Graphic Novel Review: Super Boba Café by Nidhi Chanani

Posted on April 16, 2024 at 6:45 am by Gene Ambaum

Super Boba Café by Nidhi Chanani, colors by Sarah Davidson. Amulet, 2023. 9781419759567. Aria flies to San Francisco alone to spend some of her summer with her Nainai. They both have secrets, which come out gradually. (Minor spoiler) Aria’s involves a boy she liked who shared photos of her online; her Nainai’s involves what she does every night in the kitchen at her Super Boba Café (and the groundhogs she feeds behind it). As Aria tries to help her Nainai improve business, the café’s cat Bao offers a way to attract more customers. This leads to Aria finding out her grandma’s secret (and telling her grandma hers).

Based on the look of this graphic novel’s art, I assumed it would be squarely aimed at very young readers, but it has a lot to offer to upper-elementary and even middle school students. (Aria is about to turn 14.) And its great depiction of a friendly grandmother/granddaughter relationship reminded me of my mother-in-law and my daughter. Note: there’s nothing too scary or adult in the book.