The story of Noodle & Bao is obvious (the little guy taking on the big guy/the small town getting taken over by big money), but overall it is fun and fresh. There were a few bumps in the flow of things and the animals and human living side-by-side is odd (maybe it is because the people are that type of personalities?) but it keeps things light as we see gentrification at work. The use of details and colors are minimal but important. The extras at the end are a great round up for the historical and cultural background. (Though currently available, I read via an online reader copy).
Shaina Lu’s story was not “thrilling me” when I first started reading. I felt it was flat and needed some spices. When I first saw that they were doing pronouns for the characters I was afraid that this aspect would overshadow the fact that the food cart, the restaurants and the need for community was a theme, too, and would be sugar coated. Instead, that is a small part of things that perfectly allows the story to be savored. 
Like many stories, it is not the buildings and the things inside them that make up a community, but the people. The people who ban together to make a found family, help each other out and try and fight for what is right. This isn’t new, as I said about, but I like how Lu presented that. Aimed at and probably best for ages 10 to 14, younger can read and adults will appreciate it as well.