A Step from Heavenby An Na
Penguin Putnam
New York
2001
ISBN: 0142500275
Plot Summary:
Young Ju and her parents move from South Korea to the U.S. when she is a four. Shortly afterwards, her mother gives birth to a baby boy, and her father swells with an enormous pride Young Ju has never seen him possess. The parents are bursting with dreams of all the things they will do and have in their new country. But, as the years go by, Young Ju's family life does not progress according to their plans.
Critical Evaluation:
An Na uses the voice of Young Ju throughout the novel: as a child, an adolescent, and a maturing, confused teen. The voice never wavers in consistency and tone; Young Ju's struggle with comprehension and mastery of the English language is also portrayed with An Na's use of a kind of phonetic mish-mash of English and Korean. The unwavering voice produces a strong identification with the character, and her mother and brother's hopes and heartbreak.
Reader's Annotation:
Young Ju believes her parents when they tell her life in America will be better, easier. But absolutely nothing is better, and everything seems harder.
Genre:
Coming-of-age/YA Fiction
Author Info:
A Step from Heaven is An Na's first novel, and went on to win the Michael L. Printz Award in 2002. She has written two novels since, and currently lives in Vermont.
Reader Level/Interest Age:
12 and up.
Booktalking Ideas:
*Does the Park family achieve the American dream?
*Why is Young Ju's father so filled with anger and disappointment?
*Why doesn't her mother leave her father?
Challenge Issues:
Mature themes, however strong moral and emotional codes pervade the novel, making challenges unlikely.
Why Include?:
I have a strong faith in the selections made by those behind the Michael L. Printz Award, and haven't been disappointed yet.
