A tale based on true events follows the coming-of-age of a girl who is motivated by an act of racism at school to learn about her ancestral heritage and her grandparents' experiences as lost children during the Korean War. - (Baker & Taylor)

A tale based on true events follows the coming-of-age of a girl who is motivated by an act of racism at school to learn about her ancestral heritage and her grandparents’ experiences as lost children during the Korean War. 40,000 first printing. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)

For fans of Inside Out and Back Again and Amina’s Voice comes a breathtaking 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.

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor Book

A Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year

Included in NPR’s 2021 Books We Love List

2021 Nerdy Award Winner

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.

Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* Twelve-year-old Junie is determined to navigate middle school with grace, even as she is bullied by students who consider her Korean heritage worthy of ridicule and suspicion. She's not alone, though. Her diverse group of close-knit friends have all been subjected to similar aggressions. After racist graffiti is discovered in the gym, Junie's crew decides it's time to speak up about the abuse, but she thinks that will only bring more trouble. When a school project has her interviewing her grandparents, their stories of perseverance and bravery in the face of both a terrible war in Korea and ongoing racism in the U.S. make Junie wonder if she, too, can find her courage and her voice. The text switches between Junie's first-person narration and her grandparents' childhood stories told in third person, but they're beautifully woven into a captivating whole. Oh notes that this work was inspired by her own family's experiences, and it's 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. Grades 5-8. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

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 grandparentsâ€"and theirs for herâ€"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) Copyright Kirkus 2021 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

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)

School Library Journal Reviews

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