Wai Chim

Wai Chim (born 1983)^[1] is a Chinese American author of books for children and young adults residing in Australia. She was a contestant on Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn, the sixth season of Australian Survivor.^[2]

Wai Chim
Born	1983 (age 41–42) New York, United States
Nationality	Chinese-American
Occupation	Author
Television	Australian Survivor

Early life

Born and raised in New York,^[2] Wai spoke Cantonese in her home growing up, and spent time in Japan before relocating to Australia in 2006.^[3] Chim graduated from Duke University where she majored in English and Economics.^[4]

Writing career

Wai writes books for children and young adults. In addition to the Chook Chook series, her next book Shaozhen: Through My Eyes is set in rural China,^[5] and her third has the “great leap forward” as a backdrop.^[6] Shaozhen: Through My Eyes is part of the "Natural Disaster Zones" series which was awarded the 2019 Educational Publishing Award, given by the Australian Publishers Association (APA).^[7] Her most recent release, The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling, features a Chinese Australian family, and was finalist for the 2021 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature.^[8] It is also recommended by the New York Times as a "Fantastic, Flavor-Filled Novel for Kids."^[9]

Survivor

Wai appeared as a contestant on the Australian reality television show, Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn.^[1] She made it far into the competition and placed fifth overall voted out on day 44 of 48 days.^[10]

Publications

• The Chook Chook Series, University of Queensland Press^[11]
• Chook Chook: Mei's Secret Pets, 2012, ISBN 978-1459687257
• Chook Chook: Little and Lo in the City, 2013, ISBN 978-1459691735
• Chook Chook: Saving the Farm, 2014, ISBN 978-0702253164
• Shaozhen: Through My Eyes - Natural Disaster Zones, Allen & Unwin, 2017,^[12] ISBN 978-1760113797
• Freedom Swimmer, Scholastic Press, 2021 (first published 2016),^[13] ISBN 978-1338656138
• The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling, 2019 (Allen & Unwin),^{[14][15][9][16]} ISBN 978-1338756319