January 1, 2020
Gr 3-6-Yumi Chung hates her prestigious prep school in L.A., but her Korean-immigrant parents think attendance there will increase her chances of admission to an Ivy League college and a better life. Yumi has no friends at Winston Preparatory Academy and feels she can never measure up to her parents' expectations or the legacy of her perfect older sister, Yuri, who is in medical school. Her passion is comedy and her dream is to be a stand-up comic. Instead of letting her enjoy the summer between sixth and seventh grades, Yumi's mother signs her up for a test prep course at a demanding hagwon so that she might win a scholarship to cover next year's tuition. When Yumi wanders into a nearby comedy club to check out its summer comedy camp headed by her favorite YouTube comedian, the director assumes that she is a tardy camper named Kay Nakamura. Yumi doesn't think staying will hurt anyone; but then she falls in love with the camp and makes some real friends. She decides to continue attending, impersonating Kay. The stress of juggling test prep, comedy camp, and helping out at her parents' struggling restaurant takes its toll in ways that are both heartbreaking and hilarious. Yumi's not the only one with secrets, though. Middle grade readers will find Yumi's first-person narrative utterly appealing. VERDICT Readers will root for Yumi even as they cringe at her choices in this refreshing novel. Highly recommended-every school has at least one Yumi!-Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ
Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 3, 2020
In Kim’s well-paced debut, 11-year-old aspiring comic Yumi Chung struggles between her dreams and her Korean parents’ wishes. Shy Yumi is frustrated when her mother enrolls her in test-prep tutoring to qualify for an academic scholarship at prestigious Winston Academy. But when Yumi accidentally assumes an absent camper’s identity at YouTuber Jasmine Jasper’s comedy camp, her summer suddenly seems promising. What follows is a balancing act of making new friends and sustaining parental expectations amid looming worries about Yumi’s older sister, Yuri, and the financial state of the Chungs’ restaurant. Amid fresh-feeling comic framing and contemporary conflicts about gentrification and community involvement, the narrative employs several elements that will be familiar to readers of similar titles—Yumi’s strict immigrant parents compare her to other kids and expect good grades, genius Yuri is in medical school, and there’s a lack of clear intergenerational communication. Yumi’s friends and heroes are diverse, which feels genuine to the Los Angeles setting, and her gradual journey toward self-confidence will resonate with anyone who has had shy or awkward stages. Interspersed with entries from Yumi’s Super-Secret Comedy Notebook, the engaging first-person narrative is a good first step into a rich landscape of reads about first-generation immigrant experiences. Ages 9–12. Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.
Starred review from December 15, 2019
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Yumi, 11, has plenty on her plate. She helps out at her parents' restaurant in L.A.'s Koreatown, she's taking prep classes to win a scholarship her private school offers, and almost every moment involves living up to her parents' high expectations. Yumi's passion, however, is comedy, and when she accidentally finds herself in a kids' comedy class?taught by her YouTube idol, no less?she decides to take full advantage. This, of course, leads to a web of lies from which Yumi tries to untangle herself with varying degrees of effort. Author Kim is juggling a lot here, but she does so with aplomb. Along with Yumi's comedy joys and woes (one of her jokes is that she's a zoo animal now because she's a "lion cheetah"), she's dealing with the family restaurant's slow demise, her older sister's anxieties, and her desire to leave prep school for a new public school centered on the arts. Kim has taught school, and it shows, both with the spot-on dialogue and the up-to-date social media references. She also offers readers solid suggestions on building self-esteem. This will certainly remind readers of Kelly Yang's Front Desk (2018), but instead of a deus ex machina solving the family's problem, Yumi does it herself.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2020
Eleven-year-old Yumi is spending the summer helping her family's struggling Korean barbecue restaurant in L.A. and studying to earn an academic scholarship to the private school where she has just spent her sixth-grade year eating lunch alone in the bathroom. Her parents plan for her future, with her father reasoning, "I am an immigrant. I have no choice to do this hard work. But you...You can work in an office or hospital and be great success one day." Yumi's passion is comedy, however, and a case of mistaken identity leads to an opportunity to take a course taught by her comedic icon, driving Yumi to fulfill her ambition. Excerpts from her "Super-Secret Comedy Notebook," awash with jokes and doodles, and believable-sounding dialogue bring readers into the life of this high-spirited, if self-conscious, protagonist. The drama of an immigrant family working together to keep a business afloat in a gentrifying neighborhood connects readers to the hard work of achieving the American dream.
(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
May 1, 2020
Eleven-year-old Yumi is spending the summer helping her family's struggling Korean barbecue restaurant in L.A. and studying to earn an academic scholarship to the private school where she has just spent her sixth-grade year eating lunch alone in the bathroom. Her parents plan for her future, with her father reasoning, "I am an immigrant. I have no choice to do this hard work. But you...You can work in an office or hospital and be great success one day." Yumi's passion is comedy, however, and a case of mistaken identity leads to an opportunity to take a course taught by her comedic icon, driving Yumi to fulfill her ambition. Excerpts from her "Super-Secret Comedy Notebook," awash with jokes and doodles, and believable-sounding dialogue bring readers into the life of this high-spirited, if self-conscious, protagonist. The drama of an immigrant family working together to keep a business afloat in a gentrifying neighborhood connects readers to the hard work of achieving the American dream. Kristine Techavanich
(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from December 15, 2019
Eleven-year-old Yumi Chung doesn't have anyone to sit with at lunch, but she secretly harbors dreams of becoming a comedian. Shy + Asian + Girl = Comedian? Why, yes. Yes, it does. Winston Preparatory Academy is a shy person's nightmare. Yumi hides from the beautiful girls and the bullies who call her "Yu-meat" because she smells like her parents' Korean barbecue restaurant. This summer, her parents are demanding that she go to Korean summer school, or hagwon, to get a near-perfect score on the high school entrance exam--because that is the only way to attend an elite college, like her superachiever sister, a 20-year-old med student. Yumi collects all of her fears and frustrations (and jokes) in her Super-Secret Comedy Notebook. When a case of mistaken identity allows her to attend a comedy camp taught by her YouTube idol, Yumi is too panicked to correct the problem--and then it spirals out of control. With wonderful supporting characters, strong pacing, and entertaining comedy bits, debut author Kim has woven a pop song of immigrant struggle colliding with comedy and Korean barbecue. With their feet in two different cultures, readers listen in on honest conversations, full of halting English and unspoken truths painting a realistic picture of 21st-century first-generation Americans--at least a Korean version. By becoming someone else, Yumi learns more about herself and her family in an authentic and hilarious way. Readers will cheer the birth of this comedian. (Fiction. 9-12)
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