characters come to life. I would add this to a school library.

[Izzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, written in prose, offers a poignant view into the racism Chinese people faced in California in the 1880s. 13+