Don’t Cause Trouble
“Get good grades.” “Don’t cause trouble.” These mantras from his dad were constantly drilled into Ming Lee’s head like a jackhammer 
for as long as he can remember, even as he begins his first day in middle school. How can he even think about getting into Stanford let alone survive the rites of passage of middle school? From the creative mind of Arree Chung comes his charming debut of the zany escapades of a middle grader navigating the wonder years of adolescence in Don’t Cause Trouble.
From the start, twelve-year-old Ming Lee struggles to adapt to a world that often misinterprets him: He is Chinese, but is mistaken for being Korean; Enduring rice-bowl haircuts and shopping for clothes at thrift shops embarrasses him; His mom makes homemade dumplings for lunch, inviting scrutiny and ridicule from his classmates at school. He is even placed into an ESL class when English is his first language. Striving to fit into a society where he feels like an alien, Ming Lee just can’t quite hack it.
In his debut graphic novel, loosely based on personal experiences, Chung presents a charmingly honest depiction of the exploits of an adolescent caught up in assimilating into American society. Ming is later placed into an honors English class where he befriends classmates Vikrum and Marcus, ultimately pulling them into a shoplifting heist. Vibrantly colored panels adorn the pages, with comical facial expressions driving the characters and story forward. Speech bubbles contain Mandarin translations—sometimes amplifying the comedic effect particularly when serving as a coded language to outsiders. Ming captures daydreaming flights of fancy through doodling rocket ships, basketball, and highly coveted Air Elevate sneakers (which he secretly hopes to procure when he saves enough money)—no matter what the cost and yes, pushing him to the point of causing trouble.
Through a series of self-contained misadventures, Don’t Cause Trouble integrates subtextual themes of fitting in, combating racial microaggressions, navigating interracial friendships, grappling with self-hate, and persevering through faith. As an added bonus, the back matter highlights the creative mechanics behind making a graphic novel from generating a story, scripting, and storyboarding to the design, inking, and coloring of a finished product. Overall, this graphic novel will expand the wide breadth of BIPOC literature in middle grade graphic novel collections while chronicling the oftentimes awkward and painful experiences of growing up in a world through the lens of adolescence.
Don’t Cause Trouble
By Arree Chung
Henry Holt Holt Books for Young Readers, 2025
ISBN: 9781250887306
Company Age Rating: 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11)
Creator Representation: Chinese-American,
Character Representation: Chinese-American,
