MINN AND JAKE’S ALMOST TERRIBLE SUMMER

This summer Jake has opted to go with his mother and little brother to visit his Korean grandmother in his old neighborhood in Los Angeles, thus exempting himself from tightly scheduled camps and lessons. Now he regrets his choice: He cannot reconnect with his old friends, and seems to fall into one humiliating, embarrassing predicament after another. He avoids contacting his best friend at home, Minn, even though he really misses her, leading her to believe that he doesn’t care anymore. When she comes to L.A., everything is resolved during a riotous visit to Disneyland. Wong once again employs free verse to create a charming, breezy, compassionate glimpse into the insecurities, misunderstandings and awkwardnesses of children’s friendships. Minn and Jake, brother Soup and Grandmother Halmoni are quirky and charming, and their adventures are outrageous and hilarious. Côté’s black-and-white cartoons nicely highlight the action and, together with the text, capture the very essence of childhood summers. Good fun. (Fiction. 7-10)