Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All: (A Newbery Honor Book)

Written by Chanel Miller

Narrated by Chanel Miller

A Newbery Honor book and instant New York Times, USA Today, and indie bestseller!

Award-winning author and artist Chanel Miller tells a fun, funny, and poignant story of friendship and community starring Magnolia Wu, a ten-year-old sock detective bent on returning all the lonely only socks left behind in her parents' NYC laundromat.

Down at the bottom of the tall buildings of New York City, Magnolia Wu sits inside her parents’ laundromat. She has pinned every lost sock from the laundromat onto a bulletin board in hopes that customers will return to retrieve them. But no one seems to have noticed. In fact, barely anyone has noticed Magnolia at all. 

What she doesn’t know is that this is about to be her most exciting summer yet. When Iris, a new friend from California arrives, they set off across the city to solve the mystery of each missing sock, asking questions in subways and delis and plant stores and pizzerias, meeting people and uncovering the unimaginable.  

With each new encounter, Magnolia learns that when you’re bold enough to head into the unknown, things start falling into place.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 23, 2024
• ISBN: 9780593867372

Reviews for Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All

[electrascaife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Magnolia’s parents run a laundromat in NYC and, in Magnolia’s estimation, are too busy to spare her any real notice. She’s embarrassed that she lives and works in such a business and thinks her classmates look down on her and her life. But then Iris moves to the neighborhood from California and they strike up an instant friendship, deciding to turn Magnolia’s Lost Sock display into a detective business to track down the missing owners, and so begins to learn more about the people in her life and how lucky she really is.

This one won a Newbery Honor this year and it fully deserves the accolade. I very much think that middle grade fiction must be one of the most difficult genres to write in; capturing the right tone to make a narrative feel like it actually comes from a middle grade mindset is rarely done well, but Miller nails it here. The characters are believable for their age group, and the story depicts Magnolia’s and Iris’s insecurities and joys without getting too angsty or flippant, and their character growth comes without preachiness or saccharine. It also hits that rare sweet spot of being a book that’s perfectly pitched for its intended demographic while also being 100% readable for adults as well. Definitely recommended.

[blbooks-14314 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First sentence: Magnolia Wu was almost ten. She was eager to turn ten, because the number 9 looked like a sprout coming out of the ground, small and easily stomped. Ten was a strong, two-digit number that looked like a sword and a shield that belonged to someone who was about to conquer the world.

Premise/plot: Magnolia Wu, whose parents own a laundromat, finds a new friend in this coming of age mystery that has Magnolia and friend (Iris) trekking all over New York City reuniting lost socks with their owners.

My thoughts: Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All is a Newbery Honor book. I may not have picked this one up--necessarily--if it hadn't been brought to my attention last week during the awards announcements. It is solidly good middle grade fiction. I enjoyed the themes of friendship and family--being/becoming proud of who you are and where you come from. I enjoyed Magnolia opening herself up and 'blossoming' as she adventures across the city. On her quest to reunite socks with their owners--which I find requires a bit of suspension of disbelief--it has her becoming more confident.

[salsabrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Whimsical, humorous, and delightful, and unexpectedly profound overall. A perfect middle grade book that doesn't skew older in characters or reading level. Magnolia created a bulletin board of socks left behind at her parents' laundry and Iris suggests they try to figure out the owners of the socks through stream of consciousness thinking. Magnolia's New York City is friendly as a small town and community-oriented; the girls wander the streets on their mission, unmolested, while engaging with the neighbors they meet along the way.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ten-year-old Magnolia is expecting a long, boring summer hanging out at her parents' laundromat, but when new friend Iris arrives from California, the two girls set out on a summer of adventure, determined to return stranded single socks to their rightful owners. Can their new friendship survive the ups and downs of detective work?

This book is pitched to a slightly lower age range than the other Newbery Honor books of the year. While it is simple on the surface level, there are lots of interesting friendship dynamics, parent-child relationships, and social issues like race and class at play. While I found it unlikely that the girls would be able to re-home all of the socks, their New York City neighborhood has a small-town feeling where everybody seems to know everybody else, which works in their favor. A pleasant read.

[jennybeast · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an absolutely delightful surprise -- I didn't know what to expect from the premise, but it's just such a great portrait of friendship, and community and the importance of looking around and being present. I love Magnolia and Iris' quest to reunite socks with their owners. I love all the small lessons that they collect along the way. I love that the book confronts hatred and bullying. I love that it celebrates the beauty that immigrants have always brought to this country. Gorgeous, accessible, full of heart. I also love the illustrations.