WRITING WITHOUT WORDS

Juno lives with his parents and a dog named Sam. His grandmother lives far away in Seoul, Korea, but she writes him letters. Juno cannot read the words she writes as they are in Korean, but he knows what it says because of the items that accompany the letter. When Juno decides to write a letter in return, he draws pictures of his life and sends a leaf from his swinging tree. Juno learns to interpret meaning through a language outside of writing. Even though they don't speak the same language, they can still communicate with images from the world around them. DEAR JUNO by Soyung Pak is a beautiful story for pre-k through 3rd grade.

SEARCHING FOR A BIRTH MOTHER

You're adopted? Your family is Italian? You don't look Italian.

When a new Korean family moves into the neighborhood it gets Joseph thinking about his Korean birth mother. At thirteen he's starting to question his identity and chafing at his father's idea of traditions - somehow they don't feel like his traditions. Joseph begins a search for his birth mother so he won't feel like a "fake Korean" or any other kind of fake.

Kimchi and Calamari by Rose Kent is a coming of age story about an adopted boy's search for his identity.

For 6th-8th graders.