“Get good grades.” “Don’t trigger bother.” These mantras from his dad had been continuously drilled into Ming Lee’s head like a jackhammer for so long as he can keep in mind, at the same time as he begins his first day in center college. How can he even take into consideration stepping into Stanford not to mention survive the rites of passage of center college? From the inventive thoughts of Arree Chung comes his charming debut of the zany escapades of a center grader navigating the surprise years of adolescence in Don’t Trigger Bother.

From the beginning, twelve-year-old Ming Lee struggles to adapt to a world that usually misinterprets him: He’s Chinese language, however is mistaken for being Korean; Enduring rice-bowl haircuts and searching for garments at thrift retailers embarrasses him; His mother makes home made dumplings for lunch, inviting scrutiny and mock from his classmates at college. He’s even positioned into an ESL class when English is his first language. Striving to suit right into a society the place he seems like an alien, Ming Lee simply can’t fairly hack it.

In his debut graphic novel, loosely primarily based on private experiences, Chung presents a charmingly trustworthy depiction of the exploits of an adolescent caught up in assimilating into American society. Ming is later positioned into an honors English class the place he befriends classmates Vikrum and Marcus, in the end pulling them right into a shoplifting heist. Vibrantly coloured panels adorn the pages, with comical facial expressions driving the characters and story ahead. Speech bubbles comprise Mandarin translations—typically amplifying the comedic impact significantly when serving as a coded language to outsiders. Ming captures daydreaming flights of fancy by means of doodling rocket ships, basketball, and extremely coveted Air Elevate sneakers (which he secretly hopes to obtain when he saves sufficient cash)—it doesn’t matter what the price and sure, pushing him to the purpose of inflicting bother.

By means of a sequence of self-contained misadventures, Don’t Trigger Bother integrates subtextual themes of becoming in, combating racial microaggressions, navigating interracial friendships, grappling with self-hate, and persevering by means of religion. As an added bonus, the again matter highlights the inventive mechanics behind making a graphic novel from producing a narrative, scripting, and storyboarding to the design, inking, and coloring of a completed product. General, this graphic novel will broaden the huge breadth of BIPOC literature in center grade graphic novel collections whereas chronicling the oftentimes awkward and painful experiences of rising up in a world by means of the lens of adolescence.

Don’t Trigger Bother
By Arree Chung
Henry Holt Holt Books for Younger Readers, 2025
ISBN: 9781250887306

Firm Age Score: 8-12

NFNT Age Advice: Center Grade (7-11)
Creator Illustration:  Chinese language-American,
Character Illustration: Chinese language-American,