A Step from Heaven is a book about a young girl named Young Ju, who moved to America from Korea at a young age. The book narrates her struggles to adapting to the new lifestyle.
As a Korean-American, I was looking forward to reading this book. One thing I really enjoyed was how the author added many parts of Korean culture into the story, despite it being set in America. I also liked how a lot of the struggles Young Ju had experienced in the story were relatable and understandable. This made the book seem more realistic, even though it is fiction.
One thing I
didn’t like was how some Korean terms were incorrectly used (ex. “noona” should
have been used instead of “uhn-nee). I felt disappointed that the author didn’t
do enough research of basic terminology to write their story. Other than that,
the story was very nice. It was really intriguing and realistic. I would
recommend this book to anyone who likes a more serious and thoughtful read.
Review written by Victoria, Grade 9