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“Jung excels at showing how racial insensitivity can isolate even a student who is doing everything she can to fit in… It’s easy to imagine Chloe’s story starting conversations about how seemingly innocent remarks can make a minority student feel like an alien in the only home she’s ever known.” —Publishers Weekly

Unidentified Suburban Object

Written by Mike Jung
Published by Scholastic, Inc.

Comic and satirical, but also full of painful truths about being both a bright, sensitive middle schooler, and a so-called “model-minority” in a decidedly NOT-diverse town.

The next person who compares Chloe Cho with famous violinist Abigail Yang is going to HEAR it. Chloe has just about had it with people not knowing the difference between someone who’s Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. She’s had it with people thinking that everything she does well — getting good grades, winning first chair in the orchestra, et CETera — are because she’s ASIAN.

Of course, her own parents don’t want to have anything to DO with their Korean background. Any time Chloe asks them a question they change the subject. They seem perfectly happy to be the only Asian family in town. It’s only when Chloe’s with her best friend, Shelly, that she doesn’t feel like a total alien.

Then a new teacher comes to town: Ms. Lee. She’s Korean American, and for the first time Chloe has a person to talk to who seems to understand completely. For Ms. Lee’s class, Chloe finally gets to explore her family history. But what she unearths is light-years away from what she expected.

Primary ISBN: 9780545782265
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback
Middle Grade, Age 09 and Older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States (Texas)

Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: 1st Generation

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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