Finding Junie Kim

By Ellen Oh

Middle school racism challenges Junie to find her voice and courage through her grandparents' wartime stories.

4.2/5 Goodreads · 2,787 ratings

368 pages· 73,575 words· Est. 8 hour read

$16.99Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

Junie Kim wants to blend in at school, but racist graffiti forces her to choose between silence and speaking out. A history project leads her to uncover her grandparents' harrowing Korean War experiences, revealing their resilience and compassion. As prejudice intensifies, Junie draws strength from their stories, discovering her own courage to confront injustice. Will she find her voice and make a difference?

From the publisher

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 HomeA moving story that highlights how to find courage in the face of unspeakable hardship. –Hena Khan, award-winning author of Amina’s VoiceJunie 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 WuJunie 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.