A review by bibliobrandie
Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh

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.