lifeoflorac's review against another edition
3.0
Chloe seems to have a quick temper. I can understand her point of frustration when her family casts aside her ancestral questions. I also related to how Chloe felt when she got an F on her assignment she was sure she would get an A on. Then, not only to not get an A, but to be accused of plagiarism? That had to to a gut wrenching blow, but there seems to be some pent up anger beyond the schoolwork. Though I love reading, this book took a little bit to keep my attention. I am the type of person who does not look at what genre a book is, simply because I read everything! With that being said, it is my own fault that I had trouble getting into this book. Mr. Jung, as I have learned, typically writes middle school nonfiction. I found this book listed as young adult and I am 25 so I thought ehh, why not
libraryjen's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
4.0
Entertaining and surprising, this is a fun middle grade read
lazygal's review against another edition
4.0
Great take on what it means to be an alien. The confusion and frustration that Chloe has when people
confuse her Korean heritage with Chinese or Japanese is so well stated; even better is her questioning why she (and her bff) like K-Pop and other Korean things. I'd love to see a similar book for an older audience!
ARC provided by publisher.
confuse her Korean heritage with Chinese or Japanese is so well stated; even better is her questioning why she (and her bff) like K-Pop and other Korean things. I'd love to see a similar book for an older audience!
ARC provided by publisher.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
4.0
Not not what I expected
This is, yes, a story of a fish out of water, so to speak. The non-spoiler version is that Chloe is feeling as though she is all alone in an otherwise all white town, in some non-description fly-over state. What she doesn't realize is how important friendship is.
There is more to the story than that, of course, but the feeling of being alien is a common theme in middle-school and YA books, and this book took a different spin on it. In the end, I was ok with that spin, but I think it could have gone a different way. However, since I am not the author, it doesn't really matter how I would have handled it.
This is, yes, a story of a fish out of water, so to speak. The non-spoiler version is that Chloe is feeling as though she is all alone in an otherwise all white town, in some non-description fly-over state. What she doesn't realize is how important friendship is.
There is more to the story than that, of course, but the feeling of being alien is a common theme in middle-school and YA books, and this book took a different spin on it. In the end, I was ok with that spin, but I think it could have gone a different way. However, since I am not the author, it doesn't really matter how I would have handled it.
yapha's review against another edition
5.0
Mike Jung has knocked it out of the park with this one! Chloe Cho has had it with being not just the only Korean-American in her entire school/town, but the only Asian-American at all! To make matters worse, her parents refuse to tell her anything about her heritage. Luckily, her best friend Shelley is just as excited to explore all things Korean. Together they make food, buy clothes, and listen to K-Pop. It's almost enough to make up for the microaggressions she faces on a daily basis. Chloe can't believe her luck when the new social studies teacher at school is also Korean-American! Finally, some one like her! But her first assignment from the Ms. Lee is disastrous -- she has to write a personal family history story. This leads to her parents finally revealing the truth about her heritage, which turns Chloe's world upside down. Chloe's raw emotions, mixed with equal parts snarky sarcasm, will ring true for any middle schooler who feels out of place. It is not only a fun book, but can also serve as an important starting place for discussions on identity and feelings of being "other." Highly recommended for grades 4 & up.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
abigailbat's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, man, I really liked this one. I marked it as both contemporary and sci-fi because while it is definitely science fiction, the bulk of the story is written as contemporary fiction and I think that fans of contemporary fiction will gravitate to this one more than huge science-fiction fans.
This is a book about a middle school girl trying to figure out her identity and dealing with bigger issues than she could have ever imagined. While she's dealing with big identity issues, she's also dealing with tons of microaggressions since her family is the only Korean family in their town. The book handles these really well; readers will identify with Chloe or get a taste of what it's like to face microaggressions in daily life. And, while racial and cultural identity is a huge theme of the book, the book's not actual about a kid dealing with overt racism.
Bottom line: I loved it. I would hand it to kids who like the kind of contemporary/sci-fi genre blend found in The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm or readers who like character driven stories like Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee (which is mentioned as one of Chloe's favorite books), etc.
This is a book about a middle school girl trying to figure out her identity and dealing with bigger issues than she could have ever imagined. While she's dealing with big identity issues, she's also dealing with tons of microaggressions since her family is the only Korean family in their town. The book handles these really well; readers will identify with Chloe or get a taste of what it's like to face microaggressions in daily life. And, while racial and cultural identity is a huge theme of the book, the book's not actual about a kid dealing with overt racism.
Bottom line: I loved it. I would hand it to kids who like the kind of contemporary/sci-fi genre blend found in The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm or readers who like character driven stories like Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee (which is mentioned as one of Chloe's favorite books), etc.
jengennari's review against another edition
4.0
What a plot twist! A fresh look at how alien you can feel in middle school. Great humor, as always.
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
Funny, with realistic depictions of family and friendship and identity - with a little twist. Recommended to kids who like realistic fiction that's on the lighter side.
renatasnacks's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this! I think for a lot of kids a book like this--where the Asian protagonist Chloe Cho is outraged that there aren't any sci-fi books with Asian protagonists--might be the first time kids think about or put into words the importance of representation in media. It's also a great, very realistic story about friendship and identity and family secretssss