Finding Junie Kim

by Ellen Oh

For fans of Inside Out and Back Again and Amina’s Voice comes a breathtaking story of family, hope, and survival from Ellen Oh, cofounder of We Need Diverse Books. When Junie Kim is faced with middle school racism, she learns of her grandparents’ extraordinary strength and finds her voice. Inspired by her mother’s real-life experiences during the Korean War, Oh’s characters are real and riveting.

“Both unique and universal, timely and timeless.” —Padma Venkatraman, Walter Award-winning author of The Bridge Home

"A moving story that highlights how to find courage in the face of unspeakable hardship." —Hena Khan, award-winning author of Amina’s Voice

"Junie discovers where she comes from and gains the courage to make a difference in the future." —Wendy Wan-Long Shang, award-winning author of The Great Wall of Lucy Wu

Junie Kim just wants to fit in. So she keeps her head down and tries not to draw attention to herself. But when racist graffiti appears at her middle school, Junie must decide between staying silent or speaking out.

Then Junie’s history teacher assigns a project and Junie decides to interview her grandparents, learning about their unbelievable experiences as kids during the Korean War. Junie comes to admire her grandma’s fierce determination to overcome impossible odds, and her grandpa’s unwavering compassion during wartime. And as racism becomes more pervasive at school, Junie taps into the strength of her ancestors and finds the courage to do what is right.

Finding Junie Kim is a reminder that within all of us lies the power to overcome hardship and emerge triumphant.

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor Book

A Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year

Included in NPR’s 2021 Books We Love List

2021 Nerdy Award Winner

Genres: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Contemporary, War

359 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 4, 2021

About the author

*Hi friends! I'm not often on Goodreads so if you want to keep up with me, the best place to do so is on instagram! I'm at elloecho!

Ellen Oh is a former adjunct college instructor and lawyer with an insatiable curiosity for ancient Asian history. She loves K-pop, K-dramas, and eating good food that someone else cooks for her. She is fueled by Diet Coke. Ellen is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books (WNDB), a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing diversity in children’s literature. Originally from New York City, Ellen lives in Rockville, Maryland, with her husband, three children, two dogs, and has yet to satisfy her quest for a decent bagel.

Reviews

[Chandra Claypool (WhereTheReaderGrows) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excuse me as I pick my feelings up off of the floor where my emotions drained. I'm not crying. I'M NOT! This book GOT TO ME. This story gives us current climate racism, mental health, Korean War history, friendship, grief, pride, resilience with a dash of after school special. I couldn't love this book any more.

I felt so SEEN through Junie's character and what it feels like to be one of very few POC in a school. "Truth is, even though I was born and raised here, I'll never be truly American to her." GAH. While Junie and her diverse group of friends deal with their feelings of the racism and bullying happening in their school, they are all layered characters and we get deep past this top layer into all the action and reactions that accompany. The stars of this book are the grandparents and it's through Junie's relationship with her grandfather and his story telling that we see her growth. We get immediately transported in their story telling of their love story but also their own very different experiences with the Korean War. I LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT MY CULTURE. I'm not usually big on a history lesson but I imagined what it would've been like as if my own Korean grandfather (whom I never knew) was talking to me.

There's so much to unpack from this story. Please read this. Especially if you're Korean. And when you do, be sure to read the Author's note.

"At the time, half full was still quite a lot. I don't remember when I started noticing that it was actually half empty."

"Instead of seeing us as these horrible words, see us as people." Our name is not commie or chink or dog eater or North Korean spy. Her name is Junie. My name is Chandra. And Junie, your grandpa would've absolutely loved you getting his story out there.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an easy read but hard to read. I needed to take my time with it because it was so emotional for me. The era Junie’s grandparents talk about, the Korean War right after the Japanese occupation, that’s when my parents were young as well. I used to beg my parents to tell me their stories so that I could pass them onto my niece and nephews. Thought it would be important for them to know their history. But my parents never wanted to talk about it other than to say hurt things about their oppressors and imperialists. This book gave me a peek into maybe why.

I’m still searching for a book to share with my niece. This could be it, but I fear racism might be too big a topic to tackle at a very innocent age nine. Then again, upon reflecting on my life, I can now recognize the racism my family faced at that age, even if I didn’t have the vocabulary for it then. Maybe it’s better that she’s equipped with it after all.

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not expect this book to be so 'dark' and to discuss really difficult topics like depression, suicide, death, war, and everything you try to shelter your children from but eventually creeps into their lives. I loved how honest it war, how well researched it was, and showed you what life could be like. Go pick up a copy!

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made me tear up, represents well the characters and the writing is good!

However, I feel like the book is two different books in the first and the second halves. Of course, the main character is the main link between the first half and the second. But I just cannot help feeling like the book tries to do everything good all at once.

The book tries to bring up really important issues on racial discrimination, friendship, family, mental health, history and solving a mystery. Yes, the story is good but I feel like it tried too hard to make the story much more than it actually is.

A good story I still say. I love the grandpa so much! You will know when you read this book.

[Eunice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really too heavy handed on political issues and packed full of contemporary issues. I feel I would have to read this with a child and have a discussion on every page because it’s very one sided. An example is someone wearing a red Make America Great Again. Her mom taught her that the slogan “was about exclusion and not inclusion” and the girl thought “the hat reminds me of all the people who will never accept me as a real American.” No matter your beliefs sometimes there are too many generalizations.

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

Wow I'm surprised that this is a middle-grade novel because it covers so many hard-hitting topics! I thought it would only focus on the immigration experience and history of the Korean War, but it also explores mental health, bullying, peer pressure, racism, hate crimes and more.

This book is harrowing, heartbreaking and moving all at once. I like how the story was told mainly through Junie's POV but consisted of two segments from her grandparents, in which they recount their painful wartime experiences. I even found myself tearing up at some scenes.

The only reason why this isn't a solid 5 stars for me is because I feel like there is over-idealisation of the American Dream.

Nevertheless, I think this is a fantastic book that should be picked up by everyone.

Food for thought:

✨"Rice is my favourite. I would eat it three times a day every day."

✨"There are moments in life when a person must decide between what's right and what's safe. It is one of the most difficult decisions in life, and I would never be angry at you for choosing to do what's safe. But I will always be proud of you for doing what's right."

✨"Always remember that silence is a weapon. When people don't speak up, and let evil continue unchecked, they too have come corrupt."

[Brittany McCann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of this were VERY heavy. I don't know how young would be appropriate for this one. There is extreme racism and mental health. You would want to talk about actionable and healthy coping mechanisms when they are faced with similar situations.

It was well-written, though, if uncomfortable to read at times. I felt terrible for Junie Kim a lot of the time. I think many girls, in general, go through this extreme identity question. Junie Kim had different identities to sift through with her race and location.

Solid 4 Stars

[Amy Kooijman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Listen. This book has got me all kinds of riled up. I'll start by saying that I can tell that this topic is very personal to Ellen Oh, and I respect that...but the cover art and reading level of this book is very clearly marketing itself as middle reader fiction - geared towards ages 10-13. And therefore, for context, I'd like to list for you all a sampling of the topics that this book chooses to brush through as well as those themes/topics which it spends a great deal of time focusing on.

Any one of these topics could, very sensitively, be covered in a middle reader book, however the alarming way that the author just casually inserts extremely graphic, dark, and sensitive topics into this middle reader book, then brushes past them, disturbed me greatly. I say this as an educator who has been teaching middle grade language arts for 14 years. I'm NOT afraid of engaging in difficult topics/books with my kids - but nothing about this end product was AT ALL helpful for children readers.

Spoilers because, I'm just going to list some of the plot elements...
* Junie is horrifically and ridiculously over the top bullied throughout her entire school day by white children. She's referred to as a 'commie, dog-eater, chink, red'...you know, all the classic 7th grade insults you hear being thrown around the playground (*eyeroll*)
* Her school is repeatedly targeted by racist graffiti targeting students of color
* She is targeted by kids wearing red MAGA hats who call her a commie again... there is a LOT of emphasis on how dangerous America is for minority children
* microagressions
*grandparents repeatedly referring to how racially targeted and discriminated against they were throughout their whole time in America

And then we get to the really fun stuff...
* Junie experiences a moment of VERY DESCRIPTIVE suicidal ideation wherein she pours a handful of pills into her hand and contemplates ending her pain
* Junie is diagnosed with depression and starts therapy
* Junie is on anti-depressants
* Junie still must stop being passive and learn to join the diversity groups in her school and stand up against the omni-present and near total racism minority children face in her school. She only has friends who are minorities. The white kids aren't safe
* Junie's beloved grandpa abruptly has a stroke
* Junie's beloved grandpa, in his dying moments, charges her with caring for her grandmother

And now let's get into the REALLY REALLY fun stuff...
* All of Junie's current pain is directly and explicitly compared to the suffering Koreans endured during the Korean war
* A ward full of soldiers is buried alive
* A 12 year old accompanies his friend to go find his brutally murdered father who is described as beaten, stabbed, and has had his eyes gouged out
* Fields full of dead bodies are described
* It is implied that a woman has recently been raped by her bloody bare legs and beaten face
* A 12 year old boy is. taken to prison and executed
* A man and his pregnant wife are taken into a street and executed
* A grieving beaten woman with her hair half pulled out and bloody face grabs onto a young girl and beats at her
* A woman takes her young daughter to the police station and examines all of the bodies lying out on the dirt with bulletholes in their head to see if any of them is the girl's father...

I could go on, but you ge the idea...

Again, I'm NOT against hard topics being sensitively introduced and discussed with middle grade readers in a way which they can use to apply to their own lives and use for overcoming hardships. But the sheer volume of absolutely horrific trauma that is casually thrown about in this book written at a 5th-6th grade reading level, as well as the EXTREMELY ham-handed direct correlation applied between life in Korea during the war (bullet riddled bodies included) and middle school in America for minority children...is so so poorly handled.

And the cover art of the smiling girl carrying her brother through fields of flowers...oof...

[Ash Otterloo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a powerful, important, emotionally intelligent book that beautifully weaves together the trauma of war, hate crime, bullying, depression, friendship tiffs, and lack of cell phone without diminishing or minimizing any of them--in a tender way that I think most older elementary and middle schoolers will find relatable and much-needed.

Finding Junie Kim has so much wisdom to share, and is a beautiful starting point for important conversations about compassion toward yourself and others.

[julianna ➹]

i don't normally read middle-grade but this was written by the queen herself (ellen oh, founder of We Need Diverse Books) so [squints into distance] thar she goes!! (onto my tbr)

[Ele · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate giving this book such a low rating, seeing it is so personal, but this book was extremely poorly executed.

When writing books for children, you must always keep in mind how the book will affect them. When dealing with tricky topics such as politics you must be extremely careful, and this book was not. The worst was probably the throw-in of suicide ideation which was forgotten far too quickly. Each issue was thrown in without properly being fleshed out, and it felt gross. It's just traumacore for kids.

I also find it hypocritical this book was just full-fleshed anti-Korean, pro-American propaganda, yet screams against racism. It actually calls the American soldiers 'liberators', even though America was responisble for most war crimes during the Korean War, directly or indirectly. The books sings praise for America and excuses the few war crimes it acknowledges. I don't get how it can pretend to be fighting racism by ignoring colonialism and placing most of its focus on evil Koreans. This was just flat out colonialist propaganda. This focus on evil Koreans is what leads children to only see Koreans as communist, even if you feature kindly Koreans. Yes, acknlowedge crimes by Koreans - but not if you ignore America's.

Better books for children dealing with historical trauma are Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame and Soul Lanterns.

Content Warnings War, murder, gruesome imagery, suicide ideation, bullying, racism, family death

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow. The Korean part of me was so excited to read an #OwnVoices book by a Korean American, and wow--I was not disappointed. The feel of the book was great. I enjoyed the tiger story that the Grandpa told and the descriptions of Korea and Korean food. It really connected with me on a personal level. But even more than that, the story is really good. Despite the disconnect I sometimes feel when reading JF (since I'm almost 30), I felt so strongly connected to Junie and I found myself rooting for her to succeed. I will say that the modern parts with Junie felt more juvenile, and I could see junior highers connecting to her emotions and impulses. But the flashback war stories from Junie's Grandpa and Grandma were exceptional. I couldn't get enough. The war stories are a little gruesome, and after finishing the Grandpa's story, I considered whether this book is truly JF... (the characters see--and describe--dead bodies and violence and hardship). It's hard to place, since the main character is pre-teen... Overall, I think the messages and lessons about race, identity, and mental health are very important to kids in middle school but I would discourage younger children from reading up to it simply because it is so heavy and dark. If your child is mature for their age, and has the support system to discuss any questions they may have, I would say go for it. But definitely would not recommend this book blindly.

[Lisa Guzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

“This country has been so difficult and yet I love it very much. I still believe in the American dream. Your grandmother and I came with very little money, and now we are comfortable in our old age. This country has been very hard on us, and yet it has been very good to us also. For every terrible racist we have had to deal with, there have been many more wonderful people who have helped us and cared for us. That is why I never regret moving here. I don’t know if we would have been better off in Korea, but I do not doubt that I gave my children a chance at a better life during a very turbulent time in our own country, and I am grateful for that opportunity.” (pg 201-202)

[Kate Meiners · Rating 5 out of 5]

And… this one made me cry. A beautiful story about resilience, courage, and family memories from the Korean War. This book is geared towards middle school students and deals with some of the current struggles of students, including racism and depression. An empowering read looking towards positive change in the future.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally wept throughout this entire book. Perhaps it's because I could relate to some of what Junie Kim went through. Perhaps it's because I've been reading several depressing books about mental illness lately and it's just put me in that sort of mood. But this one hit me even more than the previous two (John Green's Turtles and Jennifer Niven's All the Bright Places), again, perhaps because I was able to relate to the main character a bit more. This is a middle-grade book, but it's not an easy one. Junie Kim is a middle school girl just trying to keep her head down and handle (and ignore) the outright racism she has been experiencing in her school. While her school's official policy is to not tolerate that kind of behavior, she keeps quiet in part because she feels like nothing will ever change, she has no power, and if she complains, the bullies will make it worse for her. Her friends (black, Latina, Asian), who have also experienced racism, decide they want to speak out, but she's reluctant to do so, again, because she feels powerless and she's worried about making things worse. Mixed in with this is her struggle with depression and even suicide, but this is handled very compassionately and in a way that I think is accessible to younger audiences.

She has an amazing relationship with her grandparents, especially her grandfather, and when she's assigned a project to interview a person from her grandfather's generation, she ends up learning many of his stories. The story moves from contemporary to the past as she listens to the stories of her grandfather, and later, her grandmother. As she learns their stories, she also learns to find her inner voice and realizes she is much stronger than she thought she was.

As I mentioned, I wept throughout this book, but even with the serious topics, I did not find it a depressing book, per se. Rather, I found it to be inspiring and I absolutely cheered Junie on as she found her little victories.

While this book is not autobiographical, the author did incorporate many of the stories in her family and in her people as she shared with us her family experiences with the Korean War. She mentions that this was one of the hardest books she's written and I can definitely see that. I highly recommend this book as a must-read, as a way to increase your understanding of the Asian American experience. I believe this book should be in every middle school library.

[Lorie Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️.

I was fortunate to receive an eARC of Finding Junie Kim via NetGalley from the publisher. I have deep respect and admiration for its author, Ellen Oh, the founder of We Need Diverse books and advocate of #ownvoices stories.

And Junie Kim is a beautiful, tragic, and hopeful #ownvoice story. Told part in realistic fiction from Junie’s first person perspective and in 3rd person historical fiction, Oh weaves the racist conflicts in a middle-school setting with the protagonist learning how to find her voice through the stories of both of her maternal grandparents during the Korean War.

The characters are ones for whom my heart simultaneously cheered and broke. Junie’s grandparents reminded me of the importance of family history, particularly when whiteness has worked to erase that history. And Junie herself learns so much from her grandparents: the differences in racism depending on ethnicity, how remaining silent upholds racism, and to lean on your friends and family for strength and wisdom. Oh’s normalization of mental health through Junie’s story is refreshing.

The story grew a bit long in the tooth during part four, but that was because I was yearning to find out how their classmates responded to and her friends’ systemic racism education. All schools - yes, elementary, too, should have a training like Junie’s school did. I wonder if the character the Black trainer hired in the school setting was someone Ellen Oh knew?

Finding Junie Kim would make an excellent read aloud, as it is a fine example of a window/mirror/sliding glass door (Sims-Bishop, 1990) book that humans of all walks of life can learn from. Be aware of the realities of war (violence, death) that may be traumatic for some students, but let that not take away from the necessity of this book. Finding Junie Kim is an avenue toward compassion, and is a must for libraries public, school, and classroom.

[Yapha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Junie has had an incredibly rough start to seventh grade. The bus stop bully picks on her constantly, especially now that her older brother takes a different bus to the high school. There have been several incidents with racist graffiti around the middle school. Her friends want to do something about it, but Junie doesn't see the point of even trying. She pulls away from them and from her family, sinking into depression. Fortunately she is able to get help before it is too late from her supportive parents and grandparents. Interspersed with Junie's story are the experiences of her grandparents in Korea during the Korean war when they were her age. Part of a living history project for school, Junie's interviews with them allow her to connect to her family and her heritage in ways that she hadn't before. This is an incredibly powerful and emotional book. Junie's descent into depression is so well described. The stories from the past are heartbreaking and important as well. Bring Kleenex. You're going to need it. Highly recommended for grades 5 & up.

eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss

[Toni · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know why this is getting high marks but I still abhor the book for the style of writing and how much over-dramatic info was added. Junie Kim's dialogue was beyond the middle-grade level and fraught with adult language, hypotheses, concepts, ideology (even uses ideology as a main topic).

This is geared for ALL ADULTS who are involved with kids who could possibly read and interpret this mashed-up true Korean history.

5 stars for the written Korean history and war trauma....I didn't mind that it was a bit graphic for kids but it made no sense for all the situations and boy, there were ALOT of situations - suicide, racism, bully, neglect, etc... but why did this author fictionalize the info with the writing style she chose with her kid character(s) is beyond me. All "her" kids could have taken on all the North Koreans and the Communists if you believe how it's written.

I ended up jumping to the author's notes to understand why she wrote what she wrote - and it's sound and noble but I just plain loatheher made-up fictional story. I think there are better books out there with the same message but with better context and content.

Do not recommend.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellen Oh's dedication to her parents rings true, "May it no longer be the Forgotten War" referring to the Korean War. This is a war few of us studied in school, or read about while developing our school library collections. Beginning the story with a hate crime in Junie's middle school of racist graffiti, the tension inside sensitive Junie grows, yet she keeps it hidden from everyone. As time goes by it becomes too much to bear, however a surprising family member, her dear grandpa unexpectantly finds a way to help. The story becomes exhilerating as he begins to tell her about his own struggles as a child in Korea during the war. Young Junie finds his story fascinating and unbelievable as she learns so much about Korea and her heritage, especially what happens to Grandpa's family. Once young Junie begins to hear his tale the story feels true. Where did Ellen Oh get the detailed stories of regular people and how war changes everything, making normal citizens suffer the most. It's explained in her acknowledgement at the end of the powerful story. This is a beautifully written story about family, resilience, and the cost of war.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was intense. The bullying, racist taunts, physical threats, and suicidal ideation that Junie experienced are elements that I wouldn't recommend for the average middle grade reader. An ideal reader for this book would have to be quite mature and have a high tolerance for different forms of violence and intense emotional stress.

While I was immediately drawn into Junie's story, I wasn't necessarily interested in her grandfather's and grandmother's separate stories. They provided a good history on some of the trials and tribulations South Koreans underwent during North Korean occupation. This would be very informative for middle grade readers who probably haven't been exposed to east Asian history. But I felt like the multiple timelines and storylines took away from the story and lessened my enjoyment from the main contemporary storyline.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book way more than I anticipated. It covers so many big things. The story could spark many deep conversations in a classroom setting, but also at home with your own kids.

As Junie learns to navigate her own feelings while learning to stand up to her bully, she finds strength in the lessons and stories of her grandparents during the Korean War. She loses her grandfather to a massive stroke, but finds strength in his lessons.

[Stacey DeCotis (Reading in the Middle Grades) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you @netgalley for an #advancedreaderscopy of this unbelievably amazing #ownvoices by @elloecho

Junie’s middle school gets vandalized with racist graffiti. She faces a bully everyday on the bus. When a class assignment to interview someone who has lived through war, Junie’s grandparents share stories of the Korean War making Junie discover things about her family that she never imagined.

Middle grade readers need this book for so many reasons. I learned so much about the Korean War and loved Junie’s journey from the start.

Out on May 4th and one of my favorites of 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣1️⃣!!

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally outstanding.

Every school library in the country should have this book. If I were still teaching it would go to the top of my list to read aloud and discuss with the class.

I learned a lot about the Korean War. I loved how Junie learned about her Grandfather and grandmother and their life in Korea during very difficult times.

I thought the issue of racism in its many forms was handled well. It always saddens me to hear of racism, which is so rife in my culture in New Zealand but everywhere. Let's all stand against it. Thank you Ellen Oh for an amazing book.

[sana ୨୧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-3.75
it was really interesting learning more about the korean war and finally reading a book about it. i cried a few times during this, and that honestly surprised me. i feel like i’m finally get out of my mini reading “block.”

[Megan Plotner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful novel, written from the point of view of a Korean-American middle schooler named Junie. As she faces racism from certain classmates, it drives her to learn her family’s history in the Korean War, as told to her by her grandparents. Intense, sweet and beautifully hopeful.

[Sacha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. I’ll post that review upon publication. If you’re looking for a didactic part contemporary part historical middle grade novel set (in the latter part) against the Korean War, you’re in business here.

Updated 5/4/21

3.5 stars

There's a lot to like about this middle grade novel, but for me, there was too much happening.

Junie is a fantastic kid who has loving parents and even a great brother, amazing grandparents, and friends with whom she is having typical middle grade struggles. What's interesting about Junie is that she encounters A LOT in this novel: racism, bullying, death, friendship related struggles, and trips back into her grandparents' pasts while she makes her video project. Oh, and she's here to teach us about microaggressions, too. This is a big job for a relatively young kid.

I found myself really engaged in Junie's story, and while I LOVE both grandparents, I couldn't get as invested in their stories as I'd have liked. I also wanted more exploration of parts of Junie's experience that come up early on and then sort of go away.

I'll recommend this novel to students because it's simply a solid middle grade work, the representation is good, the relationship between generations is wonderful, and the Korean War backdrop is interesting and not well covered elsewhere in the genre. I do wish the topics had been cut in half and those that remained further explored. Overall, a solid read.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Erica (storybookend) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel! It made me feel feelings.

First, I’ll list some important reasons to read this middle grade novel, for kids and adults alike, then I’ll add a little of my other thoughts

𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸:
𝟭. 𝗞𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝗿— I know a little about this war, but reading about it in novel form really showed me how deeply difficult and heartbreaking living in Korea was at this time. My heart broke for these characters. But how strong they were!
𝟮. 𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿— depression is hard, but it seems even worse when kids or teenagers have it. This was handled really well in this book, and it made my heart happy seeing Junie work towards overcoming this challenge.
𝟯. 𝗥𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗺— Junie is Asian, and her two best friends are Black and Jewish, and her other friends are Muslim. It’s such a beautiful diverse group of friends who stand up against racism and bullying and who lift eachother up. It was so nice seeing these young kids fight back against ignorant and rude people.

Probably my favorite thing was the love story and relationship between Junie’s grandparents who met in Korea. It gave me Disney Up vibes 🎈🏠 🥰

This book made me cry a couple times, because of sadness and happiness. If a book is able to make me cry, that means it’s doing something right 💗

I’m so glad I own this amazing novel! And the cover is perfect. I love the meaning behind it and the colors and art.

[CozyReaderKelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciated learning more about the Korean War throughout this novel. Through Junie's grandparents' stories we got to see two perspectives of what was happening in Korea at the time. I thought that combining those stories with the modern day racism Junie was facing at school was well done.

The reason I gave this 3 stars was because it just tried to put too many things in one book. Like I said I thought the war perspectives and the current day racism were good parallels and that would have been enough. But then there were so many other heavy topics like hate crimes, extreme bullying, depression, suicidal thoughts, death, and grief. It felt like too much for me and not all those topics got enough attention to really warrant being in the book. Also, I felt like it was too graphic in its war atrocities to really be appropriate for the target audience of 8-12 year olds. I know that all those things really happened during the war, but for a middle grade book I felt it gave too many gory details.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I really did. I generally enjoy middle-grade novels, and the Korean war is a time period we don’t see many middle-grade novels set in.

I think my main problem comes with how adult all the characters seem, with the exception of grandma Jinjoo’s little brothers in her flashback sections. Characters who are supposed to be 12 year old middle schoolers talk about microaggressions and hate speech like mini college students. I don’t deny that many, many children of color are subject to such shameful things, but to verbalize what’s happening in academic terms moments after it happens seems farfetched.

I very much enjoyed the Kim family relationships, and the descriptions of the traditions around food and how life was in Korea between the Japanese occupation and the onset of the Korean war, but in the end those weren’t enough to save the book for me. :(