Krista Kim-Bap

Ahn, Angela. Krista Kim-Bap. 2018. 183p. ISBN 978-1-77260-063-6. Available at FIC AHN on the library shelves.

Krista is Korean-Canadian, but the extent of her Korean identity is wrapped in the foods that her grandmother brings to their house. Neither her mother nor her father taught her and Tori, her older sister, much about Korea, and Krista is not sure whether this is a good or bad thing. Life at home can sometimes be tense, with Tori actively avoiding all things Korean, especially kimchi. Krista’s best friend, Jason, loves kimchi, however, along with all Korean foods.

The two of them have been best friends since they first met in preschool, and their friendship has always been solid, and it didn’t matter that he was a boy and she was a girl. However, growing up can often cause frictions among friends of the same gender, let alone when their genders are different. As their class begins preparing for Heritage Month, where every student has to portray all of the ethnic groups that makes them who they are today, Krista finds herself noticed by popular Madison and her friends for a great new outfit Tori made using grandma’s traditional Korean dress. Now asked to sit at the popular table, she finds herself pulled away from Jason.

With these tensions threatening their friendship, and with needing to work with her grandmother to complete her project, Krista’s life is about to get more complicated. Can she finds her way back to her friend before it is too late?

Filled with references to Korean food and culture, this book does a tremendous job of exploring what it means to come from a culture that’s different than that of the dominant group. Fans of light reads and sweet friendship will appreciate the frictions between Krista and Jason and the steps they take to reconcile.