Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All

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Author(s)
Publisher
Age Range
8+
Release Date
April 23, 2024
ISBN
978-0593624524
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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.

Editor review

1 review
Mystery in a City Neighborhood
(Updated: July 12, 2026)
Overall rating
 
3.0
Plot
 
3.0
Characters
 
3.0
Writing Style
 
3.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
3.0
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Magnolia is ten, and spends most of her days at the Bing Qi Ling Bubbles Laundromat that her parents run. Her only friend has moved away, and she has little interest in making new ones, even though it means that her birthday party will be a little sad. Her mother has a friend, Mrs. Lam, who works nearby as a dance instructor, and she brings her daughter Iris to hang out with Magnolia. Iris has just moved from California, and thinks it is better than New York, so Magnolia sets out to show her all of the interesting things about the neighborhood. Magnolia has a bulletin board at the laundry filled with single socks, and after an angry customer is mean to her mother and derides the board, Magnolia decides that she should investigate and try to return the socks to their owners, with Iris' help. The two start to ask questions, and talk to a lot of neighborhood business owners, running errands for them as they look for clues as to who might belong to the socks. They track down yarn at the Knitty Bitty shop, which leads them to Alan, who also plays piano. They stop by a pizza parlor and bookstore, and meet Jessica, who plays soccer and is rather lonely. When there is grafitti in the neighborhood that says "Go home!", Iris is sad, so Magnolia tries to recreate a California beach with cat litter. After finding the home of the final sock, which smells like coconut, the two girls are friends, and feel closer to their neighborhood.
Good Points
SThis had a bit of a vintage feel to it, with Magnolia having some Harriet the Spy (Fitzhugh) or A Girl Called Al (Greene) vibes. Living in suburbia, I am enthralled by vibrant city landscapes, but I also find it hard to believe that they really exist! Magnolia and Iris are allowed a fair amount of freedom to wander about and meet people, which is delightful. There are plentiful page decorations, which is something I would like to see more in middle grade literature.

This is a good choice for younger readers who like books that center around neighborhoods, like Vivat's Meet Me on Mercer Street, LaCoer and Albert's The Apartment House on Poppy Hill, or Finnegan's Sunny Parker is Here to Stay.

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User reviews

2 reviews
Overall rating
 
4.9
Plot
 
4.5(2)
Characters
 
5.0(2)
Writing Style
 
5.0(2)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0(2)
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Middle Grade Mystery
(Updated: July 12, 2026)
Overall rating
 
4.8
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
This is a really cute middle grade novel. The characters actually had a lot of depth and feeling for the age this book is written for, and the little mystery of finding who each sock belongs to was very cute. It is a good tale about mystery, friendship, being yourself, and family. I usually read books for 6th grade, and I think this skews slightly younger. I would recommend it to a few of my students, but in general, I think this would be a great book for 3rd-5th graders who like a quick little myster.
Good Points
Quick
Cute
Good Message
Character Development
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Will please even older readers
(Updated: July 12, 2026)
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
Some books come to us at the right time when we need to read the sweet life lessons and small things that remind us what is worth paying attention to in our lives.

This wonderful middle-grade novel is one of those, with so many amazing paragraphs that become wise quotes to any age, not just young readers, for they are filled with wisdom and kindness. A simple gesture of returning lost socks becomes a journey through a community in the great busy city of New York where we are reminded of so many cultures, knowledge, experiences, and wonderful people. A tale of family, friendship, city people, and living with prejudice, social pressure, and even sometimes racism.
Good Points
So many life lessons
Rereadable
Uplifting
Amazin characters
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