F Is for Fabuloso

Lee (If It Hadn't Been for Yoon Jun) continues to offer insight into the Korean-American experience as she relates the ups and downs of seventh-grade immigrant Jin-Ha. Although some characters border on stereotype (Jin-Ha's heartless math teacher, her boy-crazy pals and the jocks they admire from a distance), Jin-Ha herself emerges as a lifelike heroine, and her case of culture shock is convincingly related. Coming from an extremely strict, all-girls school in Korea, she is less concerned about dating rituals and more conscientious about her schoolwork than most of her peers. Jin-Ha is devastated when she receives her first failing mark on a math test. Unable to disappoint her mother, she is virtually propelled into a lie, explaining that in America F stands for ""fabuloso."" Overcome with guilt and shame, determined to raise her math grade, Jin-Ha unexpectedly finds a friend in Grant, a boisterous hockey player who goes from calling her a ""friggin' jap math geek"" to helping her understand her homework and sympathizing with her worries. Ending with a happy Christmas scene, this warm-hearted if predictable novel sends a positive message to adolescents, demonstrating how understanding is fostered through communication. Ages 8-12. (Sept.)