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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
I picked this up to read with my son, as it won the Newbery Medal this year, but he wasn't really interested (he doesn't love fantasy, and this definitely qualifies as magical realism), so I decided to read it anyway, and I'm so glad I did. I read it over two evenings, and it was a lovely novel of family, legacy, stories, and culture. In addition, it was a wonderful window into Korean folktales. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I hope I can convince my son to read it after all!
Beautiful story about family and love, about growing up, conflicting emotions and death. I greatly enjoyed reading about Lily and her family, though struggling with weighty issues the story is shared with love and a sense of gentle positivity. Understanding, emotional balance and a path to healing is woven through the shared Korean folklore.
Themes of loving relationships, courage and finding/accepting yourself will resonate with middle grade and middle schoolers.
Be sure to read the Authors Letter as well as beautiful note at the stories end!
Themes of loving relationships, courage and finding/accepting yourself will resonate with middle grade and middle schoolers.
Be sure to read the Authors Letter as well as beautiful note at the stories end!
When Lily and her family suddenly move in with her grandmother, she has to decide if she wants to continue to be the QAG (quiet Asian girl) that everyone thinks she is or be true to who she really wants to be. As she fights for family, she has to make some hard choices about what she believes. Highly recommended for grades 4 & up.
Moving, insightful, raw, realistic, touching, thoughtful presentation of third culture kid balancing acts and identity crises. Love that halmoni isn’t painted as just one thing or just another thing. Beautiful weaving of magical realism and inner emotional worlds and journeys so that establishing clear lines between what is “real” or not is not only not the point, but counterintuitive to understanding and embracing these characters and their stories and journeys and lives. Having all sides of our identities and multi cultures validated like this is rare, especially in middle grade novels.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a beautiful, heartwrenching exploration of grief and loss and the things you do for family. When Lily moves back in with her sick Halmoni (her grandmother), she starts seeing a tiger. The tiger promises her that if she frees the stories Halmoni stole then it’ll heal her grandmother, but tigers are tricky and dangerous and promises with them are not to be entered in lightly.
I absolutely loved this book. Not going to lie: the ending definitely made me cry, as I could connect to it on a very personal level. Keller does an amazing job of weaving Korean culture into the story, along with a powerful narrative about the strength of stories (both happy and sad ones) and an overarching element of storytelling. There are also strong themes of finding one’s voice and coming together as a family.
I would be very cognizant of the triggers that this book might raise for children who have experienced/are experiencing the illness and death of a loved one as well as dementia. There are some very tough themes about death, loss, and grief, but with an overall positive message and heartwarming conclusion.
I absolutely loved this book. Not going to lie: the ending definitely made me cry, as I could connect to it on a very personal level. Keller does an amazing job of weaving Korean culture into the story, along with a powerful narrative about the strength of stories (both happy and sad ones) and an overarching element of storytelling. There are also strong themes of finding one’s voice and coming together as a family.
I would be very cognizant of the triggers that this book might raise for children who have experienced/are experiencing the illness and death of a loved one as well as dementia. There are some very tough themes about death, loss, and grief, but with an overall positive message and heartwarming conclusion.
As warned (by the friend who recommended this book to me), I did ugly cry at the end.
This book is a perfect mix of magical story and familial relationships. I thoroughly enjoyed all of it.
I did, however, feel there were parts that were... left on the cutting room floor? Like there seemed to be some story between the girls' mom and Rickie's dad? And when Sam suggested the Chinese restaurant, then seemed disappointed when they got there - like she expected to see someone who wasn't there? And what were the stories in those final jars?
Basically, I guess I like this book so much, I wanted more of it?
I especially liked the author's notes at the end. I look forward to reading more from this author.
This book is a perfect mix of magical story and familial relationships. I thoroughly enjoyed all of it.
I did, however, feel there were parts that were... left on the cutting room floor? Like there seemed to be some story between the girls' mom and Rickie's dad? And when Sam suggested the Chinese restaurant, then seemed disappointed when they got there - like she expected to see someone who wasn't there? And what were the stories in those final jars?
Basically, I guess I like this book so much, I wanted more of it?
I especially liked the author's notes at the end. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Such a powerful book. Left me crying at the end. Tons to unpack and I can't wait to re-read this one.
This book was just beautiful. I loved it so much. Tae Keller did such a great job showing Lily’s relationships with everyone around her: her sister, her mom, her Halmoni, and her friend. While sad, it was still warm. I loved the magical realism too. Note: this book doesn’t have an LGBT tag, but there is a small LGBT side aspect.