An only child raised by her single mother, Chuna lives happily in Seoul, South Korea. On a vacation to Huntsville, Alabama, Chuna is stunned and devastated to learn that they will not be returning home; her mother plans to marry the man they're visiting, a recent immigrant from Korea. Thrust into a mostly white school with no language-acquisition program, Chuna is miserable and lost. Her new stepfamily is cold and resentful, and classmates either ignore or bully her. Her one escape is art; she enjoys drawing her favorite Korean comics heroine. When her mom finally enrolls her in a comics-drawing class, Chuna befriends Jessica, a kindred spirit and biracial (Japanese/white) girl. But life truly improves only once Chuna (who takes the American name Robin) and her mom move north, and Chuna enrolls in a diverse high school where she makes Korean American friends. Scenes from Chuna's childhood, including mistreatment at the hands of a teacher, are neatly woven into the main narrative. Ha's close but contentious relationship with her fiercely protective mother, who faced discrimination and was socially ostracized as a single mother in Korea, lies at the heart of this affecting graphic memoir. (Age 12 and older)

Harvey Award Nominee, Best Children or Young Adult Book 

A powerful and moving teen graphic novel memoir about immigration, belonging, and how arts can save a life—perfect for fans of American Born Chinese and Hey, Kiddo. 

For as long as she can remember, it’s been Robin and her mom against the world. Growing up as the only child of a single mother in Seoul, Korea, wasn’t always easy, but it has bonded them fiercely together.

So when a vacation to visit friends in Huntsville, Alabama, unexpectedly becomes a permanent relocation—following her mother’s announcement that she’s getting married—Robin is devastated.

Overnight, her life changes. She is dropped into a new school where she doesn’t understand the language and struggles to keep up. She is completely cut off from her friends in Seoul and has no access to her beloved comics. At home, she doesn’t fit in with her new stepfamily, and worst of all, she is furious with the one person she is closest to—her mother.

Then one day Robin’s mother enrolls her in a local comic drawing class, which opens the window to a future Robin could never have imagined.

This nonfiction graphic novel with four starred reviews is an excellent choice for teens and also accelerated tween readers, both for independent reading and units on immigration, memoirs, and the search for identity.