One Thousand Paper Stars

One Thousand Paper Stars
Susie Yi
Roaring Brook Press, September, 2023
240 pages
Grades 3-6
Graphic Novel

Yuna is tired of not fitting in. Her traditional Korean family will not let her go to sleepovers or have a cellphone. She feels forced to be alone with only her annoying younger sister for company. Her grandmother from Korea, Halmoni, told her that if you fold one-thousand paper stars you can make a wish and it will come true. In a fit of desperation Yuna wishes that her family could travel back to Korea for the summer and then maybe she would finally fit in. The next morning Yuna wakes to discover that Halmoni has passed away and the whole family must travel back to Korea for the services. Yuna feels responsible for her beloved grandmother's death, blaming it all on the wish gone wrong. Once in Korea Mom is sad and distracted. Yuna is with relatives that she can barely remember and still struggles with feeling truly at home. She is determined to make one-thousand more stars in order to wish Halmoni back and to make things right. The problem is, Yuna must complete the impossible task before Halmoni is fully laid to rest--and that is only twenty-four hours away. Will Yuna get the job done and find redemption?

The latest in the ongoing trend of memoir graphic novels, relative newcomer Yi has penned an own-voices tale set for a fall release. The story is heartfelt and will be relatable to many young readers. Certainly bicultural kids will find much to identify with in Yuna's struggle to feel fully at home. Other kids will be exposed and possibly more sympathetic to the plight of their classmates. Everyone will relate to feeling guilty and responsible for something that isn't ours. Yuna works through her grief and confusion and reaches a place of peace along with the rest of her family. The full-color illustrations, though comic and youthful, have a manga feel to them, which sets this book a bit apart from the pack and fits in with the current trend. I appreciate that an author's note at the beginning explains that different fonts are used for English and Korean languages, resulting in authenticity with less confusion. Yi sometimes slides into the past, changing the palette to a dreamy green hue, again helping readers along.  An author's note gives biographical context to the story. Yi also includes instructions on how to make a paper star, which I can see as an immediate connection to book group and classroom use and a natural hook to draw in young readers.