In the park, Lakas meets an old man, a manong, who tells him about a special talking fish. Lakas and his dad go shopping and meet the fish who leads them on a chase through Manilatown in San Francisco. More an more residents of Manilatown join the chase. Ehhhhh, didn't care for the illustrations either.

I did not like “Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel”, the central message of which was that friends should come together to work toward a common goal about which they feel strongly. I did not like the plot of the book, which was largely based around activism and urban issues. I felt that the characters were wrong to protest the closing of the Makibaka Hotel, considering doing so was out of the landlord’s control. I also did not like the writing in the story, which I felt did not flow well. I was distracted by the Tagalog translations of the text, and had difficulty following along with the plot of the story. Additionally, I disliked the story’s illustrations. I felt they were very harsh-looking and took away from the story itself. I did not feel as though the illustrations enhanced the story, although I can see how they may have been appropriate to its overall mood, which was one that was big and bold. I do credit the author for trying to push readers to think about tough issues, such as eviction and the gentrification of a neighborhood, but this book was not one that appealed to me personally. I think “Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel” would win the favor of someone who is more activist-minded, and who is more interested in taking on urban issues; that person is simply not me. ( )

I liked this book because of it's reflection on society. The story was bilingual, and it presented the issues of greediness, and a struggling society. The story also tied in chance, and compassion for others. I liked how the character never stopped standing up for what he believed was right. It was nice to see how the author opens up children's eyes to these societal issues, before they witness them for themselves. The main message is to consistently have compassion for others and to fight for what you believe in, and what is right. The little boy never once stopped fighting to help others, and in the end it paid off. ( )