Super Boba Café

Super Boba Café #1

by Nidhi Chanani

A sweet and magical new middle-grade graphic novel about a boba café, an earthquake-causing monster, and an unforgettable summer
 
In the fog laden hills of San Francisco sits a sleepy independent boba café. Run by Jing Li and guarded by her kitty Bao, it comfortably fades into the background. But inside the boba café, there’s a secret. Jing is the keeper of the monster of San Francisco. Each day she prepares one giant boba for nine hours to feed it.

When Jing’s granddaughter, Aria, comes to stay with her for the summer she makes it her mission to turn the café around. Aria is quickly aided by Bao, who gives birth to eight perfect kittens. Aria spreads the news of the boba cat café on social media and overnight it is overrun with excited customers. Each day Nainai Li (Grandma Li) finds reasons to close the café but the demand only increases.

When she opens, the hill monster is left hungry and small earthquakes begin to plague the city. When Aria secretly follows her Nainai to the hill monster cave she isn’t sure what awaits. Will Aria be able to reason with the monster or become its new favorite meal? Or will she disturb its underground existence and cause the Big One ?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Comics, Childrens, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 24, 2023

About the author

Nidhi Chanani is a freelance illustrator, cartoonist and writer. After completing her undergrad literature degree at the University of California at Santa Cruz, Nidhi pursued a career in nonprofits. The desire to draw kept pulling her away and in 2008 she enrolled in art school (only to drop out a year later). In 2009 she began completing one illustration every day of the week. She called this Every Day Love and developed her narrative style and voice with three years of daily practice. Thus began her art career and business.

Born in Calcutta and raised in suburban southern California, Nidhi creates because it makes her happy – with the hope that it can make others happy, too. In April of 2012 she was honored by the Obama Administration as a Champion of Change.

Her debut graphic novel, Pashmina (First Second/Macmillan), released in fall 2017. It received starred reviews in the School Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, and was reviewed in the New York Times. Pashmina was a Junior Library Guild selection, Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2017, Texas Maverick Graphic Novel 2017, Northern California Indie Bookseller Association Long-List Title and a YALSA Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens. In March of 2019, the film adaptation of Pashmina with Netflix was announced. Gurinder Chadha (Bend it like Beckham, Blinded by the Light) is set to direct.

In 2018, Jasmine’s New Pet, which she wrote and drew, was released through Dark Horse Comics. Her bilingual board book, Shubh Raatri Dost/Good Night Friend released in 2019. Her debut picture book, written by Bea Birdsong, I will be fierce, released in April 2019. Her next picture book, Binny’s Diwali, written by Thrity Umrigar, released in September 2020. Her second original graphic novel, Jukebox, will release in June 2021.

Her next picture book, Kong and Me, written by Kiki Thorpe, will be released in March 2021. Her author/illustrator debut What will my story be? releases in September 2021. She is currently working on unannounced books. She is an instructor in the Master of Fine Arts, Comics program at the California College of Arts.

Her media appearances include PBS, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and BBC Radio. Her work has been featured on the Huffington Post, the Women’s March, My Modern Met, Bored Panda and India Times. Nidhi is frequently a featured artist with Disney Parks. She has worked with ABC, Airbnb, Sony, Microsoft, State Farm Insurance and a variety of other clients. Her non-fiction comics have appeared in the Nib. Everyday Love Art prints and cards are sold in retail shops throughout California.

Nidhi draws and dreams every day with her husband, kid and their kittens in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet graphic novel about a girl escaping internet drama, by visiting her gran in San Francisco. Her gran runs a boba cafe, and there's actually a lot more happening behind the scenes.

The art is wonderful, there are cute kittens, there are cute prairie dogs, there's a huge monster.. The strange thing is, the book is quite long, but most story elements feel a bit underserved, it all feels a bit bloated narratively, like it could've done with some judicious editing.

That said, it's still a lot of fun.

3.5 stars

(Thanks to Amulet Books for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss)

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quirky and cute. 3.5 Stars

Super Boba follows main character Aria who is spending the summer with her grandmother after private photos belonging to Aria are leaked. When she arrives in San Francisco, Aria decides to help her grandmother explore options to help her boba business do better. While doing this, Aria begins to notice her grandmother engaging in some strange behaviors.

I think that the quirkiness of this story is what makes it so fun and unique. There are wonderful descriptions of Boba and the main character, Aria, has a fun, beautiful relationship with her grandmother. While the plot and character development were great for the majority of the story, I was hoping that we would get a little more information about what happened to Aria as it would have provided better insight as to why she needed to be way for the entire summer. There is also some interesting character depiction in the artwork. For some reason, I assumed that area was in middle school and was thoroughly shocked when she revealed that she was fourteen. The dialogue that Aria had with other characters also felt young. So, I'm not really sure why she needed to be that old. in the context of the story. Either way it was a truly delightful read filled with fun, beautiful illustrations.

[Keisha | A Book Like You · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t feel like there was any character development or take away from this book. It was just weird.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but I think not enough time was taken to discuss Aria's reason to go to SF for the entire summer and, similarly, the entire monster bit felt pretty rushed and easily solved through a convenient conversation. The grandmother's behavior made me wonder how she managed to hide it at all for that many years, given the family stayed for two weeks every summer... Wish we had more parallels between Aria building a relationship with her Nainai and the monster and dealing with the monster in her past.

I'd read the second book as the art was cute and it did try to cover a lot of topics, even if it ended up a bit rushed.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I might have enjoyed this more without the monster/mystery, but it was cute.

[Stacey Sturgis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

I’m SO GLAD I picked this one up! What a fun idea, that a monster under San Francisco causes earthquakes unless a local grandmama appeases him daily with a giant boba. Written in a simple style, this lovely graphic novel is definitely not just for middle schoolers. Anyone who enjoys reading family stories, supports authentic BIPOC rep and loves good artwork to go with their text will appreciate this. I especially enjoyed the lessons about safety on the internet for kids AND seniors, as well as some excellent self awareness about relationships exhibited by one of the supporting characters.

This would be super for a grandparent-grandchild reading project, for classrooms and afterschool programs, and for a school counselor’s bookshelf.

I borrowed this graphic novel via Libby at my public library. Sustainable choices preserve physical and digital resources and keep services useful now and into the future. By supporting climate resiliency, library workers create thriving communities and care for our common good for a better tomorrow. Support your local library 📚 and check out a book today!

[Alexcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is super cute! I'm glad Aria's grandma is becoming more accepting of new ideas and also being able to share what is going on with her. Change or even trying new things can be hard to accept sometimes. I actually do the same thing where I keep things to myself and I don't want to bother the anyone with what I have going on. Also I love boba so this is just perfect! I can't wait for book 2!!!

[Natasa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this story unintentionally went into the territory of absurdist fiction, in a bad way (and I say that as a fan of absurdism). The story didn't really make sense, there was no proper resolution.

Aria might have been traumatized, but that doesn't excuse her rude behavior toward others. And her grandma was equally rude, just in a different manner. Jay shouldn't have stuck around her, imo.

And my biggest complain comes from grandma teaching Aria to call the person who traumatized her a monster. A person, who is a kid as much as Aria. That, obviously, doesn't excuse his behavior whatsoever, but this book teaches children that it is ok (and partially expected, since an adult in the book is the one who is instructing this behavior) to call others monsters, if they traumatized us.
Sending such a message to kids bothers me. A lot.

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that the cats name is Bao. This seemed like such a cute book and it is! I love the routine of them running the boba shop, getting takeout, feeding the prairie dogs. It’s a nice cozy setting. The art is nice and I like the San Francisco setting too. I wanted to read this based on the title and didn’t know it would have a monster that’s only hungry for boba. I had assumed it was not a fantasy book at first but it was cute and nice! I’d want to read book #2 especially since the ending is kind of brief after the conflict is resolved. It was a nice pleasant read which I have been wanting! Also love the kittens. 4.5/5

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aria has been made fun of at school because she gave photos of herself to a boy that she thought was her friend, but who shared said pictures online. So, her parents sent her to stay with her grandmother for the summer, in San Francisco. She goes off social media, and just keeps her head down, not wanting to make friends while she is there.

She helps out her grandmother at the boba cafe, but her grandmother has a secret. She has been feeding a monster for the past 40 plus years, to keep it from causing earthquakes. As long as it gets its daily boba, no shakes.

This is a cute story, but, as some have said, there feels like there is more to be said, and there is going to be at least a second book in the series, so that is good.

Fun, quick read. Cute illustrations, and great images of San Francisco that I recognize, despite only going there about once a year, at best.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aria wants to escape for the summer, which is perfect since she's spending it with her grandma Jing Li in San Francisco. Aria's helping out at Nainai Li's boba cafe, but worries that there isn't enough business. She sets her sights on raising the cafe's profile through social media and play time with kittens. Despite Aria's success, Nainai Li isn't happy and grows increasingly stressed. The boom in business leads to earth shattering consequences - literally - from the angry monster her Nainai is fated to feed.

Another fun middle grade title from Nidhi Chanani. The tension between Nainai and Aria creates a beautiful opportunity to explore family trust, generational knowledge and the burdens elders sometimes try to hide. Recommended for middle & high school libraries and public libraries as well.

[Lisa]

This was cute, and I loved the details of the SF setting! As others have noted, the reason for the summer in SF isn't fully explored (maybe deliberately?) and I kind of skimmed some of the monster parts as they felt a little tedious, but overall I liked this & will read the second one.

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kooky page turner (best read not knowing anything about the plot).

[Leila · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was definitely entertaining at first! The grandma and her mysterious staff room, cute kittens, a small boba shop! But it started to get a little weird. Someone please explain why prairie dogs and sea monsters need boba 😭.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story but the ending felt really rushed and unexplained with no follow up.
Gorgeous drawing.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slightly too weird for me but this middle grade graphic novel, complete with cats and Boba, is going to be a hit with readers

[Leelynn (Sometimes Leelynn Reads) ❤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute graphic novel! Could you imagine having to deal with what Nainai Li had to go through every single day? I could not. It's super stressful. I also love that there's a sequel and I hope my library gets a copy soon so I can read it. I'm glad Aria was able to move forward with her trauma as well.

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story that ends a smidgen abruptly, but as this is book one (and the last page) you know there is more to come. A story about generations, family, friendships, and the monsters (real and the human kind) that try and control us. Read as a reader copy, I am not sure the coloring of the images, but they feel almost as bubbly and bubble tea!

[Sunil · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Super Boba Café, Nidhi Chanani makes the leap into both middle-grade graphic novels and graphic novel series (well at least one with an actual storyline...), and she's just as adept as she always is. I've always loved her endearing art style, her characters having round, expressive faces and her color choices being evocative instead of realistic. From the perspective of panel layout aesthetics and storytelling ambition, I found this book not quite as bold and creative as Pashmina and Jukebox apart from a few striking breaks from the mold, but I'm impressed with how easy she makes the flow of panels look, as her books always have me turning pages quickly.

Chinese-Indian-American girl Aria visits her grandmother, Nainai, in San Francisco and works at her boba cafe...which soon becomes a kitten cafe. But Nainai always mysteriously disappears at the same time every evening. What is she up to? Well, that's the book.

The thing about this book is that it spends the first half leading up to a reveal of the Big Secret and then the second half dealing with the Big Secret, and the first half ends up feeling a bit meander-y and the second half ends up feeling rushed. I really enjoyed some of the very silly worldbuilding in this book, as a recurring element in the first half that I thought was just there to be a cute joke was actually a major plot point, and I love that shit! But then it's a bit "Well, please accept this bombshell revelation" and Aria has to figure out what to do next. Chanani does cleverly weave together a whole lot of subplots into this main plot, and I especially liked how much the daily workings of the cafe and its customers figured into everything. There's a...coziness to this whole story, where the stakes feel really high and yet it's still very cute.

I was also impressed with how Chanani handled some pretty sensitive subject matter in the book. While there's nothing explicit, it's revealed Aria had a very bad experience at home that's caused her to be a little wary of social media and boys, and I loved how supportive Nainai is of her when she finally opens up to her about it. And how this trauma gets referenced a few times throughout the book, as it's something Aria is still processing and trying to overcome while also dealing with some very fantastical circumstances. There's also some surprisingly hardcore deaths in this book, so I'd definitely advise a parent to pre-read before giving it to their younger kids, as Chanani is definitely writing for a slightly older audience than in her previous graphic novels.

Even though this is labeled as the first in the series, I was surprised and pleased to discover that it stands alone very well, telling a full story while leaving the door open for it to continue. I think some of my narrative issues had to do with the fact that it felt like the book was largely setting up the world of the series, so I'm very curious and excited to see what else Chanani has in store. Aria and Nainai are both wonderful characters, and there's a boba kitten cafe, I mean...how could I not want more of that.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

CONTENT NOTE: age appropriate discussions of photos being shared without consent, mention of the death of a loved one, animal death (discussed and visually implied, but not shown), confined space

Super Boba Café is a fun and quirky adventure romp that touches on serious topics affecting kids and their families while remaining lighthearted and magical.

What Worked for Me:
Just a quick note: I received an ARC of this comic, and it came to me as a grayscale preview at a visibly low quality instead of the full color the book will be in later, so I can only comment on what I was given.

I'm a little sad about this because the colors of the comic was one of the things that drew me to the book, but I really enjoyed the story and fully believe that the colors will enhance the comic even more! This also applies to the lettering; the ARC version had pixelated lettering that I believe will look much better in the final version, but I can't give a proper review of it as is.

Due to all of this, I won't be analyzing the art as much as I usually do for comic reviews since I don't think it would be fair to the book and the creators given that I didn't see the full intended version. From the few previews of the interior pages that I've seen, though, it looks very promising!

✦ The story is a fun one! I like the way so many elements came together to create an entertaining and cohesive tale about so many ideas: magic and fantasy, modern day adolescent issues regarding social media, familial relationships, boba, a cat café, responsibilities and independence, and even marketing. I think the diversity of ideas in here helped it feel grounded and realistic, like fully developed characters existing in their own world.
✦ I love the relationship between Aria and her Nainai! The back and forth between these two characters felt very realistic to me for a grandparent-grandchild dynamic: a little more indulging than perhaps a parent-child relationship, the grandparent being a little more rigid in their set ways, still firm about setting rules, but also warm and deeply caring.
✦ I liked that Nainai encouraged independence in Aria and respected her as her own person. I think this is one of the things about grandparent-grandchild relationships that feels distinct from parent-child relationships in that grandparents who don't live with their grandchildren have a bit of that distance from the day to day discipline and rearing and are invested in providing a safe space for their grandchildren to explore their independence. I loved seeing that dynamic in this comic.
✦ The art was super cute! I like Nidhi Chanani's playful character designs, facial expressions, and clear body language, as well as her clean line work and well established values. I think once the color is included, the level of charm this book has will be even more amped up!
✦ The magic of the world in the story was also interesting and creative. I always enjoy the exploration of liminal spaces, and I liked how Nidhi Chanani approached them in her book.
✦ I love bubble tea, so I really enjoyed having a comic revolving around it! I can relate to the, uh, stuff that happens later in the book (trying not to spoil lol), as I, too, am such a fan 😂 It was also fun to see the way it gets made and to see a little about the process and recipe.

What Didn't Work for Me:
✦ There were a few moments in the story that felt a bit forced to me. It's not that they shouldn't have been included-- more that I wish they had been included in a more organic way, such as the moments where Aria was interacting with Jay, one of the neighborhood children friendly with her Nainai. Maybe it was meant to be a bit jarring whenever he was in the story, as a way to show his presence as unwelcome in Aria's perspective, but it did feel a bit odd to me the way Aria, an otherwise friendly kid, would immediately reject this entire human's presence as an offensive one lol.

I think the information shared later in the book helped explain it a bit, but I felt like it was a little overly simplistic, especially since it was only applied to one of the male characters. I think it would help me if I had understood the trauma of what had happened to her a little earlier or if the impact of the trauma were a bit more clearly defined. I think the trauma mentioned is valid regardless of the degree of intensity; however, I felt like the impact described didn't quite align, to me, with Aria's reaction to Jay, which makes me suspect that the trauma's impact is greater than we're shown. And if that were the case, I would expect to see that show up in other ways, too, not just with this one kid.

✦ I think, given that we're told in the jacket copy about the monster and the boba, the comic takes a lil while to build up to the reveal. I honestly think this is more of a critique of the jacket copy than the story, though.

Overall
I give Super Boba Café 4 out of 5 speech bubbles: This was a fun adventure with great themes explored! Wonderful for a summer read, and I look forward to the next book!

How to Read It
Interested in checking it out for yourself? Here are a few ways you can get your hands on a copy!

Local Options
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Hardcovers provide higher royalties for writers and illustrators, but a royalty is a royalty, so go forth knowing your purchase will support them either way!

Read This Next
If you liked this, check out Squire, Snapdragon, and Atana and the Firebird

If you enjoyed this review, I have a monthly comic review series called More Comics Please! on my website with interior page excerpts and additional information not shared here on Goodreads, as well as digital comics that don't qualify for Goodreads' library. You can sign up to receive them in your inbox by subscribing to my newsletter Into the Bramble.

[Anniek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who doesn't want to read about a boba cat café? I thought this middlegrade graphic novel about a girl spending the summer with her grandmother was really sweet.

I did however sometimes feel like the art style didn't match the story. The main character is almost 14, which is on the older side for middlegrade, and she looks at least several years younger, which felt jarring considering the storyline where she sent private photos to a boy she liked who then posted them online. The boy she befriends during the summer, who's 16 years old, also looks like he's 12 at most. I did think the art work was otherwise really cute, but this felt very jarring at times.

I also felt like the writing was very choppy. It didn't feel cohesive and didn't flow smoothly, which took me out of the story at times.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This graphic novel follows Aria; a 13 year old girl heading to San Francisco for the summer to visit her grandma who owns a boba shop. What could go wrong, right…. Cute little story and will be interested to read the next volume.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

After an incident involving social media, Aria is sent to spend the summer in San Franciso with her grandmother, who runs a very small boba tea cafe. The two have a great time together, even though Nainai can be a little embarassing, and also disappears for a period of time every evening without explanation. Aria is usually picking up takeout for dinner, but definitely notices her grandmother's apprehension at this time. Aria tries to spruce up the shop by painting, fixing table, and otherwise making things look better. Aria thinks that the cafe could do much better, and when the cafe cat Bao has eight kittens, she thinks she has a way to increase foot traffic and sales. She finally tells her grandmother about the social media incident and says that if they are smart about it, they can use social media to promote the kittens. This works all too well, and one night her grandmother misses sneaking out at 6:00. And there is an earthquake. Her grandmother is very anxious, but doesn't want to share too much information with her granddaughter, but is very cross when there are people in the cafe at 6:00 the next night as well. Aria connects with the grandson of one of Nainai's friends, Jay, and he helps her investigate Nainai's strange behavior. It's nothing that Aria could have predicted, but does explain the hordes of snack chip eating prairie dogs that love to hang out behind the restaurant. Once she uncovers her grandmother's secret, will Aria be able to help her grandmother break free of a job she's had for 38 years?
Strengths: Well, the book description gives away more details than I wanted to, but yes, the grandmother has to make a giant boba every night and deliver it. I'm not saying anything more than that, other than this thought: If prairie dogs have the same consistency as boba, do I want to try very hard to find boba tea near me? I love that Nainai has soldiered on so bravely by herself, not being able to take vacations or see her family often because she is dedicated to keeping San Francisco safe. Aria's attempts to improve her grandmother's business were charming, and I very much wanted to get take out of some kind after reading about all of the different tasty food available in San Francisco! The prairie dogs figure largely into the plot, and while I was personally a little disturbed by them, I think it is time for more prairie dog representation in middle grade literature. Of course, the kittens will be a big draw for many readers.
Weaknesses: Aria's brush with social media problems didn't seem serious enough to send her off for the entire summer; I was a little interested in finding out more about what happened.
What I really think: Boba is definitely having a moment of popularity, with Chen's recent It's Boba Time for Pearl Li. This graphic novel, by the author of Pashmina and Jukebox, is a little quirky but has a solid plot, good characters, and a great grandmother/granddaughter relationship. I'll be interested to see a finished version with color illustrations. I'm also curious to find out if Aria's plans to keep the city safe even when her grandmother isn't in town work out.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aria is visiting her Nainai for the summer in San Francisco. She needs some time away after an embarrassing social media incident. So she's taking a break from her phone and helps Nainai at her boba shop, and starts brainstorming ways to increase business. The shop cat Bao helps by having kittens, which prove a big draw for customers. Business is booming, but Nainai gets really weird at closing time. She suddenly shoves everyone out and attributes earthquakes to being late about something in the kitchen. Can Aria help her grandmother find a less stressful way to handle things.

So Nainai has a fantastical secret that involves a boba-loving monster and prairie dogs. After uncovering the secret, Aria is determined to help make her grandmother's life less stressful. But it isn't easy. I liked Nainai and Aria's relationship. They are good for each other. The tours of places in San Francisco they visit is a fun addition, and the takeout they order each day from a wide variety of restaurants and cultures is sure to make you hungry (not to mention all the boba talk). I liked that the author included Aria's social media incident. She kind of liked a boy and she sent him some pictures that she thought he'd keep private and then he shared them publicly. (It isn't stated what the pictures were of, just that they were embarrassing to have out in public.) Eventually, Aria realizes that she can use social media in healthy ways if she is wise about it. It is a good message about online safety for a target reader group likely about to get or just getting their own phones. The monster in the story is interesting, and there is more of a mystery there that I really want to know about in the next volume. And if none of that sounded appealing to you, there's also an abundance of cute kittens and prairie dogs. Hand this to monster story fans, fantasy fans, boba fans, San Francisco setting fans, and grandmother/granddaughter story fans.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None (the nature of the photos is not stated to be sexual, the example photo is just Aria wearing her hair weird)
Violence: The monster eats prairie dogs if it can't get boba and threatens to eat Aria.
Ethnic diversity: Aria appears to be half Taiwanese American and half Indian American (as in Asian Indian). A neighbor boy is also Indian American. Visitors to the boba cafe and those they see about town are of a variety of ethnic backgrounds.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: Social media safety is talked about. Nainai is basically a slave to the monster.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aria is excited to spend her summer in San Francisco getting quality time in with her Nainai. She loves the city and especially loves helping at her grandmother's Super Boba Cafe where you can find the best boba in the city. She can't help but notice that her grandma is acting strange and secretive. She refuses to let Aria into the kitchen at all and she disappears at the same time each night.
Meanwhile, Aria is eager to drum up more business for Super Boba Cafe. She gets a major windfall when the shop cat Bao surprises them by having kittens, and Aria realizes this is a major social media opportunity. She is a little apprehensive to get back on social media, though, after a terrible experience back at home.
Eventually Aria, with the help of her Indian American neighbor Jay, discovers Nainai's secret -- and it's wilder than she could have ever expected.
This graphic novel has a lot going on, but it ties everything together pretty nicely. For me, the ending felt a little rushed, but I think that is explained by the planned series and I imagine more threads will be tidied in later installments. I also felt the age placement for this book was a little skewed. Aria is 14 and Jay is 16 but this book definitely reads for 8-12. I thought their ages were a little ambiguous for most of the book, but it did make me feel better about the cyberbullying that Aria encounters.
Charming, refreshing, unique. The visuals are very kawaii and spot-on. This book does a lot, but it navigates it very well.

[Nicole Sobon]

Thank you to Amulet Books for a free review copy of this one.

SUPER BOBA CAFE is a cute middle-grade graphic novel. It's a strange little book with a great message at its core. The story follows 13-year-old Aria as she spends the summer in San Francisco visiting her grandmother, Jing Li. She runs a boba cafe that is home to a cat named Bao and fails to bring in many customers, until Aria sets out to fix her grandmother's marketing issues. When Bao unexpectedly gives birth to eight kitties, Aria finds the perfect solution - or so she thinks - by turning the boba cafe into a kitten cafe. But what she doesn't know is that her grandmother is harboring a secret that can impact the entire city.

The strongest aspect of SUPER BOBA CAFE is admittedly its artwork. The characters are drawn well, and the scenery is wonderfully constructed. Unfortunately, the story isn't nearly as strong. That, of course, isn't to say it's not enjoyable - it is. The book is out there, but Aria's storyline is one that is something many young adults experience daily. It's an important lesson about trust, using the internet, and understanding how cruel others can be.

SUPER BOBA CAFE is an enjoyable book that is a must-read for young adults. At the center of its chaotic storyline is a story with plenty of heart and a lesson all kids should learn.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK, but not great. A younger audience would probably like this, but I am not the right demographic. I didn’t particularly like Aria, and there were little nagging issues that bugged me, such as how a cat that never leaves the café became pregnant with so many kittens and they didn’t even realize until she gave birth. And how they could avoid getting shut down by the health department by having cats in a food establishment. Younger readers probably would not notice these points, but that’s what immediately popped up my head because I know that is a great barrier to having cat cafés in the United States.

The concept of the monster was weird on a lot of levels. Like the prairie dogs. Why are they the monster’s second favorite food? That’s not at all similar to boba. Why not try desserts on it? Or mochi? How is boba that is supposed to be frozen and reheated going to stay good when in an unrefrigerated cave for weeks/months at a time? Why could Nainai suddenly understand the prairie dogs? How did Aria’s dad, who grew up with his mom, never discover the monster?

If Nainai has to give the boba at a specific time, why doesn’t she just close the cafe before that time? She seemed unhinged when she kicked all the customers out suddenly.

Again, I’m the wrong demographic. I love boba, but just couldn’t quite get into this comic.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 60% through. The pacing is way off in this story. The transitions from scenes and locations are sudden, characters switch topics within scenes abruptly, and the character emotions and motivations feel unearned. Nothing is given space to BREATHE. This had a unique set up but I couldn't get a sense of either of these characters without more background earlier on in the story. Honestly, both were kind of annoying. Aria reads much younger and more naive than her age, and her antisocial behavior is a major flag that goes ignored for the first half of the book. What kid removes herself from all technology and all kids her age? Why is this not more of a concern for her grandmother?

The grandmother's histrionics over keeping her schedule and her secrets seemed like it came out of nowhere. When she would yell at her customers to get out of her shop because it was a certain time of day, I was so confused. Does she not keep strict business hours? Does she not close her shop in time to take care of her post-work routines? It didn't make sense, especially for a woman who had been managing her business and the secret for years. There were some darker elements to the story that didn't match the tone of the rest of the book. I just didn't trust the author to land all of the balls in the air in a satisfying way so I skimmed the end and decided to DNF.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirteen year old Aria, who is Indian and Chinese American, is staying with her nainai (grandmother) for the summer in San Francisco. Back home, a boy she thought was her friend shared private photos of her, and Aria is fleeing the shame and controversy. She loves helping nainai in her boba café, and is constantly trying to find ways to increase the number of customers. But nainai is strangely unwilling to put any time or effort into trying new flavors or marketing ideas. And why exactly does nainai lock herself in the kitchen every night at 6:00?

Eventually this charming cozy novel of love between a kid and her grandmother turns into a fantastical adventure in the sewers of San Francisco, with Aria trying to figure out how to help the neighborhood prairie dogs feed an insatiable monster who eats boba! This is an entertaining read with unexpected twists. It has cute cats and an eccentric grandmother, not to mention lots of boba and some tween drama. As this is book one, I expect we’ll see more adventures with Aria and the monster, probably with some cute cats and maybe even a boy named Jay.

Although I liked it, the serious issue of revenge porn wasn’t given its due, in my opinion.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Escaping from a traumatizing incident back home (a boy shared images of her without her consent), Aria goes to spend the summer with her grandmother, owner of a small bubble tea shop in San Francisco. Little does she know that her grandmother spends her nights placating a monster who lives under the city, one that can cause terrible earthquakes. It's unfortunate that this revelation is shared so prominently in the cover copy, because in the story it's treated as a central mystery that we don't get the answer to until over halfway through the graphic novel.

The centerpiece in this book is actually that relationship between Aria and her Nainai. They have a lovely grandparent and grandchild relationship, one where they happily spend a lot of time together and have easy conversations with each other. Everything else kind of works around that relationship, and it works well. It's interesting that the ending is a "...for now" type of thing. It's definitely setting up future books, without being so obviously a cliffhanger that this book can't be read by itself. There's also cute kittens, and lots of food talk.