Editorial Content for Unidentified Suburban Object

Before beginning my review of UNIDENTIFIED SUBURBAN OBJECT by Mike Jung, I want to provide a disclaimer. This middle grade novel contains a significant plot twist that dramatically changes the story, but doesn’t impact the themes. In fact, it only serves to enhance these messages. I have grappled with whether or not to reveal this plot twist in my review; in my reading of other reviews of the book some reveal the twist and some do not. I have elected not to reveal the twist as I don’t want to rob you of the moment you discover it yourself. Therefore, if my review seems spotty, my avoidance of revealing the twist may be the reason. Without further ado, here is my review of UNIDENTIFIED SUBURBAN OBJECT by Mike Jung.

 

"An extremely good book that will have readers of all backgrounds and ages laughing and reveling in the pleasure of reading it."

Chloe Cho is about to embark on her seventh grade year. She is particularly excited about school starting as there is a new social studies teacher, Ms. Lee. Like Chloe, Ms. Lee is Korean American so Chloe will no longer be the only Korean American, nor Asian American, at school. Chloe and her family are the only Asian American family in her town and Chloe is exhausted by the never ending stream of microaggressions she experiences on a daily basis. For example, Chloe’s intelligence and drive for perfection are often attributed to her being Asian American rather than the fact that Chloe is smart and wants to succeed because she is Chloe.

Not only is Chloe excited about the solidarity that she hopes to feel with Ms. Lee, but she is also hoping to learn more about Korea as Chloe’s parents are notoriously tight lipped about their Korean childhood and background. In fact, every time that Chloe asks a question about Korea, her parents immediately change the subject or flee the room. When Ms. Lee assigns a family history project that requires the students to interview their parents or other family members about family history, Chloe believes that she finally has the means of cracking her parents’ silence as they certainly wouldn’t want her to fail her assignment. However, the assignment leads to a revelation and the aforementioned plot twist that will change everything that Chloe knows about herself…or will it?

Jung, along with many other children’s and young adult authors and illustrators, is very active in the We Need Diverse Books movement (You can find out more about this organization and movement at diversebooks.org; they are also on Twitter and tumblr). I mention #WeNeedDiverseBooks in this review as I believe that UNIDENTIFIED SUBURBAN OBJECT is an outstanding example of the diverse books that we need. I don’t want to politicize the book too much because it is, most importantly, an extremely good book that will have readers of all backgrounds and ages laughing and reveling in the pleasure of reading it. It is also an important book in the push to provide more stories that reflect the diverse experiences of the authors, the illustrators and the readers.