Author Interview – Rin-rin Yu

I’m so excited to be able to introduce you to author Rin-rin Yu today. Rin-rin is a debut Middle grade author who has written a beautiful book (with a delightfully delicious title), and today we will be discussing her book: GOODBYE, FRENCH FRY, coming out February 17^th, 2026 from Nancy Paulsen Books/ Penguin Kids.

I adore middle grade, and the synopsis sounds so compelling. I am so excited to talk to

Rin-rin about this book!

Librarians and educators- you don’t want to miss this!

About GOODBYE, FRENCH FRY:

A sparkling debut novel featuring a Chinese American girl doing her best to stay true to herself in a world that often judges

Some days Ping-Ping feels like she just can’t win. She was born in the US, so it’s frustrating when people are surprised by how American she is, but her Chinese relatives feel she’s not Chinese enough. But the things bugging her the most lately are her classmate Lee Beaumont, who has taken to calling her “French Fry” because of the tofu sticks she eats at lunch, and the possibility that her family will have to relocate to Kenya for her father’s UN job. Of all the things Ping-Ping loves, her home and best friend are at the top of the list, and she’d hate to have to leave them. What’s a girl to do when she can’t be in as much control as she’d like to be? Well, good thing Ping-Ping is a wiz at taekwondo—she’s learning how to kick her frustrations away, and there’s almost nothing she can’t master if she puts her mind to it. Rin-rin Yu has written a warm and funny family story that will have kids rooting for Ping-Ping—a girl who is ready to kick all the assumptions made about her aside!

Interview with Rin-rin:

I loved getting to talk to Rin-rin about her new book and I know you will enjoy meeting her and Ping-Ping as well.

 SSS: What a wonderful title. I am so intrigued! Can you tell us a little more about it? 

RY: In real life there was a kid who bullied me and called me French Fry. As I was writing this story, I couldn’t wait to get to the part where they had a confrontation and he would finally stop harassing her. In my head I dubbed that moment “Goodbye, French Fry!” because she could finally write off that silly name. It was also nice that it rhymed. Probably for that reason, it stuck.

SSS: Tell us about the story- is Ping-Ping’s story somewhat inspired by your own experiences?

RY:

The stories are entirely inspired by my own experiences, as well as my sister’s. I dealt with that bully, a Chinese name that people often struggled to pronounce, and so so so

 many assumptions about me and my background. Every character is based on someone real, and most of the interactions actually happened. I even included moments like hiding my eyesight problems from my parents because I was afraid I’d get in trouble, and the girl who was shocked that I could speak English without an accent, even though I was born and raised in the U.S. My parents did consider moving us to one of the other United Nations headquarters around the world, too. I also fully recognized that my childhood was a very comfortable and happy one, and that some of these cultural imbalances were memorable because they were funny.

Small details came straight from my childhood, too, from the Christmas ornaments in our house to the clothes we wore. I used to keep journals when I was younger, and writing everything down helped me remember everything, and I mean everything.

SSS: Tell us about taekwondo! What made you want to write about it?

RY: This is one part of the book that is not about my childhood, but about my kids’. They take taekwondo, and I have sat through so many of their classes that I could have earned a few belts as well, even without having performed a single kick. When my daughter was about 6, she had to spar with another boy who said he didn’t want to fight a girl, so she basically kicked him over. I think he learned his lesson very quickly when it came to making assumptions about girls. I thought it would be a great way to resolve the conflict she had with her antagonist and prove that she could stand up for herself.

SSS: I absolutely adore reading multicultural stories! What Chinese cultural tidbits can we find in your book

RY:

The cultural details were actually some of the most fun to write because I realized they slipped into the story so naturally just because they were part of my everyday life. Food was the easiest, of course, along with bits of lingo woven throughout. The kids all have Chinese names, and there’s a chapter where they prepare for Chinese New Year.

But there are also more nuanced cultural elements woven in. For example, she realizes Chinese parents never say “I love you” to their kids, even though she knows they do. The adults are often very direct with their opinions, such as her aunt openly criticizing her cousin’s pimples, or Ping-Ping’s mother commenting on her piano practice. The parents also firmly believe in old wives’ tales, like reading in bed causing blindness or catching a cold from not dressing warmly enough, and ideas they pick up from free Chinese-language newspapers at the Asian grocery store. Chinese American (and Canadian) kids will instantly recognize and unitedly groan over these newspapers.

The Chinese traditional of showing respect for elders shows up in subtle ways, too: in how the children speak to their grandparents, and in the way the book’s younger siblings address their older sisters with honorific titles.

Link to order here.

Writing Process 

SSS: When did you start writing the story and was the process a long one?

RY: I had written shorter stories of these chapters a while ago, but from an adult’s perspective looking back. Then I decided it was more fun to see it from the perspective of a child experiencing these things for the first time. There’s something very fresh and innocent at that age. Then I assembled them with a few plot lines woven throughout. The actual writing started around the pandemic, about nine months and then I had to find an agent, which probably took longer than writing the book. Then we went through a round of edits before she pitched it to editors, and then my editor and I went through several rounds of edits and additions of chapters.

SSS: Are you a pantser or a plotter? And what helps you with finishing stories when you first start writing your drafts?

RY: I am a mix of both. I’d like to think I am an orderly person, which I usually am – I am a spreadsheets person, but I’ll compare my writing to building a fence. Instead of building a fence from one end to the other, I’ll put in the posts first, and I don’t even put those in order, but they serve as a strong foundation to support the fence. Similarly, I’ll write some chapters I am really excited about or have really clear ideas about first, and then add in the rest, but then I’ll keep going back and changing and revising until it’s all pretty solid. And ideas often come out of nowhere, like while I’m at the supermarket or in my car, and then I’ll have to get back to my computer and record it somewhere before I forget. For me, creativity isn’t really planned – it just happens, and it’s most fun that way.

SSS: Any advice for fellow middle-grade authors looking to write MG?  

RY: Middle grade is such a fun age of discovery, independence, and firsts. Some of my favorite literary heroes and role models are from that age group, so always think about how your characters could one day be some child’s role model!

Bonus!

SSS: Bonus question! Tell me about this gorgeous cover!

RY: This artist lives in Vietnam, and I really liked how she depicted Westernized Asian kids as typical American kids. When my family and I saw her work, we all said, “That’s an American kid.” That’s not a phrase people often associate with an Asian-looking individual. The fact that we had that reaction felt like she was a good direction to go with.

She incorporated details of both cultures like high-top sneakers, jeans, string bracelets, and a jade pendant. She wears a shirt in a signature Chinese red, with sheets of music and a lunchbox flying around her. I believe the artist even hand-lettered the title. To me, the clouds subtly resemble those in a traditional Chinese ink painting.

Thank you Rin-rin for joining us and I hope readers and librarians enjoy your book! I know I am so excited to dive in!!!

About Rin-rin:

Rin-rin Yu (RinRinYu.com) is an award-winning print and TV journalist, magazine editor, and photographer. During the day, she works for Duke University’s communications and marketing department. Goodbye, French Fry is her first novel. Born and raised in Westchester County, New York, Rin-rin currently lives with her family and tropical fish outside Washington, D.C.

Website: rinrinyu.com

INSTAGRAM: @rinrinyutheauthor 

Shifa Safadi

SHIFA SALTAGI SAFADI is the National Book Award winning author of Kareem Between, the Amina Banana series, and several picture books, including The Gift of Eid. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, is a former ELA teacher, and is passionate about spreading a love of reading through storytimes and school visits. Shifa was born in Syria and immigrated to the US with her parents as a young girl. She lives near Chicago with her husband and four children.

Find her on Instagram @shifasaltagisafadi