Asian Americans - Fiction & Literature, Fiction - Schools & Friendship, Fiction - Family Life
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Overview
Adopted as a baby, 12-year-old Alice Larsen is of Korean heritage but feels 100% American. Then Yoon Jun, a Korean immigrant, moves to her small Minnesota town, and Alice's parents start pressuring her to make friends with the strange new boy as a way to get in touch with her heritage. Alice resists—what would her friends think? Anyway, she's American. But when she and Yoon Jun are assigned to work together on a school project, she learns about KoreaIand about doing the right thing.Author Biography: MARIE G. LEE is a second-generation Korean American who was born and raised in Hibbing, Minnesota. Her books include If It Hadn't Been for Yoon Jun, Necessary Roughness, and Night of the Chupacabras. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Kenyon Review, and several anthologies. She has appeared on PBS's "Asian American" and is a founder of the Asian American Writer's Workshop.
As she reluctantly becomes friends with Yoon Jun, a new student from Korea, seventh grader Alice Larsen becomes more interested in learning about her own Korean background.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
Lee ( Finding My Voice ) mixes the issues of racial intolerance and ethnic pride with the otherwise typical seventh-grade angst of Alice Larsen, a Korean-born Minnesotan. Adopted as an infant, she feels totally American, and resists her father's efforts to interest her in her Korean background. The only Asian at school, she's also a cheerleader and the object of a handsome athlete's attentions. Then Yoon Jun, a new classmate from Korea, arrives, and Mr. Larsen gently pressures Alice to befriend him. Alice doesn't like any reminder that she's adopted, and she also fear that any association with Yoon Jun could ruin her popularity. Lee adroitly contrasts blatant prejudice (through the cruel taunts of a school bully and his equally ignorant father) with Alice's less vocal snobbery toward anyone ``different,'' including Julie, a Native American. Alice's turnaround is well handled and instructive; she's a character readers will understand and recognize. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)School Library Journal
Gr 4-7-- In a novel reminiscent of Gogol's Vatsana's Lucky New Year (Lerner, 1992), seventh-grader Alice Larsen wants to deny her Korean ancestry. Adopted as a baby by a Minnesota family, she is a happy, popular cheerleader. When another Korean, Yoon Jun Lee, begins attending Bainer Junior High, Alice thinks he is weird. Then he becomes her partner for International Day. Together they prepare a report about Korea to give to students and parents, accompanied by samples of Mrs. Lee's cooking. Alice's interest in her heritage is piqued, and Yoon Jun becomes a friend, especially after he pushes her out of the path of a speeding car. While the concept here is worthy, the narrative is flawed. The characters are stereotypes; the language is cliched and downright dull. There is also a somewhat heavy-handed treatment of Native Americans. --Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VABook Details
Published
June 1, 1995
Publisher
HarperTrophy
Pages
134
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780380723478