Korean mythology – Mom Read It

The Goblin Twins: Too Hard to Scare, by Frances Cha/Illustrated by Jaime Kim, (Sept. 2024, Crown Books for Young Readers), $19.99, ISBN: 9780593480267

Ages 3-7

Doki and Kebi, two 601-year-old Korean goblin twins, are living in New York. Doki is happy to read the books in his new library, but Kebi is lonely. Attempts to make new friends aren’t working out, and New Yorkers aren’t very easy to rattle! Doki tries to give him a hand, but as readers will learn, it takes a lot – maybe even more than a shrinking Statue of Liberty – to make a New Yorker do a double-take. Readers living in Metro New York will get big laughs out of this – I sure did! – and folks outside of New York will get a hearty laugh at all the ways the twins try to shake things up: make the trains run late? Pfft – that’s just expected. Fill the streets with smoke? It would be weirder if the streets were clear, depending on where you’re walking! Make tables float in the air? People will just grumble that they can’t find a seat. It’s a fun play on people’s perspectives on New York, and Kim’s digital illustration is bright, colorful, and beautifully captures New York landmarks (and yes, I’m including traffic as a landmark). The story’s touching plot about finding someone who always has your back shines through the laughter. A fun read-aloud and a fun New York story that’s good for any time of year. The Goblin Twins: Too Hard to Scare is the follow-up to 2022’s The Goblin Twins.

If your kids are asking for more information on dokkaebi, you can find more information about them at Mythology Planet. Download a free curriculum guide at Frances Cha’s website.

“An amusing tale of sibling love and mischief.” —Kirkus Reviews

Frances Cha often wonders what it would take to scare a New Yorker, and also wishes she could finish reading all the books in a library! The dokkaebi who used to eat socks in her laundry basket now delights in hiding her keys whenever she needs them. Her novel (for grown-ups) If I Had Your Face was named a best book of the year by NPR, USA Today, and Time. She teaches creative writing at Columbia University and divides her time between New York and South Korea. To learn more, and to download a free curriculum guide, visit francescha.com.

Jaime Kim has illustrated many books for young readers, including La La La: A Story of Hope by Kate DiCamillo and Ready for the Spotlight! which was her debut as an author and illustrator. Her illustrated book Take Heart, My Child was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Like her character Doki, Jaime once preferred staying at home and creating art over exploring the wider world. But now she loves traveling, discovering new places, and connecting with new people. Also like Doki and Kebi, she was born and raised in South Korea and now lives in the United States. For more information, visit jaimekim.com.

Dragon Pearl, by Yoon Ha Lee, (Jan. 2019, Disney-Hyperion), $16.99, ISBN: 9781368013352

Ages 8-12

The latest from Disney’s Rick Riordan Presents line gives readers a space opera, Korean mythology, ghosts, nonbinary characters, and moral quandaries! Min is a 13-year-old shapeshifting female fox spirit who lives with her widowed mother and extended family on the planet Jinu. Her older brother, Jun, is part of the Space Force – where Min intends to follow him in a few years, when she hits age 16 – but things change when an investigator shows up at Min’s home, with news that Jun has deserted his post and is rumored to be searching for the Dragon Pearl, a mythical object that could help turn planets into paradises… or destroy them. Determined to find her brother and clear his name, Min runs away from home and finds her way onto a starship; when the ship falls under mercenary attack, she wakes up on the very ship her brother served on: the Pale Lightning. Assuming the form of Jang, a cadet who died during the mercenary attack and subsequent rescue attempt, Min tries to unravel the mystery of Jun’s disappearance, and stumbles onto a plot much bigger than she could have imagined. She joins forces with Jang’s friends: Hanuel, a female dragon spirit, and Sujin, a nonbinary goblin spirit and continues her detective work.

Dragon Pearl is a space opera, complete with space battles, intrigue and shifting loyalties, and a mythos, based on Korean mythology, all of which come together to build an epic adventure that middle grade readers will devour. Min faces racism/species-ism as a fox spirit; she and her family present as humans, because foxes have a bad reputation for trickery being untrustworthy. She has to lie to Jang’s friends to keep her secret; that guilt is with her day in and day out, especially as her own friendship with them grows. She has to break rules for the greater good: to find her brother, who’s also considered a deserter. She’ll deal with the fallout as it comes; Min’s family is her priority. Is she a hero? Is she a traitor? It depends on whose point of view you’re viewing from. The same can be said of the Dragon Pearl, which can create a lush homeworld or destroy a planet. Is it a valuable treasure or a cursed trinket?

Let’s talk about the rich characters Yoon Ha Lee creates. Min and her fellow cadets inhabit a universe where rank and personal pronouns are part of the uniform. Sujin, the goblin cadet, uses “they/their” pronouns and no one has an issue with it. Sujin is a funny, creative character whose gender identity fits seamlessly into the Dragon Pearl universe. They wield a magical spork, for heaven’s sake. That’s the exciting news! Haneul is a dragon spirit who can communicate with the weather; the Pale Lightning’s captain is a tiger spirit who exudes charisma and a more than a wee bit of menace. Min, a fox spirit, exudes Charm to head off potential problems at the pass and is clever, constantly thinking of her next moves to get her to her goal. An exciting adventure, moral conflict, and rich character diversity make this one a nice addition to your fantasy middle grade collections, and yet another hit from Rick Riordan’s Disney imprint.

Dragon Pearl has a starred review from Kirkus.

Tag: Korean mythology

The Goblin Twins (Try to) Take New York!

The Dragon Pearl takes Korean mythology to the stars