BOOKS
I’m Ok and It’s Girls Like You, Mickey are part of a new middle-grade series by Patti Kim. The setting is Prince George’s County, MD, a culturally and economically diverse suburb of Washington, DC. Told with wit, charm and authenticity, these stories explore growing pains, growing up poor, and the universal desire that we all struggle to obtain—belonging.
Here I Am is a picture book that firmly grabs you by the hand and speaks to the heart. See through the eyes of the new kid in town as they take in an unfamiliar land that’s suddenly now their own.
IT’S GIRLS LIKE YOU, MICKEY
"The tightly written narrative bursts with personality and energy... Kim offers a charismatic heroine with plenty of grit." - Kirkus Reviews
"Kim has crafted a story that anyone who is, or has been, in middle school can relate to. Readers will be cheering for Mickey’s pluck and perseverance to the last page." - Booklist
“An inimitable protagonist worth rooting for.” - Publishers Weekly
Mickey navigates the pitfalls, heartbreaks, and triumphs of seventh grade in this uplifting companion to I’m Ok, which award-winning author Gene Luen Yang praised as “funny and heartfelt.”
For the first time in her confident, bold life, Mickey McDonald is nervous about starting school. Her best friend, Ok, has moved away; her father has probably left town for good; and she can’t afford to go back-to-school shopping. But she’s going to make the most of things because that’s the kind of person Mickey is. Nothing’s going to stand in her way or get her down.
Still, the first few days of school are rough, until she becomes friends with Sun Joo, who has just moved to town. Their connection is instant and strong. But things get complicated when Sydney, the popular (and mean) girl in Mickey’s class, also takes a shine to Sun Joo. Suddenly Mickey is facing her first ever friend breakup, and it’s getting harder and harder to keep her chin up. Luckily, Mickey’s made of tough stuff.
Audience: Middle Grade
Themes: friendship, friend breakups, poverty, starting over
I’M OK
This is an important novel that can serve as either a window or a mirror for middle-grade readers…”
– Caitlin Kling, Booklist
Ok Lee knows it’s his responsibility to help pay the bills. With his father gone and his mother working three jobs and still barely making ends meet, there’s really no other choice. If only he could win the cash prize at the school talent contest! But he can’t sing or dance, and has no magic up his sleeves, so he tries the next best thing: a hair braiding business.
It’s too bad the girls at school can’t pay him much, and he’s being befriended against his will by Mickey McDonald, the unusual girl with a larger-than-life personality. Who needs friends? They’d only distract from his mission, and Ok believes life is better on his own. Then there’s Asa Banks, the most popular boy in their grade, who’s got it out for Ok.
But when the pushy deacon at their Korean church starts wooing Ok’s mom, it’s the last straw. Ok has to come up with an exit strategy—fast.
Audience: Middle Grade
Themes: resilience, belonging, bullying, culture, poverty, friendship
HERE I AM
“Beautiful, evocative…” - * Starred by Kirkus Review
“For children who have moved to an unfamiliar country or town, it’s a sensitive reminder that they are not alone; for others, it’ll be an eye-opening window into what those kids are going through.”– * Starred by Publisher Weekly
“Kim and Sánchez bring to their lively pages the heightened perceptions of the recently arrived…” - The New York Times
2018 EmpathyLab 2018 “Read for Empathy Guide” pick
Newly arrived from their faraway homeland, a boy and his family enter into the lights, noise, and traffic of a busy American city in this dazzling wordless picture book. The language is unfamiliar. Food, habits, games, and gestures are puzzling. They boy clings tightly to his special keepsake from home and wonders how he will find his way.
How will he once again become the happy, confident kid he used to be? Walk in his shoes as he takes the first tentative steps toward discovering joy in his new world. A poignant and affirming view of the immigrant experience.
Audience: 5-100
Themes: immigration, teaching empathy, starting over, beauty, friendship