Finding My Hat

Finding My Hat by John Son Orchard Books, 2003, 185 pp., $16.95 Coming of Age ISBN: 0-439-43538-2

Have you ever felt like your family is different than everyone else's? Jin-Han Park has.

Young Jin-Han is a first generation Korean American immigrant. Not only do Jin-Han's parents speak a different language at home than he speaks in public, but they look different, act different, and eat different foods than everyone else. In Finding My Hat, we follow Jin-Han through his battles in kindergarten all the way through his years in junior high school where he quite humorously discovers girls.

Jin-Han's story is that of a young boy dealing with the many hardships and triumphs life seems to throw at him. Finding My Hat is told with grace and style, while still addressing many difficult issues including the tragic death of his mother.

Young adult readers will be quick to engage in Jin-Han's story.

Stephanie Rips

Tempe, AZ

Copyright Assembly on Literature for Adolescents -- National Council of Teachers of English Winter 2004
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