Finding Junie Kim

by Ellen Oh Narrated by Greta Jung

Overview

For fans of Inside Out and Back Again and Amina's Voice comes a breathtaking own voices story of family, hope, and survival from Ellen Oh, cofounder of We Need Diverse Books. When Junie Kim is faced with middle school racism, she learns of her grandparents' extraordinary strength and finds her voice. Inspired by her mother's real-life experiences during the Korean War, Oh's characters are real and riveting.

“Both unique and universal, timely and timeless.” -Padma Venkatraman, Walter Award-winning author of The Bridge Home

""A moving story that highlights how to find courage in the face of unspeakable hardship."" -Hena Khan, award-winning author of Amina's Voice

""Junie discovers where she comes from and gains the courage to make a difference in the future."" -Wendy Wan-Long Shang, award-winning author of The Great Wall of Lucy Wu

Junie Kim just wants to fit in. So she keeps her head down and tries not to draw attention to herself. But when racist graffiti appears at her middle school, Junie must decide between staying silent or speaking out.

Then Junie's history teacher assigns a project and Junie decides to interview her grandparents, learning about their unbelievable experiences as kids during the Korean War. Junie comes to admire her grandma's fierce determination to overcome impossible odds, and her grandpa's unwavering compassion during wartime. And as racism becomes more pervasive at school, Junie taps into the strength of her ancestors and finds the courage to do what is right.

Finding Junie Kim is a reminder that within all of us lies the power to overcome hardship and emerge triumphant.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Editorial Reviews

JUNE 2021 - AudioFile

Narrator Greta Jung fills her voice with the intense anger and anguish of Junie Kim. Junie feels like she’s drowning in the racist environment of her suburban Maryland middle school. As if the bully on her bus weren’t enough, the school is repeatedly vandalized with slurs that anger and frighten her diverse group of friends, especially when their concerns are met with shouts of “fake news” by fellow students. Jung crafts distinct voices for Junie's friends and family as Junie slips into clinical depression. For a school assignment, Junie interviews her grandparents about their childhood during the Korean War, and their grisly, heartbreaking stories compose half of the audiobook. Jung and the author pull no punches on the terrors of racism, depression, and war. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

03/08/2021

Oh (The Dragon Egg Princess) conveys the legacy of bravery, tenderness, and forgiveness alongside the fallout of intergenerational trauma in a complex novel that touches on gender discrimination and racism, mental health, and imperialism and civil war. Following a series of racist incidents at her largely white middle school, including graffiti targeting Black, Jewish, and Asian students, Korean American student Junie Kim, 12, falls out with her friend group and into a fatalistic spiral, eventually receiving a diagnosis of depression. As prejudicial bullying continues at school, an assignment leads Junie to interview her beloved grandparents, Doha and Jinjoo, about their experiences during the Korean War, an experience that gives her renewed resilience and courage. Oh alternates Junie’s first-person tale of a contemporary America replete with MAGA hats and “fake news” with her grandparents’ stories of war-torn South Korea, injecting experiences of painful realism through wartime events, ethnic slurs, and a description of suicidal ideation. Junie’s healthy and inclusive family dynamic contributes warmth and hopefulness, and her grandparents’ backstories and personal integrity in the face of hardship are thoughtfully drawn. Ages 8–12. Agent: Marietta B. Zacker, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (May)

From the Publisher

An obvious labor of love, shedding light on both present-day problems and an often-overlooked war, tackling extremely challenging subjects like racism, depression, suicidal ideation, death, and even gruesome war crimes. But there is also fierce familial love, supportive friendship, and an undercurrent of hope that buoys Junie in her worst times and helps her endure and grow. Junie’s difficult journey is certainly one worth taking.” — Booklist (starred review)

“She seamlessly provides insight into Korean history and culture for the unintroduced and captures the human condition during wartime through frank portrayals of Junie’s modern-day struggles…Oh’s powerful novel sheds light on the devastating effect racism can have, and tells a history often overlooked.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“This novel is firmly rooted in real-life events…which gives the book an urgency that speaks to this moment of anti-Asian intolerance. Like Linda Sue Park’s “A Long Walk to Water” and Alan Gratz’s “Refugee,” it will help young readers understand the unfathomable tragedy of being a child trapped in war and also the imperative of never giving up hope — of enduring.” — New York Times Book Review

"An intergenerational tale that highlights a girl’s growing confidence and awareness." — Kirkus Reviews

“Oh conveys the legacy of bravery, tenderness, and forgiveness alongside the fallout of intergenerational trauma in a complex novel that touches on gender discrimination and racism, mental health, and imperialism and civil war…Junie’s healthy and inclusive family dynamic contributes warmth and hopefulness, and her grandparents’ backstories and personal integrity in the face of hardship are thoughtfully drawn.” — Publishers Weekly

“Filled with unforgettable characters, this profoundly moving story about a girl's search for self is at once both unique and universal, timely and timeless. A book that should be on every shelf.”  — Padma Venkatraman, Walter Award-winning author of The Bridge Home

“Any reader who has been fortunate enough to hear stories from their grandparents will recognize the power of Junie's experiences. By listening to her grandparents talk about their choices and bravery during the Korean War, Junie discovers part of where she comes from, and gains the courage to make a difference in the future.” — Wendy Wan-Long Shang, award-winning author of The Great Wall of Lucy Wu

"A beautifully moving story that cleverly spans generations and continents and highlights how to find courage and resilience in the face of unspeakable hardship. Junie Kim is a wonderful, thoughtful protagonist who grows as she learns hard truths about the devasting Korean War, about herself and how she relates to challenges in the world today, and about the power of friendship and family." — Hena Khan, Award-winning author of Amina’s Voice

Wendy Wan-Long Shang

Any reader who has been fortunate enough to hear stories from their grandparents will recognize the power of Junie's experiences. By listening to her grandparents talk about their choices and bravery during the Korean War, Junie discovers part of where she comes from, and gains the courage to make a difference in the future.

Padma Venkatraman

Filled with unforgettable characters, this profoundly moving story about a girl's search for self is at once both unique and universal, timely and timeless. A book that should be on every shelf.” 

Hena Khan

"A beautifully moving story that cleverly spans generations and continents and highlights how to find courage and resilience in the face of unspeakable hardship. Junie Kim is a wonderful, thoughtful protagonist who grows as she learns hard truths about the devasting Korean War, about herself and how she relates to challenges in the world today, and about the power of friendship and family."

Booklist (starred review)

An obvious labor of love, shedding light on both present-day problems and an often-overlooked war, tackling extremely challenging subjects like racism, depression, suicidal ideation, death, and even gruesome war crimes. But there is also fierce familial love, supportive friendship, and an undercurrent of hope that buoys Junie in her worst times and helps her endure and grow. Junie’s difficult journey is certainly one worth taking.

New York Times Book Review

This novel is firmly rooted in real-life events…which gives the book an urgency that speaks to this moment of anti-Asian intolerance. Like Linda Sue Park’s “A Long Walk to Water” and Alan Gratz’s “Refugee,” it will help young readers understand the unfathomable tragedy of being a child trapped in war and also the imperative of never giving up hope — of enduring.

School Library Journal

★ 05/01/2021

Gr 5–8—Twelve-year-old Korean American Junie Kim's first morning of seventh grade turns into a police scene when racist graffiti is discovered in the school gym. Junie has been bullied by a racist white boy who calls her hateful names. Back in 1950, Korean children Doha and Jinjoo endure a brutal civil war. The book moves back and forth between then and now, illustrating the evils and effects of war and racism. In this personal narrative inspired by the author's mother's life, Oh writes about the ravages of war and the depths of Junie's depression with unflinching honesty. She seamlessly provides insight into Korean history and culture for the unintroduced and captures the human condition during wartime through frank portrayals of Junie's modern-day struggles. The portions of the book dealing with the Korean War move more swiftly, but Junie's journey out of depression—through friends, family, therapy, and the discovery of her special talent—still develops poignantly. VERDICT A first purchase for middle school and upper elementary collections, Oh's powerful novel sheds light on the devastating effect racism can have on mental health, and tells a history often overlooked.—Kate Fleming, Hosford M.S., Portland, OR

JUNE 2021 - AudioFile

Narrator Greta Jung fills her voice with the intense anger and anguish of Junie Kim. Junie feels like she’s drowning in the racist environment of her suburban Maryland middle school. As if the bully on her bus weren’t enough, the school is repeatedly vandalized with slurs that anger and frighten her diverse group of friends, especially when their concerns are met with shouts of “fake news” by fellow students. Jung crafts distinct voices for Junie's friends and family as Junie slips into clinical depression. For a school assignment, Junie interviews her grandparents about their childhood during the Korean War, and their grisly, heartbreaking stories compose half of the audiobook. Jung and the author pull no punches on the terrors of racism, depression, and war. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2021-02-26
Her grandfather’s story about growing up during the Korean War mobilizes a girl against racism in her own town.

When someone defaces the gym of her suburban Maryland middle school with racist graffiti, Korean American Junie Kim at first doesn’t want to join her outraged friends in protesting. Instead, Junie, who has been facing the racist taunts of a school bus bully every morning, becomes cynical, negative, and depressed. Her resistance alienates her friends, and she endures a brief bout of suicidal ideation; fortunately, her family finds her a therapist she trusts. A school assignment to interview an elder gives Junie a chance to hear about her beloved grandfather’s boyhood during the Korean War. His harrowing tale and her grandmother’s similarly traumatic story offer valuable perspective, and she is inspired to take action by working with her friends to create a video about diversity for an upcoming assembly. Extraneous details sometimes slow the story, the dialogue can feel unrealistically expository, and the alternating narration and time jumps are at times disorienting, but the brutal depictions of life during the Korean War, including the desperate hunt for food and the chaos of evacuation, ring true. Junie’s love for her grandparents—and theirs for her—is movingly portrayed. Their conversations and Junie’s relationships with her diverse friend group sensitively unpack a range of subjects relating to identity and prejudice.

An intergenerational tale that highlights a girl’s growing confidence and awareness. (author’s note) (Fiction. 9-13)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173362995
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/04/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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