In her debut graphic novel “Noodle & Bao,” artist and writer Shaina Lu offers a heartwarming and powerful story of friendship, community, and fighting against gentrification. Set in the fictional Town 99, the book follows Momo and her best friend Bao as they work to save their beloved neighborhood food cart from displacement.
Lu, a queer Taiwanese-American artist and educator based in Boston, draws deeply from her experiences working with youth in Chinatown.
“I wanted to write and draw a story that explored questions about gentrification, but that young readers would still find fun and meaningful,” she said.
The novel emerged from Lu’s work as the program director of a school-age childcare program in Boston’s Chinatown, where students engaged in place-based learning about local history and current struggles during summer
programming. “Learning about gentrification is unavoidable in place-based learning in Boston Chinatown,” Lu said.
The book pays homage to real-world community resistance, referencing
actual protests such and ongoing fights against development in Chinatowns including the fight against developments in Boston, Philadelphia Chinatown’s fight against an arena, and Manhattan Chinatown’s protests against a mega jail.
Lu’s approach to storytelling is collaborative, a principle she applies both to her art and her community work. “It’s very important to me that my art is happening with the community, not to it,” she emphasized. This philosophy is evident in her first public art project — a youth-led mural in Phillips Square that depicted a Chinatown resident’s mother and child, created in partnership with local youth and community members.
As an educator at Josiah Quincy Elementary School and a long-time community organizer, Lu brings a unique perspective to her storytelling. The graphic novel explores intergenerational dynamics and the tension between innovation and tradition.
“It’s not always smooth when people grow up in different times and have, at times, conflicting ideas of how things should be done,” she reflects.
Beyond “Noodle & Bao,” Lu continues to create art with a purpose. She is currently working on a picture book about Chinese American activist Grace Lee Boggs and a fantasy graphic novel inspired by xian xia literature, both aimed at exploring how critical connections can transform individuals and communities.
For Lu, art is never just about storytelling—it’s about creating change. “The book is about the small things that we do in our own communities that ripple out to change the world around us,” she said. “I hope readers feel inspired and hopeful that their actions have an impact.”