Today we are thrilled to reveal the cover for Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh. Jacket art © 2021 by Alex Cho. Jacket design by Joel Tippie. The book will be released on May 4, 2021, by HarperCollins. Preorder here!

Junie Kim just wants to fit in. 

So, she keeps her head down and tries not to draw attention to herself. But when racist graffiti appears at her middle school, Junie must decide between staying silent or speaking out. 

Then Junie’s history teacher assigns an oral history project—and when Junie decides to interview her grandparents, she soon uncovers their unbelievable tales of bravery as kids during the Korean War. Junie comes to admire her grandma’s fierce determination in protecting her family, and her grandpa’s unwavering compassion during wartime. 

Junie must find the courage to do what is right, just as her grandparents did. And as racism becomes more pervasive at school, Junie now knows what she must do. 

From We Need Diverse Books cofounder Ellen Oh comes an extraordinary story about a girl who must find her family’s past to embrace her present, finding herself along the way.

From the author, Ellen Oh: Finding Junie Kim has been the hardest of my books to write, the most deeply personal. In many ways, I feel very exposed by what I share in this book. But I also am proud of this story. It is both truth and fiction, historical and contemporary. It is both about my mother’s experience being a lost child during the Korean War, and it is also the story of my children’s experiences with racism and cultural identity in the US. There were many moments where I hesitated about how much to share, but in the end, I had to be true to the story. Finding Junie Kim will be out May 4, 2021.

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Ellen Oh is the cofounder of We Need Diverse Books and author of the Spirit Hunters series and The Dragon Egg Princess for middle grade and the Prophecy trilogy (Prophecy, Warrior, and King) for young adults. Ellen is a former adjunct college instructor and lawyer with an insatiable curiosity for ancient Asian history. She also loves martial arts films, K-pop, K-dramas, and cooking shows, and she is a rabid fan of the Last Airbender and the Legend of Korra series. Originally from New York City, Ellen lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband and three children and has yet to satisfy her quest for a decent bagel. You can visit her online at www.ellenoh.com.