It’s not fair. All Crystal’s friends get to have fun on Saturdays, but Crystal has to go to Chinese School. It’s hard, and boring, and why does she need to learn Chinese anyway? Knowing English is enough. But when a new boy at school is targeted by the class bully, Crystal experiences some of the power and perks of being bilingual. Maybe it’s her friends who have been missing out? 2025 Next Generation Indie Book Award Winner in the Children’s Picture Book – OwnVoices category; 2025 Skipping Stones Honor Award Winner in the Multicultural & International Books category 2025; Creative Child Magazine Book of the Year Award in the Multilingual Books for Kids category The book shows how sharing food and language can bridge between cultures, promoting kindness and strengthening friendships. - 2025 Skipping Stones Book Awards & Reviews Original, clever, deftly crafted, charmingly illustrated….a fun read from cover to cover, Oh No! Chinese School!…is especially and unreservedly recommended for family, elementary school, a A charming and uplifting tale for young readers on the overwhelming (learning to become bi-lingual) but powerful values of diversity. The protagonist learns and demonstrates empathy, compassion and strength from her cross-cultural background and environment. — Marcie Tennen, 2025 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Judge 100% Crystal Murakami is the award-winning author of Daddy, My Favorite Guy and I Am Hapa. Murakami is a Hapa, daughter of a Caucasian father and a Chinese American mother. Oh No! Chinese School! is based on her own childhood experience of going to Chinese Language School in Los Angeles Chinatown. OH NO! Chinese School! My mother doesn’t understand how hard it is to learn a language with no alphabet—or understand how boring it is to spend my whole Saturday in class. My friends don’t speak Chinese! My dad doesn’t speak Chinese! Why do I need to speak Chinese?…... It’s funny how I have thick brown hair when Mama has thin, straight black hair. My hair makes me look more like my daddy, but I do have my mama’s almond-shaped eyes and little nose. I’m not quite Chinese and I’m not quite White. I feel different.