BY PAULA YOO
PUBLISHER: HARPERTEEN/HARPERCOLLINS
Paperback Trade ISBN: 9780060790905
Hardcover publication date: February 5, 2008
Hardcover Trade ISBN: 978-0-06-079085-1
Reading level: Ages 12 up (young adult novel)
Publisher's Website:
http://www.harperteen.com/books/Good-Enough-Paula-Yoo/?isbn=9780060790905
How to make your Korean parents happy:
1. Get a perfect score on the SATs.2. Get into HarvardYalePrinceton.
3. Don't talk to boys.*
Patti's parents expect nothing less than the best from their Korean-American daughter. Everything she does affects her chances of getting into an Ivy League school. So winning assistant concertmaster in her All-State violin competition and earning less than 2300 on her SATs is simply not good enough.
But Patti's discovering that there's more to life than the Ivy League. To start with, there's Cute Trumpet Guy. He's funny, he's talented, and he looks exactly like the lead singer of Patti's favorite band. Then, of course, there's her love of the violin. Not to mention cool rock concerts. And anyway, what if Patti doesn't want to go to HarvardYalePrinceton after all?
Paula Yoo scores big in her hilarious debut novel about an overachiever who longs to fit in and strives to stand out. The pressure is on!
*Boys will distract you from your studies.
“A funny story that will hit home for many readers.”
- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“Patti’s convincing narration [is] filled with laugh-out-loud lines, but it’s the deeper questions about growing up with immigrant parents, confronting racism, and how best to find success and happiness that will stay with readers.”
- ALA BOOKLIST
“Teens living through the pressure of college applications and questioning their futures will sympathize with Patti in this enjoyable, funny but not superficial read.”
- KIRKUS REVIEWS
“Yoo will have teens wondering if Patti can ever measure up, and how she will survive the pressure and heartbreak of her senior year. Short chapters, the teen’s funny occasional SAT tips, and her top-10 lists make this a good options for reluctant readers.
- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
“Caught between cultures, Patti must also learn to navigate her own dreams and aspirations alongside the expectations of others. The author reflects on the hard lessons of adolescence-maneuvering between childhood and adulthood and developing a sense of self-with humor and authenticity.”
- KLIATT
- 2009 Honor Book of the Youth Literature of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature (APAAL) for its excellence in the literary quality and the promotion of Asia/Pacific Americans and their heritages
- 2009 Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice
- 2009 Most Humorous YA Novel List by the New York Public Library Stuff for the Teen Age
- 2009-10 Young Adult Book Award nominee by the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL)
- 2010-11 Missouri Gateway Readers Award nominee
- 2011-12 Nebraska Golden Sower Award nominee
