Ellen OhAnmeldelser

In Chapter One, Princess Koko follows a magical creature into the forest and disappears. Five years later, the princess is still missing - presumed dead by some - and her parents' throne is threatened by Prince Roku, who is determined to build a path through the Kidahara Forest and blow up Mount Jinji, all in the name of technological progress.

Jiho Park belongs to the only family in Josun who is immune to magic; in fact, his touch counteracts it. This proves a useful power in the adventurous, dangerous time when "progress" comes to Josun: Workers from Omni Murtagh arrive to begin cutting down trees, but the forest fights back, and Murtagh hires Jiho as a guide.

For the first time, Jiho makes friends his own age, from other places in the five kingdoms, and the friends work together to find the lost princess and save their world from dark forces both political and magical. This means entering the Nackwon, the separate magical kingdom, and there Jiho finds his missing father, who has been teaching the princess in preparation for this task.

The end is somewhat quick: a single climactic scene and a very brief denouement, with no clear indication of a sequel (although there is the possibility of one in the world Oh has invented).

See also: Raya and the Last Dragon (2021 movie)

Quotes

Dedication: To all the kids who wish they could see a real dragon. Me too.

Map of the Five Kingdoms

"Frightened, the people reacted badly, as they often do when faced with something they don't understand." (Papa to Jiho, 31)

They looked at the beautiful place and felt the ache of loss for creatures they'd never even seen before. (103-104)

Narrated by Greta Jung.

Fantastic modern fantasy where the lines between an artist’s webcomic and real life blur and crossover.

The Colliding Worlds of Mina Lee is author Ellen Oh’s magical story of a young artist drawn into her own webcomic with unforeseen results. With relatable characters experiencing extraordinary situations in a remarkable setting, I was riveted to the story from start to finish.

High school senior Mina Lee is a talented artist stymied in her desire to attend art school after graduation rather than going to college and preparing for what, in her father’s mind, is a more practical future. Mina’s artist mother had passed away a couple of years earlier, and both father and daughter are still grieving her loss. Mina’s father has thrown himself into work and business travel, leaving Mina alone often. Mina misses both her mother and her father but is a capable young woman with a good head on her shoulders with definite goals. She hopes a successful webcomic will help convince her father of the merit of allowing her to follow her dream.

Mina is surrounded by a diverse group of friends and classmates in both her reality and the webcomic. There are a variety of personalities and physical types for readers to meet, especially in her alternate timeline, and the magical powers they display there are imaginative.

The author is a wonderfully skilled storyteller, and she clearly conveys the intricacies of an alternate timeline: the mechanics, the collateral effects, and the rules of the new world, so I had no trouble understanding the action. The technical aspects were never overwhelming and were easy to follow. The grief the various characters experienced felt so authentic that some scenes were emotional reading. On the other hand, it was fun seeing the different storyline tropes identified and put into action as the story progressed. I thought the resolution/epilogue was amazing and was left wondering if there might not be more to this story in the future.

The plot involves some serious scenarios, such as the death of a parent, the death of a child, and an abandoned child. These may be hard-hitting for younger readers or those sensitive to these situations. I recommend THE COLLIDING WORLD OF MINA LEE to upper middle-grade, young adult, and adult readers of fantasy fiction.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.

Was totally caught up in this ghost story. Planning on getting the next book in this series also.

This story collection discusses how everyone is connected and we must stand up for everyone's dignity, specifically Asians. It's not a page turner but thoughtful readers will enjoy these stories.

The titles of each story represents the person you are meeting. None of the stories tell who wrote the story; you must look on the verso for the information. All of the stories contain an Asian main character, representing different Asian countries. Everyone waits for a plane and all of the flights are delayed or cancelled, so the concourse is very crowded and people get irritated quickly due to the circumstances. The first story becomes racist fodder in other stories. A boy and his family are going through security and his grandmother creates a stir. The TSA agent treats the grandmother with respect and care when he discovers that she's carrying her husband's ashes. Others act quite differently, not knowing what she actually was transporting, but they make plenty of tacky comments throughout the book. Every character is mis-treated in some way and stands up for himself, unlike the parent. The elders all believe one should not make a scene and move on. The younger generations, our characters, disagree and politely and firmly disallow the behavior. It's best to read it all together so that you remember the characters when they make a side appearance in another story. There are many beautiful moments, where humanity shines. We are all on our way somewhere (like in an airport), and we don't know the people around us. As stress builds, making negative assumptions about others and believing you are superior to others does not connect you to humanity. You lose the connection and we lose as an entire group. If you see poor treatment, insist on better treatment. Help others. Don't judge. Be kind.

Extra scary. I had to read it in little bits with happy book simultaneously.

Love this series! Great for middle grade readers who are into creepy, horror, ghost stories.

5/5

A wonderful set of linked stories, set in a Chicago airport where a storm has caused mass delays and cancellations, bringing out the best and the worst in people. The main character in one story crosses briefly through another, and vice versa. All of the main characters are young Asian Americans (mainly East and Southeast Asian).

Quotes

This is how [my dads] are. Confront hate! Don't let people feel safe saying bigoted things! Silence is violence! Stand up for what's right even when it makes everyone uncomfortable at Thanksgiving! ...But this is different. This isn't about them. It's about...me. (Mindy, 49)

He felt bad for everyone who needed help that wasn't coming. Sometimes the world was unfair to people for no reason at all. (AJ, 117)

Maybe [all those noble Filipino heroes] started out by helping people in whatever small ways they could, in whatever small ways were needed. Maybe the built up to doing more, because maybe helping people was a skill that improved over time with practice... (AJ, 120)

A precarious feeling, like trying to tightrope-walk between staying silent and letting things accumulate until they were too big to be ignored or forging onward through the awkwardness and pain of speaking up. (Natalie, 142)

"But I don't come from the Philippines," I said. "I'm from here."
"Texas is part of you," she said. "But the Philippines is, too." (Camilla, 171)

We were always supposed to step aside, never make a fuss, always be as invisible as possible. We were never supposed to say no or argue or complain or ask for help... (Jane, 201)

I actually like airports because they're places of such possibility....[but] We're all stuck here together in this strange world in between home and adventure. (Khoi, 207)½

Like many series with powers, Harper just keeps leveling up -- to telekinesis and astral projection and a proper crew to back her up (Dayo and Leo). Enjoyable, but missing the terror of the first two books. It felt pretty open-ended and I'd be happy to see a fourth book in this series.

I got this book on a whim because of a readathon prompt, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it had so much to do with my (Korean) heritage! The horror and thrill was quite on par for a middle-grade book level, but what I really loved about this book was the main character's love for her family and friends. I thought that the characters were well-developed, the plot rich, and the action plentiful! I love seeing my heritage portrayed so wonderfully in such a wholesome book like this one. :)

This was the first anthology we've tried for family story time, so I wasn't sure how it would go over. I think everyone enjoyed most stories, and there weren't any that at least one person didn't like. This is a collection of retellings of Asian myths and legends. It was extra fun when one of the kids recognized what the story was based off of before the explanation at the end (both kids attend/attended a Chinese immersion school), but most of these stories were new to us. The diversity of where these stories were from and the ways they were adapted was really interesting.

Highly recommended!

Each story takes place at O'Hare airport and told by a different kid who identifies as Asian American. Each written by a different author, it was great how the stories wove together and built upon each other.
Many of the stories focused on the characters finding their voice and standing up to discrimination and hate.½

It was for English. If you’re a book and I read you for English, I automatically don’t like you.

Harper's family is just settling into their new home in a new part of the country, but Harper already has a bad feeling about the house. Her family doesn't take her feelings seriously, even as she watches her sweet four year old brother transform into a murderous stranger. How can she get her family to listen to her before it's too late for her or her brother?

Spookier than I expected for a middle grade title, but this is a great book featuring main characters of colour and a age-appropriate explorations of racism and sexism. Several strong feminine characters, and a book featuring friendship without romance.

Review to come after the Cybils awards!

Powerful story that moves back and forth between a modern day bullying situation combined with racist graffiti and Junie's grandparent's stories from their lives as children in the Korean War. Well written, engaging characters moving through a bunch of complex situations. Loved how Junie grew over the course of the story. Found it hard to put down.

Harper goes with her family to a very haunted Caribbean island and must break a curse. I found this more gory than the first one and slightly less creepy. However, the sacrificial deaths on the haunted island are pretty dang terrifying. Glad to have the gang all back together and working on a new adventure. Love the continuing exploration of Korean Shamanic powers.

Korean-American Junie Kim and her older brother Justin dealt with anti-Asian racism from classmates on their school bus all last year, but now Justin has moved up to high school, leaving Junie to face middle school alone - and on the first day, there is racist graffiti in the school building. Junie has a strong network of diverse friends, but she doesn't tell them what's going on, and when they want to speak out and take action, she is pessimistic that they will be able to change anything, and doesn't want to be involved.

When a teacher assigns a project of interviewing someone from the Silent or Boomer generations, Junie asks her beloved grandfather for stories, and he tells her about growing up in Korea during the Korean War; his story forms one of the middle sections of the book, and Junie's grandmother's story forms another part. Both stories help Junie come to the conclusion that speaking up against racism is important and worthwhile, so she mends her relationship with her friends, and uses part of her grandfather's interview (which she recorded on video) as part of a presentation to the whole school.

The Korean War is not covered in depth (or sometimes at all) in K-12 social studies, so this history may be eye-opening for many readers. Kids who face racism - and those who espouse it or fail to speak up - can all take something away from Junie's story.

See also: Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai, Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina, Soul Lanterns by Shaw Kuzki

Quotes

My mom always says that running away never solves anything. You have to confront your problems head-on. But what if you're really scared that your problem is going to physically hurt you? (17)

"What's nationalism?" I ask.
"It's pride in your country, but with the belief that it is better than other nations," Grandpa explains. (78)

"There are moments in life when a person must decide between what's right and what's safe. It is one of the most difficult decisions in life, and I would never be angry at you for choosing to do what's safe. But I will always be proud of you for doing what's right." (Doha's father, 121)

"[War] requires average citizens to take extraordinary measures. For if we don't do what we can to minimize the suffering of others, we will lose our humanity." (Doha's father, 127)

"How can I not speak up when something so wrong is happening? If we are silent now, then they will still come for us later. It will not stop." (Doha's father, 136)

"...silence is a weapon. When people don't speak up, and let evil continue unchecked, they too have become corrupt." (Grandpa to Junie, 161)

Sometimes Chama is a good thing. It is about inner strength and resilience. To endure. But if I always endure everything on my own, how can anyone know what I'm going through? (167)

There's a lot to like here -- Korean inspired fantasy world, a deadly forest full of cool monsters, an interesting juxtaposition of tech and magic, and a very fast pace. For me it read more like a movie script, which left it feeling a bit flat and jumpy -- I just wanted more -- more scary parts, more character development, more snark. I think it will be a hit with the intended audience.

Outstanding collection of short stories by a truly spectacular collection of current authors. By turns funny, inspiring, heart-rending, fascinating, this is a read that will keep you engaged, and that is particularly well targeted for a upper elementary to young middle school audience. .

What a spectacular book! Creepy -- boy howdy is it creepy -- but also full of great characters, good storyline and excellent reveals. Really hard to put down, and I look forward to the continuing adventures of Harper in her new community. I particularly enjoyed the ways that Harper's Korean heritage becomes pivotal to the plot.

This review first appeared on Sci Fi and Scary

‘A Thousand Beginnings and Endings’ is hard to place genre-wise. It’s a collection of short stories by modern Asian authors, all based on myths and legends from Asian culture. With that brief I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but the end product is a delicious free for all. There’s fantasy, supernatural horror, science fiction and contemporary romance. As with most short story collections by multiple contributors, not every story blew me away, but there was a lot to enjoy.
There are sixteen stories in total, each about twenty or thirty pages long and followed by a brief piece on the myth or folklore that inspired it. Those sections were almost as much fun to read as the stories themselves, with the authors explaining the personal and cultural importance of the original tales. Asia is a big place (duh!), and the range of countries and cultures represented here evidences that. China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, India and more are featured, giving a glorious variety to the stories and a rich flavour to the collection.
It offers up such delights as exotic fairy tales, subtle and moving ghost stories, epic battles in intergalactic conflicts, children discovering goblins, teenage vampires, star-crossed lovers and dance competitions. My favourite story concerned a young girl, a dead mother and an MMORPG. It was subtle, imaginative and emotional. It’s also typical of the stories in the book in that it gives a modern twist to old themes. These are often tales of what it means to be a human, the common things that transcend time, culture and geography. Family, love, rivalry, the need to fine one’s place in the world. All these things are wrapped up in stories that are engaging and packed with many small details of Asian life and culture.
Taken together they make a fascinating and enjoyable book that’s easy to read and consistently enjoyable. It’s introduced me to a number of writers I’m sure I’ll be reading more from in the future.