Chloe Cho’s immigrant parents never talk about Korea so she’s explored her heritage on her own. When her parents’ reticence makes it impossible for Chloe to share a family story as required for a class, her parents finally reveal they aren’t really Korean: they’re aliens from another planet. They chose an all-white U.S. town to live in knowing everyone there would assume immigrants are ignorant. In turn, the residents of the town are so ignorant about Koreans that no one has ever assumed Chloe’s parents are anything but what they claimed to be. Chloe’s best friend, Shelley, who has learned about Korean culture with Chloe, is the only person who has always understood Chloe’s eye-rolling annoyance and occasional anger at the many uninformed things people say to her. Learning that she isn’t who, or even what, she always thought makes Chloe question everything, including Shelley’s interest in her culture, until she discovers both how little has changed and how much the things that matter—true friendship and family love—have remained steadfast. Mike Jung’s use of otherworldly “aliens” as a metaphor for how white Americans think about people of other races and cultures makes for a smart, funny, layered novel that is both blithe and insightful. (Ages 9–13)

Comic and satirical, but also full of painful truths about being both a bright, sensitive middle schooler, and a so-called "model-minority" in a decidedly NOT-diverse town

The next person who compares Chloe Cho with famous violinist Abigail Yang is going to HEAR it. Chloe has just about had it with people not knowing the difference between someone who's Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. She's had it with people thinking that everything she does well -- getting good grades, winning first chair in the orchestra, et CETera -- are because she's ASIAN.Of course, her own parents don't want to have anything to DO with their Korean background. Any time Chloe asks them a question they change the subject. They seem perfectly happy to be the only Asian family in town. It's only when Chloe's with her best friend, Shelly, that she doesn't feel like a total alien. Then a new teacher comes to town: Ms. Lee. She's Korean American, and for the first time Chloe has a person to talk to who seems to understand completely. For Ms. Lee's class, Chloe finally gets to explore her family history. But what she unearths is light-years away from what she expected.