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Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All

(A Newbery Honor Book)

Author Chanel Miller
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Best Seller
Hardcover
$17.99 US
Penguin Young Readers | Philomel Books
5.75"W x 8.5"H x 0.7"D  
On sale Apr 23, 2024 | 160 Pages | 9780593624524
Grades 2-6
Reading Level: Lexile 850L | Fountas & Pinnell T
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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.
© Mariah Tiffany
Chanel Miller is a writer and artist. Her first children’s book, Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All, was a Newbery Honor winner and an instant New York Times bestseller. It was also a TODAY show Read with Jenna Jr selection, a Good Housekeeping Best Kids’ Book Awards winner, a New York Times for Kids pick, a The Week Junior book club selection, a People magazine summer reading pick, a Junior Library Guild selection, and an Indie Next pick. Her memoir, Know My Name, was a New York Times bestseller, a New York Times Book Review Notable Book, and a winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the Ridenhour Book Prize, and the California Book Award. It was also a best book of the year in TIME, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, NPR, and People, among others. She was named one of the Forbes 30 Under 30 and a Time Next 100 honoree and was a Glamour Woman of the Year honoree. She has always dreamed of writing and illustrating children’s books. You can visit her online at Chanel-Miller.com or follow her on Instagram @Chanel_Miller. View titles by Chanel Miller

Discussion Guide for Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Read More
  • HONOR | 2025
    Newbery Honor Book
Praise for Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All:

TODAY Show Read with Jenna Jr. selection ♦ Good Housekeeping Best Kids’ Book Award winner ♦ National Summer Book Award winner ♦ A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year ♦ The Week Junior Best Adventure Book of the Year & book club title ♦ Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books of the Year ♦ ALSC Notable Children’s Book ♦ Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee ♦ New York Times for Kids pick ♦ NPR Books We Love ♦ People magazine summer reading pick ♦ Junior Library Guild selection ♦ Indie Next List pick

“Absolute middle grade perfection . . . This book is a celebration of the quiet courage and daily bonds that make us a community!” –Kelly Yang, award-winning author of Front Desk

“I loved this deeply real yet wondrous tale about how the little things in life turn out to be the big things.” –Abby Hanlon, author of Dory Fantasmagory

* "Thoughtful, creative, and compassionate . . . Miller’s pitch-perfect narrative voice balances humor and whimsy with harsher realities. Magnolia isn’t insulated from negative feelings; rather, her world is one where strength can be quiet, empathy can be learned, and community is critical. Wildly funny, charming, and deeply heartfelt." –Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Miller (Know My Name, for adults) crafts an endearing romp in which Magnolia makes her first ride-or-die friend and learns to appreciate her life in new ways." –Publishers Weekly

“Miller’s fresh and honest storytelling approach and her endearing characters are spot-on for early middle grade readers confronting the highs and lows of friendship, racial tension, and the trials of growing up.” —The Horn Book Magazine

"A thoroughly original take on seeing your immigrant parents anew through the lens of others." —NPR
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About

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.

Author

© Mariah Tiffany
Chanel Miller is a writer and artist. Her first children’s book, Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All, was a Newbery Honor winner and an instant New York Times bestseller. It was also a TODAY show Read with Jenna Jr selection, a Good Housekeeping Best Kids’ Book Awards winner, a New York Times for Kids pick, a The Week Junior book club selection, a People magazine summer reading pick, a Junior Library Guild selection, and an Indie Next pick. Her memoir, Know My Name, was a New York Times bestseller, a New York Times Book Review Notable Book, and a winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the Ridenhour Book Prize, and the California Book Award. It was also a best book of the year in TIME, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, NPR, and People, among others. She was named one of the Forbes 30 Under 30 and a Time Next 100 honoree and was a Glamour Woman of the Year honoree. She has always dreamed of writing and illustrating children’s books. You can visit her online at Chanel-Miller.com or follow her on Instagram @Chanel_Miller. View titles by Chanel Miller

Guides

Discussion Guide for Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Read More

Awards

  • HONOR | 2025
    Newbery Honor Book

Praise

Praise for Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All:

TODAY Show Read with Jenna Jr. selection ♦ Good Housekeeping Best Kids’ Book Award winner ♦ National Summer Book Award winner ♦ A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year ♦ The Week Junior Best Adventure Book of the Year & book club title ♦ Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books of the Year ♦ ALSC Notable Children’s Book ♦ Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee ♦ New York Times for Kids pick ♦ NPR Books We Love ♦ People magazine summer reading pick ♦ Junior Library Guild selection ♦ Indie Next List pick

“Absolute middle grade perfection . . . This book is a celebration of the quiet courage and daily bonds that make us a community!” –Kelly Yang, award-winning author of Front Desk

“I loved this deeply real yet wondrous tale about how the little things in life turn out to be the big things.” –Abby Hanlon, author of Dory Fantasmagory

* "Thoughtful, creative, and compassionate . . . Miller’s pitch-perfect narrative voice balances humor and whimsy with harsher realities. Magnolia isn’t insulated from negative feelings; rather, her world is one where strength can be quiet, empathy can be learned, and community is critical. Wildly funny, charming, and deeply heartfelt." –Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Miller (Know My Name, for adults) crafts an endearing romp in which Magnolia makes her first ride-or-die friend and learns to appreciate her life in new ways." –Publishers Weekly

“Miller’s fresh and honest storytelling approach and her endearing characters are spot-on for early middle grade readers confronting the highs and lows of friendship, racial tension, and the trials of growing up.” —The Horn Book Magazine

"A thoroughly original take on seeing your immigrant parents anew through the lens of others." —NPR

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