Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh

6 reviews

fkshg8465's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

nighttgarden's review

adventurous funny informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I related to Junie a little. Maybe it's cause my name is Juniper. But she was really relatable when <SPOILER>she thought about killing herself.<SPOILER>

Anyways, it's a beautiful book and is educational (in the story and real sense) about the The Korean War.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts

ejbheartsrbg's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Child death and Antisemitism

caroreads22's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A painful but beautiful story. Oh does a great job of portraying complex histories and modern issues in an accessibly way for YA readers. I especially appreciated the family relationships, which showed a dynamic I don't often see in YA lit. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Hate crime, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War

anna_woodson's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

This was an excellent way to preserve history and share rich culture, while weaving in it in with a current day story line. Perfect level of information and relatability for middle school readers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Abandonment, and War

Moderate: Bullying and Suicide attempt