Stand Up, Yumi Chung!, Jessica Kim
Stand Up, Yumi Chung!, Jessica Kim
List: $18.00 | Sale: $12.60
Club: $9.00

Stand Up, Yumi Chung!

Author: Jessica Kim

Narrator: Greta Jung

Unabridged: 6 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/17/2020

Synopsis

One lie snowballs into a full-blown double life in this irresistible story about an aspiring stand-up comedian.

On the outside, Yumi Chung suffers from #shygirlproblems, a perm-gone-wrong, and kids calling her "Yu-MEAT" because she smells like her family's Korean barbecue restaurant. On the inside, Yumi is ready for her Netflix stand-up special. Her notebook is filled with mortifying memories that she's reworked into comedy gold. All she needs is a stage and courage.

Instead of spending the summer studying her favorite YouTube comedians, Yumi is enrolled in test-prep tutoring to qualify for a private school scholarship, which will help in a time of hardship at the restaurant. One day after class, Yumi stumbles on an opportunity that will change her life: a comedy camp for kids taught by one of her favorite YouTube stars. The only problem is that the instructor and all the students think she's a girl named Kay Nakamura--and Yumi doesn't correct them.

As this case of mistaken identity unravels, Yumi must decide to stand up and reveal the truth or risk losing her dreams and disappointing everyone she cares about.

About The Author

Jessica Kim writes about Asian American girls finding their way in the world. Before she was an author, Jessica studied education at UC Berkeley and spent ten years teaching third, fourth, and fifth grades in public schools. Like Yumi, Jessica lives with her family in Southern California and can't get enough Hot Cheetos, stand-up comedy, BTS, and Korean barbecue.

Reviews

Goodreads review by julianna ➹ on May 20, 2021

my tbr is like "pls!!! i am begging you!!!" and in response i say "no" and read random books i find on libby also this is the 500th book i've read as marked on goodreads!!! wow......more

Goodreads review by Betsy on February 19, 2020

Remember the funny girls. No one else seems to. Living as we do in an age when every other book published is an inspiring group biography, our children are currently steeped in the very serious nature of what makes a woman great. And being funny, quite frankly, isn’t something that tends to make the......more

Goodreads review by CW ✨ on June 20, 2020

Oh, I ADORED this!!! This is such a feel-good story that's also unexpectedly laugh-out-loud funny, being who you are, and the shenanigans of accidentally living a double-life. - Follows Yumi, a shy young Korean girl who loves stand-up comedy! When she stumbles on a comedy camp led by her idol, Jasmin......more

Goodreads review by Nev on May 18, 2020

This was such a fun, heart-warming Middle Grade book. Even though Yumi Chung is super shy she dreams of being a stand up comedian. When she stumbles into a comedy summer camp and gets mistaken for a camper she doesn’t correct anyone. Now she’s secretly attending summer camp, growing her confidence,......more

Goodreads review by Scott on November 12, 2023

I may be biased but I think Koreans are the smartest, coolest, best-looking, and just plain awesomest people in the world (with the exception of that fat jerk dictator in Pyongyang, of course). So, it’s always nice to read a book that not only doesn’t employ negative stereotypes of Asian people in ge......more

Quotes

Indies Introduce Winter / Spring 2020 Title
Spring 2020 Kids' Indie Next List
Amazon Best Books of the Month, March 2020
Kirkus Best Children's Books 2020
Chicago Public Library Best Fiction for Older Readers of 2020
Evanston Public Library Great Books for Kids 2020
Georgia Children's Book Award
Iowa Children's Choice Award
Kansas William Allen White Book Award
Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award
Rhode Island Children's Book Award
Washington Sasquatch Book Award
DC Capitol Choices
Wisconsin Just One More Page!
Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award
Hawaii Nēnē Award
New Jersey Garden State Children's Book Award
Oregon Readers Choice Award
MISelf in Books 2020 Book List (Michigan)


★“With wonderful supporting characters, strong pacing, and entertaining comedy bits, debut author Kim has woven a pop song of immigrant struggle colliding with comedy and Korean barbecue.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★"Kim has taught school, and it shows, both with the spot-on dialogue and the up-to-date social media references... This will certainly remind readers of Kelly Yang's Front Desk (2018)."
—Booklist, starred review

★"A must-read."
—School Library Connection, starred review
 
“Being your true self can be tough, but with guts, gumption, and a whole lot of heart, Yumi Chung rises to the challenge and shows us all who she really is—a bona fide star.”
—Booki Vivat, New York Times bestselling author of Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom

“A funny, tender story about family, friendship, and the courage to be yourself!”
—Karina Yan Glaser, New York Times bestselling author of The Vanderbeekers series

“Come for the puns, the laughs, and the wacky plot of mistaken identity, but it’s the bighearted characters that take center stage in Stand Up, Yumi Chung!” 
—Carlos Hernandez, author of Sal and Gabi Break the Universe
 
“I adored this book! Like, I seriously hugged it when I was done. This is quintessential middle grade—charming, funny, real, and overflowing with heart.”
—Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, author of 8th Grade Superzero, Two Naomis, and Naomis Too
 
"This book is my favorite combination of heartfelt and hilarious. Yumi Chung is a headliner!" 
—Remy Lai, author of Pie in the Sky

“This book is hilarious.”
—Sarah True, Joseph-Beth Booksellers (Cincinnati, OH)
 
“One of the best middle grade books I have read all year!”
—Robyn Broderick, The Reading Bug (San Carlos, CA)
 
“Yumi is a smart and sassy heroine, and Stand Up, Yumi Chung! is a poignant and charming story that appeals to the dreamer in all of us.”
—Jackie Jou, Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore (San Diego, CA)
 
“This book made me cry, cheer, and laugh out loud.”
—Bethany Strout, Tattered Cover Book Store (Denver, CO)

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