So dated, I'm not sure today's kids could relate well. The protagonist was unlikeable and arrogant, but somehow transformed into a loving, tolerant kid in the blink of an eye; I found his epiphanies and his transformation unbelievable. And the King Arthur's court daydreams grew old fast. But I enjoyed the finish and wish the tone of the rest of the book matched it. ( )

This could have been an interesting adult novel if it was more fleshed out. There weren't enough pages in a 150 page YA book to cover the story, and some things are simply never even addressed. Park's racism is simply put out there and left standing (whether the author intended to gently mock Park's ignorance or whether she tried not to teach her readers racial slurs they may not know, he gets it a little wrong and in his internal monologue calls his Asian half-sister "Geek, geek, geek" for an interminable two pages or so, as well as at least once to her face). I found the reading experience less satisfying and the background, as Park discovers it, less easy to follow than her other books. ( )

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I enjoyed this book because it teaches / encourages readers to actively discover who they are, learn to accept their identity, and learn to make peace with themselves and forgive those who have wronged them. This is evident throughout the story. In the beginning, Park is frustrated with his mother for refusing to tell him about his father, a Vietnam War veteran. After making a journey to the farm his father grew up on, Park meets his family members and gradually unravels the story of his parents. Park eventually learns to accept his father, including his mistakes, and forgives his mother and father, along with his father’s mistress and their daughter, Thanh. I also appreciated how the author portrayed a foreigner under a positive light, despite her limited English. For example, as Mr. Frank tells Thanh to behave herself and eat Mrs. Davenport’s food, Thanh humorously replies, “Okay, okay. We little angel girl. We help our poor, tired mommy and nice Mr. Frank.” ( )