Good Enough

February 18, 2008
Patty's immigrant parents expect her to be a “P.K.D” (perfect Korean daughter), which means that between AP classes, violin, church and Ivy League applications, Patty gets little time—and less encouragement—to figure out what she wants for herself. When she develops a crush on a new boy and forms a friendship with him, her romantic feelings go unrequited but he does show her to think more broadly, encouraging her to take her violin teacher's advice and apply to Juilliard (her parents insist there is “no security in music”). While Patty is full-out nerdy, she has a great sense of humor, shown through interludes in which she posits her dilemmas as SAT questions or lists “how not to be a P.K.D.”: “Instead of translating Vergil's Aeneid
you spend two hours talking on the phone with Susan about how cute Ben is.” Yoo (The Sammy Lee Story
) writes with particular fluency of Patty's love of music. Readers will appreciate, too, that the author does not demonize Patty's high-pressure parents: they may bark “HarvardYalePrinceton
” at her but their love is never in doubt. An overneat ending doesn't significantly detract from a funny story that will hit home for many readers. Ages 12-up.

February 1, 2008
Gr 7 Up-If Patti Yoon's life were like the multiple-choice SAT questions she studies for, it might look like this: During Patti's senior year she decides to a) Make her Korean parents happy and go to HYP (Harvard, Yale, or Princeton), b) Go behind her parents' backs and apply to Juilliard, c) Quit studying and become infatuated with a trumpet player who listens to The Clash, d) Eat Korean food made with Spam (recipes included) and be the PKD (perfect Korean daughter), or e) All of the above. Patti would pick E, but life isn't a multiple-choice test, so she has to decide among these choices while trying not to stand out as an overachiever (standing out is a no-no for a PKD). Yoo will have teens wondering if Patti can ever measure up, and how she will survive the pressure and heartbreak of her senior year. Short chapters, the teen's funny occasional SAT tips, and her top-10 lists make this a good options for reluctant readers."Shannon Seglin, Patrick Henry Library, Vienna, VA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2008
Korean American Patti contends with the indignity of being assistant concert master while taking practice SATs and tentatively exploring her feelings for "Cute Trumpet Guy" (who's also a kick-ass rock guitarist). Characterizations are very broad (overbearing, academics-oriented Korean parents and ultra-competitive, musically gifted kids; racist white-boy jocks). But in Patti, partially based on herself, Yoo presents a wry, relatable, self-aware teen.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)