CCBC Booklists

CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

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Almost American Girl

by Robin Ha

CCBC Review:

An only child raised by her single mother, Chuna lives happily in Seoul, South Korea. On a vacation to Huntsville, Alabama, Chuna is stunned and devastated to learn that they will not be returning home; her mother plans to marry the man they’re visiting, a recent immigrant from Korea. Thrust into a mostly white school with no language-acquisition program, Chuna is miserable and lost. Her new stepfamily is cold and resentful, and classmates either ignore or bully her. Her one escape is art; she enjoys drawing her favorite Korean comics heroine. When her mom finally enrolls her in a comics-drawing class, Chuna befriends Jessica, a kindred spirit and biracial (Japanese/white) girl. But life truly improves only once Chuna (who takes the American name Robin) and her mom move north, and Chuna enrolls in a diverse high school where she makes Korean American friends. Scenes from Chuna’s childhood, including mistreatment at the hands of a teacher, are neatly woven into the main narrative. Ha’s close but contentious relationship with her fiercely protective mother, who faced discrimination and was socially ostracized as a single mother in Korea, lies at the heart of this affecting graphic memoir. ©2021 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Robin Ha

CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 12 and older
Age Range: Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13) Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Formats: Biography, Autobiography and Memoir Graphic Novel
Subjects: Art and Artists Asian Americans English Language Learners Friendship Girls and Women Immigration and Immigrants Koreans and Korean Americans Mothers School Stepfamilies
Diversity subject: Asian
On CCBC Booklists: Great Middle School Reads Bullying, Teasing, Relational Aggression and School Violence School Stories: Selected PreK-12 Literature about the School Experience Asian in America: Selected Books for PreK-Grade 12 to Support Hmong and Asian American Studies in Wisconsin

Publishers: Balzer + Bray, HarperCollins
Publish Year: 2020
Pages: 227
ISBN: 9780062685100
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 741.5 Ha

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.

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