Tae's Sonata [Hardcover]

Haemi Balgassi (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

A novel about a Korean eighth grader, a recent immigrant to the United States, coming to terms with her background.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8. Tae is a Korean-American eighth grader. It's bad enough that her social studies teacher assigns her South Korea for her class project, but he also pairs her with popular Josh Morgan, which garners her the spite of a popular clique of girls. When Tae's best friend, Meg, starts hanging out with these girls, Tae shuns her and, in her sulky loneliness, starts to notice those around her with more sympathy: her mother, who gave up her close circle of friends when they left Korea; Philip, the other Korean American at her school, who turns out not to be quite as stuck up as she first imagined; and Josh, who, despite being popular, is really a nice guy. Gaining respect for others, Tae is able to patch up her friendship with Meg, improve her relationship with her parents, and find a bit of romance in her life. The characters are familiar and believable (except, perhaps, for Josh, who seems too sensitive to be true), and aspects of Korean life are well incorporated into the story. The plot gets corny in parts (especially at the end, where Balgassi drops the ball on all the interesting characters in favor of a happy ending for Tae and Josh), and remarks on racial/ethnic dynamics in Tae's life seem sometimes heavy-handed, but the book, overall, is well written and appealing.?Nina Lindsay, Vista School, Albany, CA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Eighth-grader Taeyoung Kim feels torn between her Korean heritage and her new American culture. When she is assigned to do a report on South Korea with one of the most popular boys in school, her feelings begin to surface: She's embarrassed about being ``different,'' her modest upbringing, and her parents. The storyline and themes- -feeling out of place and struggling with the popular crowd--are well known; Marie G. Lee (If It Hadn't Been for Yoon Jun, 1993, etc.) has deftly limned aspects of the Korean experience along these lines. Here, the resolution is predictable. The title and main theme are linked to Tae's piano-playing, which comes across as an afterthought instead of an integral part of the story. While readers get a sense of who Tae is, they may become frustrated with her passivity; the few instances in which she reflects on her life in Korea are adequate, but lack power. Readers will empathize more with Tae's parents, whose tender characterizations are the best in the book. Tae grows and learns, and gets the cute boy, which will satisfy those seeking light fare and no surprises. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (September 22, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395843146
• ISBN-13: 978-0395843147
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,940,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story of immigration and first love, March 10, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (West Buxton, Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tae's Sonata (Hardcover)

In a convincing first person voice, Taeyoung Kim tells her story of immigrant experience and first love. This first novel, infused with authentic details of Korean-American family life, brings to young readers the tumult of feelings Tae experiences as an "outsider," feelings she learns are not unique to her but are shared by so many others on the brink of adolescence, whether immigrant or native born.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Understandable TaeYoung, November 5, 2000

By 

Gabrielle Kim (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tae's Sonata (Hardcover)

This was a very good book with a character you could really relate to. I am Korean, and it was very interesting and amusing to see the Korean words such as umma and oppa. I could really relate to Tae and understood what she was going through. Even people who are not Korean could enjoy this book. Tae's Sonata is a well written book that describes and totally follows the troubles of being a teenager and feeling like an outcast.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good and not too long, August 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tae's Sonata (Hardcover)

I liked this book alot. It's not too long and it goes really fast. I finished it in one day! I don't think you have to be Korean to read this book. I'm not and I really related to Tae and what she was going through with the stuck up crowd.