A Sky of Paper Stars

My daughter loves this book. She first borrowed it from the library and wanted her own copy. At the end, they have instructions on how to make paper stars and she filled a bottle of them.

It's tough being first generation American. All Yuna wants is to fit in with her friends at school but her mom makes her Korean lunches; she can't go to sleepovers; and she doesn't have a phone. When Yuna folds 1,000 paper stars she wishes on them that she could go back to Korea. When she wakes to find her halmoni has dies and the family is flying to Korea. Guilt for having wished to return to Korea and falsely connecting it to her halmoni's death, Yuna vows to reverse her wish. When she lands in Korea, she soon finds she's not Korean enough to fit in there either, AND it appears she is turning into paper! Can Yuna reverse the wish and bring her halmoni back or will she turn to paper and be blown away in the wind? Wonderful perspective and a realistic expression of grief in tweens.

A very touching story - finished the whole book in one sitting. Would definitely recommend for all ages!

All Yuna wants is to fit in. She wants to go to sleepovers, have a “normal” American lunch, and go to summer camp - just like her friends. Her Halmoni (grandmother) told her a legend that if you fold 1,000 paper stars, you will be granted one wish.When she reaches 1,000 paper stars, Yuna wishes for her family to move back to Korea, where she can finally be normal. Then her sister comes with devastating news that Halmoni has died and they must go back to Korea to attend the funeral.From the first page, this book bleeds emotions. The story centers around mother's love in different ways, even if it looks like being solely strict. While teaching how to fold paper stars throughout the story, Yi covers heritage, family and belonging in the most vulnerable way that made me yearn for my mother with a heart full of gratitude.Based on Korean folklore and the author's own childhood memories, this middle grade graphic novel is stunning and heartfelt. A book that I cherish and hope everyone reads!

When Yuma was young, her family moved from Korea to USA, but despite living in America for six years, Yuma still doesn't feel like she fits in. Her mom's home cooking and her family's strict rules make her feel like an outcast among her peers. But Yuma has a plan, and she won't stop folding stars until her wish comes true, just as her grandmother taught her. But when a wish goes horribly wrong, Yuma has to find a new definition of belonging.This story blends a little bit of magic with a little bit of culture and a big part of what it means to grow up. Some of this I've heard before (many times), but I like the way this story unfolds to show that Yuma's assumptions and memories about her culture aren't the same when someone else describes them. The funeral scene was truly heart-wrenching, reminding us that stories live on even when our bodies pass away. The illustrations are simple yet lovely, creating a variety of moods with simple lines.Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

My 8 year old and 10 year old sons and I absolutely LOVED Sky of Paper Stars! A book to be read again and again. The writing and illustrations are beautiful, heartfelt, and lyrical. The author’s sensitive portrayal of a child grappling with a wide range of emotions after a loved elder dies, while toggling between two cultures, really stays with you. Susie Yi is incredibly talented and we are big fans :)

Received an ARC from Netgalley. This was a fairly quick read. The art and storyline were good, but overall, the book lacked for me.

As I always start out, I talk about the cover and title of the book. Both of them were very catchy and caught my eye. It was a good book that would help a child if they lost someone and their thoughts of how they could keep them alive. I enjoyed how this book had some Korean rituals that I would not know about, since I am not Korean. It was easy to understand and had some good ideas about how others could deal with their feelings and moving forward after the death of a loved one. I also like how they showed how to make a paper star at the end. Wishes are interesting things, sometimes they come true and other times not, Wishes give you hope.