Good ­Old-Fashioned Korean Spirit

Gr 9 Up–From the creators of Banned Book Club comes a devastating tale set in 1980s South Korea, following Taehee, a teenage girl who wants to spend time with her boyfriend Kiwoo, avoid her strict dad, and enjoy her mask dance club. Nevertheless, her weird granny drags the whole group and some friends to a remote farm to celebrate Daeboreum with creepy, old traditions. As strange ceremonies and secrets unfold, Taehee worries that her friends might be in danger, and Kiwoo still has not said “I love you” back. This graphic novel is filled with heartbreaking moments, bittersweet conversations, and art comparable to the animated series, Gravity Falls. The story references and follows three generations of a Korean family, from older characters who endured the Japanese rule of Korea and were not allowed to read or speak in their native tongue, to the youngest generation living under a military regime in the 1980s, reading banned books just as their ancestors did. With some of the content landing on the heavier side, this is recommended for high school age readers and older.