Highly recommend.What would you do if the world's biggest K-pop star asked you to prom? Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sandhya Menon, this hilarious and heartfelt novel brings the glamour and drama of the K-pop world straight to high school.Įlena Soo has always felt overshadowed. I rarely read YA novels but this one was very well done and “important” because of the central idea. It’s all very natural and ideal to a high school setting, but she never drops her core idea. It’s pretty ingenious the way the author crafts the plot. How women are judged is a core theme but there are many others. It almost completely bypasses race as an issue and gets down to how unfairly we all judge each other. This is a perfect YA book for interaction in a classroom or parent/teen. The rest of the book is an artful unwinding of the MANY different ways we leap to judgement of others when we don’t have the whole story, don’t really care to know the whole story and prefer labels and sound bites to understanding. What’s really interesting is the way the first leap to judgement leads to many others. Many of the prejudgements applied aren’t mentioned in the book.

There’s a lot of room for discussion with young readers about why Len suddenly seems more appealing to the high school journalism staff.

The core story is about the last minute election of an inexperienced male editor over an experienced and qualified young woman. New York Times New and Upcoming Young Adult Book to Watch For * A Junior Library Guild Selection * Parents Magazine Best Books of the Year * NPR Best Books of the Year * Kirkus Best Books of the Year * Rise: A Feminist Book Project Book of the Year * A CCBC Choices Pick of the Year *Īnd the many forms it takes, particularly in high school but really all over our culture. But as they get to know one another, Eliza feels increasingly trapped by a horrifying realization-she just might be falling for the face of the patriarchy himself. When Eliza’s frustration spills out in a viral essay, she finds herself inspiring a feminist movement she never meant to start, caught between those who believe she’s a gender equality champion and others who think she’s simply crying misogyny.Īmid this growing tension, the school asks Eliza and Len to work side by side to demonstrate civility. Suddenly her vast qualifications mean squat because inexperienced Len-who is tall, handsome, and male- just seems more like a leader. That is, until ex-jock Len DiMartile decides on a whim to run against her.

“A smart romance with heart and guts and all the intoxicating feelings in between.” -Maureen Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of 13 Little Blue EnvelopesĮmergency Contact meets Moxie in this cheeky and searing novel that unpacks just how complicated new love can get…when you fall for your enemy.Įliza Quan is the perfect candidate for editor in chief of her school paper.

Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho