Reviews

Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh

jnishi's review against another edition

5.0

Fantastic. I’d say this is probably upper middle grade because it is rather dark but beautifully so.

bibliobrandie's review against another edition

3.0

There is a lot going on in this book which makes it hard to follow at times. This is a story of Junie who is trying to deal with bullies at school, racism, depression and suicidal ideation, and the death of a loved one. If that wasn’t enough, you go back in time via flashbacks to the Korean War to learn how her grandparents survived and ultimately ended up in the United States. I really appreciated learning more about the Korean War throughout this novel as well as all that Junie was experiencing in her own world, but it was too much for one book in my opinion.
No matter your political beliefs, this felt very heavy handed at times. Also the war atrocities, while true and important, are a bit graphic for younger readers.
I started this with the print book and couldn’t get into it so moved to the audio and it was not better. The narrator’s attempt at children’s voices sounded like the reindeer kids on Rudolph and the adult voicess weren't much better.
Overall Finding Junie Kim is a strong book with solid writing that students, especially those who enjoy realistic and historical fiction, will enjoy.

bisco's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

ehahn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring fast-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

5.0

kelsie17's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

bryndng's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-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? Yes

5.0

dominicangirl's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative sad tense slow-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? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and War

mamazubbles's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

thebookishunicorn's review against another edition

5.0

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

katiegrrrl's review against another edition

4.0

Junie is dealing with really intense racist incidents at her middle school, which she isn’t telling any of the adults in her life about. A school project to learn more about the Great or Silent generation brings her closer to her grandparents as she learns about their childhoods in Korea during the Korean war.

2022 YMA Asian/Pacific American Children’s Literature honor