This is one of those books that reminds me that high quality writing in children's books exists. That inspires me to write. That causes me to start thinking more poetically, and to walk in another's shoes for several hours. And to turn the last page a little different than I was when I turned the first. ( )

Young Ju is born in Korea and moves to America with her parents to start a new life. Young does not speak any English, and has trouble understanding her new home, and is further disenfranchised by the birth of a younger brother, Joon. Slowly, Young finds her place in America, but her father is abusive and her mother unable to fight back for herself or her family. I found the attempts to phonetically spell words hard to follow, and did not enjoy the immigrant story. There are so many better ones to read out there. ( )

A young girl describes her family’s bittersweet experience in the United States after their emigration from Korea. While going up and up into the sky on the flight from Korea to California, four-year old Young Ju concludes that they are their way to heaven – America is heaven! After they arrive, however, Young Ju and her parents and little brother struggle in their new world, weighed down by the difficulty learning English, their insular family life, and the traditions of the country they left behind.

An Na’s strike language authentically reflects the process of acculturation as Young Ju grows from a child to an adult. The subject matter, while interesting, is nothing new. The writing style reflecting Young Ju’s growth is fascinating and a nice literary device. It is an interesting read though the messages of the book never really assert themselves. The book has emotional impact and resonates with a variety of readers but doesn't completely follow through on potential.

Sweet story about the immigrant experience from a child's eyes. ( )

When Young Ju is 4 yrs. old, her family left Korea to settle in the U.S. As years pass, and Young Ju grows into a teenager, she struggles to keep her Korean life separate from her American life while her younger brother, born in the U.S., doesn't feel any allegiances at all to the Korean part of his life. Along with struggling with the language, customs, and fitting in, Young Ju's abusive father creates walls of pressure for the family. Sometimes Young Ju wishes she could float away towards the real heaven she thought America would be for her, instead of this new life which is supposed to be just a step away from it. ( )