Skylar and the K-Pop Principal

Korean American 11-year-old dancer Skylar Smith obsesses over all things AZ8, a K-pop group that’s recently begun their comeback tour, and will do whatever it takes to get tickets to one of their shows. When, during a thunderstorm, she switches bodies with her school’s strict 71-year-old, white-cued principal, Skylar initially writes it off as a nightmare scenario: after all, Ms. Callus is “a true wolf in sheep’s clothing, a bully in a blouse, a menace in magenta, a threat in floral.” But, desperate to win a dance contest for free tickets to AZ8’s sold-out show in London, Skylar submits a video of herself performing as Ms. Callus and goes viral. The attention has consequences, however, and as Skylar struggles balancing the principal’s adult responsibilities, Ms. Callus—at Skylar’s home, in her body, bonding with the Smiths—refuses to cooperate in searching for a way to switch back. In this body-switching romp à la Freaky Friday, Goldie (Nightingale Point, for adults) deploys all the high-octane energy and devotion inherent to fandom communities and stan culture to present an earnest homage to K-pop. It’s a spirited children’s debut and an empathetic take on finding one’s passion and growing up. Ages 9–12. Agent: Eve White, Eve White Literary. (Feb.)