Stand Up, Yumi Chung!

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.

July 1, 2020

Gr 3-7-Greta Jung energetically embodies 11-year-old Yumi Chung's evolution from quiet odd-girl-out to feisty stand-up-comedian-in-the-making. At her exclusive L.A. private school, Yumi is rarely noticed, except by the bully harassing her as "Yu-MEAT" (for her barbecue-scent-infused clothing from helping at her family's Koreatown restaurant) or "Top Ramen" (for the bad perms enforced by her mother). Conditioned by her genius older sister, in her second year of med school at 20, Yumi's parents expect no less achievement. As seventh grade looms, Yumi needs a scholarship (via near-perfect test score) to continue her privileged education, so her parents enroll her at an all-summer, Korean-style cram school. Bad luck, until a case of mistaken identity (a cringe-inducing all-Asians-look-alike stereotype) enables her to join a comedy camp taught by her YouTube comic idol. That's where Yumi-most ironically-becomes the true self she's been composing in her "Super-Secret Comedy Notebook." Yumi learns to stand up for her family, friends, and, most importantly, herself. Jung nimbly complements spunky Yumi with equally affecting characterizations of her immigrant parents, her not-quite-perfect sister, and her quickly growing audience. VERDICT Kim's debut gets a spot-on audio boost for even the most reluctant readers.-Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC

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