(2) Korean American Sunny Park wants to support her best friend, Bailey, whose parents are getting divorced (she also wants to avoid Bailey's resentment). Although Sunny struggles with social anxiety, she agrees to endure the judgment of fellow seventh graders­ by auditioning for the middle-school dance team with Bailey. When Sunny makes the team and Bailey doesn't, their friendship becomes strained. Sunny bonds with teammates­ who share her love of the same K-pop group, an interest that Bailey has derided as immature. Finding solace in her supportive family, Sunny is especially close to her halmoni, who moved in after Sunny's grandfather passed away. Sunny shares the joy of K-pop while her grandmother shares advice and stories of her own childhood as she prepares (vividly described) Korean dishes. Despite the challenges of navigating social interactions, making mistakes, and reflecting on relationships, Sunny finds personal growth and leadership through the dance team. Kim offers humor, tween drama, and a satisfying conclusion­ in this well-paced story of self-discovery.

Reviewer: Kristine Techavanich | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Yumi is spending the summer helping her family's struggling Korean barbecue restaurant in L.A. and studying to earn an academic scholarship to the private school where she has just spent her sixth-grade year eating lunch alone in the bathroom. Her parents plan for her future, with her father reasoning, "I am an immigrant. I have no choice to do this hard work. But you...You can work in an office or hospital and be great success one day." Yumi's passion is comedy, however, and a case of mistaken identity leads to an opportunity to take a course taught by her comedic icon, driving Yumi to fulfill her ambition. Excerpts from her "Super-Secret Comedy Notebook," awash with jokes and doodles, and believable-sounding dialogue bring readers into the life of this high-spirited, if self-conscious, protagonist. The drama of an immigrant family working together to keep a business afloat in a gentrifying neighborhood connects readers to the hard work of achieving the American dream.

Reviewer: Kristine Techavanich | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2020