Troublemaker
- Downloads：7393
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-24 01:21:35
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：John Cho
- ISBN：0759554471
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Dawn Michelle
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I need to preface this review with this:1。 I thought this was a graphic novel [it was in the graphic novel section of NG] and I was very surprised to find that it was not。 I was ready for a GN and was disappointed when that was not the case。2。 I am absolutely not the target audience for this book。 Not even remotely。 My rating is not because I liked the book。 I will explain below。 My four star rating is not because I liked this book [hint， I didn't not love it。 It was okay [again， I am SO not the I need to preface this review with this:1。 I thought this was a graphic novel [it was in the graphic novel section of NG] and I was very surprised to find that it was not。 I was ready for a GN and was disappointed when that was not the case。2。 I am absolutely not the target audience for this book。 Not even remotely。 My rating is not because I liked the book。 I will explain below。 My four star rating is not because I liked this book [hint， I didn't not love it。 It was okay [again， I am SO not the target audience for this book]， but it was also extremely frustrating to read as an adult who has helped raise kids。 Kids do dumb things。 Adults do dumb things and the conversations around those topics are the ones that resonated with me]。 It is because I absolutely recognize the importance of this book [within the Asian/Korean community， with white kids who are totally clueless etc] and the impact it will have on ALL middle-grade readers [and hopefully all those around them as they read and talk about this book]。 Jordan and his "trip" to find his father in the midst of the LA Riots is deeply reminiscent of the recent backlash to the Black Lives Matter marches and as someone who remembers the days of the LA Riots as well， this really resonated with me。 To know the rest of the story [in regards to what happened in Koreatown] was a learning experience for me。 For that alone， I am glad I read this。 Representation is so important and John Cho has written a book that will resonate with many and I will absolutely be recommending this book to people who have middle grade readers。 Thank you to NetGalley， John Cho， and Little， Brown Books for Young Readers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Karen Siddall
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Troublemaker is an absolute page-turner！Troublemaker is an exciting， tension-filled adventure set during the outrage， riots， and violence in South Central Los Angeles in the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict。 The main character， Jordan Park， is twelve-years-old and he’s going through a tough time， as many children do when they transition from elementary school to sixth grade。Jordan is the youngest and only son in an immigrant Korean family， which includes his parents， older sister， and grandf Troublemaker is an absolute page-turner！Troublemaker is an exciting， tension-filled adventure set during the outrage， riots， and violence in South Central Los Angeles in the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict。 The main character， Jordan Park， is twelve-years-old and he’s going through a tough time， as many children do when they transition from elementary school to sixth grade。Jordan is the youngest and only son in an immigrant Korean family， which includes his parents， older sister， and grandfather。 He knows his parents are struggling to make a success of their life in the U。S。 He had heard them talking and arguing in the kitchen when they thought he couldn’t hear。 But his parents don’t openly discuss their circumstances， only ever insisting that he not worry。At the same time， Jordan keeps his struggles to himself with the same intention， not adding to his parents’ worries。 He wants to fix things on his own， his own way。 It’s just that his choices to do so have only made things worse。 He also feels he’s being held to an impossible standard; his older sister， Sarah， is practically perfect！The exciting and tense story of Jordan’s mission to get to his father makes Troublemaker an absolute page-turner！ Danger lurks around every corner as he and his friend， Mike， race their way through Koreatown: danger not only from the unusual event unfolding nearby but also that as a result of the boys’ actions as well。Troublemaker is a look inside a Korean American family， and the author includes Korean honorifics with just the right amount of context for the reader to quickly understand the meaning。 The family dynamics are such that most readers will readily relate to young Jordan’s dilemmas。 I found many scenes touching， and I became filled with emotion。Another significant aspect of the story is the presentation of the events of April 29， 1992， and its effects on the people of South Central， in general， and the Korean community， in particular。 The author’s notes describe this book as one result of Cho’s desire to explain to his own children current events occurring after the murder of George Floyd and also the rise and public awareness of discrimination and violence focused against Asian Americans。 The similarities of events， 30 years apart， are eye-opening， disheartening， and should stand as a reminder to do better。With its exciting plot and relatable characters， Troublemaker is a wonderful middle-grade novel that even reluctant readers will enjoy。 The author’s writing style is easy to read and very engaging。 Young and older readers alike will be caught up in the action and not only for the pure adventure but for the historical events portrayed。I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from TBR and Beyond Tours。 。。。more
Paige
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Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher。 Thanks！ All opinions are my own。Book: TroublemakerAuthor: John ChoBook Series: StandaloneRating: 5/5Diversity: Korean MC and characters， Black side charactersRecommended For。。。: middle grade readers， historical fiction， LA riots， police brutality， 1990sPublication Date: March 22， 2022Genre: MG Historical FictionAge Relevance: 10+ （violence， racism， police brutality， gore， religion， vandalism， emotional abuse）Explanation of Above: As a prelude Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher。 Thanks！ All opinions are my own。Book: TroublemakerAuthor: John ChoBook Series: StandaloneRating: 5/5Diversity: Korean MC and characters， Black side charactersRecommended For。。。: middle grade readers， historical fiction， LA riots， police brutality， 1990sPublication Date: March 22， 2022Genre: MG Historical FictionAge Relevance: 10+ （violence， racism， police brutality， gore， religion， vandalism， emotional abuse）Explanation of Above: As a prelude I want to say that this book is not graphic at all， but I do want to address some of the things that are shown in the book in case parents are restricting what their children are reading。 There is a lot of violence mentioned in this book including gun violence。 Along with this are police brutality and vandalism， which is also shown in the book。 There is one scene where our MC is in a physical fight with his friend and some slight gore is shown with blood。 Racism is discussed a bit in the book and there are mentions to religion including prayer and church。 There is also a scene where a parent yells at their child that they are the “biggest disappointment” which causes a little bit of emotional damage to the child。Publisher: Little， Brown Books for Young ReadersPages: 224Synopsis: 12-year-old Jordan feels like he can't live up to the example his older sister set， or his parent's expectations。 When he returns home from school one day hoping to hide his suspension， Los Angeles has reached a turning point。 In the wake of the acquittal of the police officers filmed beating Rodney King， as well as the shooting of a young black teen， Latasha Harlins by a Korean store owner， the country is at the precipice of confronting its racist past and present。 As tensions escalate， Jordan's father leaves to check on the family store， spurring Jordan and his friends to embark on a dangerous journey to come to his aide， and come to terms with the racism within and affecting their community。Review: I really loved this book！ I’m very excited that more books， especially younger set ones， are discussing police brutality and the issues around racism。 The book is set in the 90s during the LA riots and I loved viewing the book through the eyes of a Korean child who is just trying to prove himself to his father。 The book is NOT graphic at all and it does an excellent job at showing what happened to Koreatown during the LA riots through the perspective of a child。 The book has well developed characters and the world building is also well done。 The book is amazingly well detailed and if you were a fan of I’m Not Dying With You Tonight or The Black Kids， you’ll love this book。The only issue I had with the book is that it’s a bit quick and short。 I’d love to see more of the aftermath of what happened and how the community came back together afterward。Verdict: It’s really well done！ Highly recommend！ 。。。more
The Litt Librarian
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Read the full riveting review over at The Litt Librarian！ https://thelittlibrarian。wixsite。com/。。。Cho gives us a historical fiction novel about the 1992 L。A。 Riots from a 12-year old perspective in his debut efforts。 What I liked about Troublemaker was the abundance of information that was given。 While I can tell Cho held on to the more aggressive information about the riots， it was still informative enough to teach kids how history repeats itself。 I appreciate the viewpoints the character gave Read the full riveting review over at The Litt Librarian！ https://thelittlibrarian。wixsite。com/。。。Cho gives us a historical fiction novel about the 1992 L。A。 Riots from a 12-year old perspective in his debut efforts。 What I liked about Troublemaker was the abundance of information that was given。 While I can tell Cho held on to the more aggressive information about the riots， it was still informative enough to teach kids how history repeats itself。 I appreciate the viewpoints the character gave as a Korean American。 Anything dealing with race， we always hear the affected group speaking out against the quality of injustice。 Rarely do we hear the opinions of others who are also in the thick of it。On a lighter note， I love the trend of parents having a sit down with their kids and having a mature conversation about situations。 I think it's essential to showcase these conversations because it promotes healthy communication between people。Overall I rated this book 5-stars。 This is a tremendous middle-grade debut that should be on shelves everywhere。 The topics weren't too heavy， and the story flowed quickly。 You will become enthralled by the main character's mission to get to his father during the riots and while navigating social justice， Korean American identity， and the horrors of the L。A。 Riots。 。。。more
Laura Mauro
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I though this was a super engaging read。 It also talked about a time period and experiecne that i never heard about it before。 It also deals with typical middle school issues like family drama and friendship drama but it takes place in the backdrop of the rodney king riots and the experiecne of being korean american。 It also has elements that deal with gun violence and other harder topics。 It was super fast pace read！！！ But i really enjoyed it！
nihaarika
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4。5 stars what a lovely read！ rtc
Amie
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Troublemaker by John Cho is a unique Korean-American perspective of the Rodney King verdict and subsequent LA Riots in the 1990s。 The book is fast paced and just descriptive enough to not be too triggering。 It would be a great novel to read in a history or civics class because it can spur a lot of conversation around police violence， social justice， immigrant experiences， and systemic racism in America。 CW: violence， racism， gun possessionAdvanced copy provided courtesy of the publisher in excha Troublemaker by John Cho is a unique Korean-American perspective of the Rodney King verdict and subsequent LA Riots in the 1990s。 The book is fast paced and just descriptive enough to not be too triggering。 It would be a great novel to read in a history or civics class because it can spur a lot of conversation around police violence， social justice， immigrant experiences， and systemic racism in America。 CW: violence， racism， gun possessionAdvanced copy provided courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Christine Piepmeier
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This middle grades book takes places in 1992 in LA during the Rodney King riots。 Jordan is a Korean kid who feels like he can never live up to his dad's expectations。 However， he still loves his dad， and is worried about him after his dad leaves to go board up their shop。 Jordan sets out with his friend Mike to go help his dad。 This book is great。 It deals with racism and so many important issues so well。 I found it easy to read， and the characters had great growth。 Definitely recommend！！I recei This middle grades book takes places in 1992 in LA during the Rodney King riots。 Jordan is a Korean kid who feels like he can never live up to his dad's expectations。 However， he still loves his dad， and is worried about him after his dad leaves to go board up their shop。 Jordan sets out with his friend Mike to go help his dad。 This book is great。 It deals with racism and so many important issues so well。 I found it easy to read， and the characters had great growth。 Definitely recommend！！I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
James
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this book is great 。 here is an amazon link to it if you want check out https://amzn。to/3pwZKLr this book is great 。 here is an amazon link to it if you want check out https://amzn。to/3pwZKLr 。。。more
Andrew Eder
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It was good。 Pretty standard middle grade story。 Predictable， challenges with siblings / family expectations， figuring yourself out， etc…。The action of the story jumped right in without really building an appreciation for the main character。 I felt like I was given facts about Jordan and then BOOM ACTION。 So I never really got attached to him nor cared much for his redemption。 The story was also very simple and basic。 There was some content like guns， killings， riots， etc… that are more appropri It was good。 Pretty standard middle grade story。 Predictable， challenges with siblings / family expectations， figuring yourself out， etc…。The action of the story jumped right in without really building an appreciation for the main character。 I felt like I was given facts about Jordan and then BOOM ACTION。 So I never really got attached to him nor cared much for his redemption。 The story was also very simple and basic。 There was some content like guns， killings， riots， etc… that are more appropriate for middle school， but the storyline and the vocabulary used in the story was more upper elementary。 I would recommend this to anyone who liked fast paced almost dangerous stories who are struggling readers。 。。。more
Cathy
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This adult did not get misty eyed when reading Troublemaker， seeing a similar immigrant experience being shared。It was not at all bittersweet feeling a one two punch and witnessing dreams deferred （father giving up reading/writing （Korean） poetry） or children stepping up and out of projected identities （the smart one， the good one， the one that behaves， the troublemaker）。There’s a lot to unpack with The Big Fight: expectations， sacrifice， going the right direction when everything is unknown， wan This adult did not get misty eyed when reading Troublemaker， seeing a similar immigrant experience being shared。It was not at all bittersweet feeling a one two punch and witnessing dreams deferred （father giving up reading/writing （Korean） poetry） or children stepping up and out of projected identities （the smart one， the good one， the one that behaves， the troublemaker）。There’s a lot to unpack with The Big Fight: expectations， sacrifice， going the right direction when everything is unknown， wanting to do better， gendered roles and the need to be strong/in charge/independent。Yes， there is a gun， but it’s kept in a case and zipped within a backpack， left behind on a truck， and never unloads。 Rather， what does unload are the things unsaid: is America the right place to live out a dream？ “I think， wow。 I brought my kids here。 I thought I could give them everything。 But what is really here for me to give？”Racism。 Putting people of color against one another。 “Protecting” wealthy communities while letting others burn。 Senseless death。 Let’s keep sharing the history， folks。Kudos to Cho for this first middle grade novel and to co-writer Sarah Suk who has her own work forthcoming。Thanks to Edelweiss and NetGalley for the digital ARC。 。。。more
Allison
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I really enjoyed this book- it balances some weighty themes with a briskly-paced plot in a way that really works for its target audience。 It's a thought-provoking page-turner with a relatable main character。 Set at the start of the 1992 Los Angeles riots that ensued after the Rodney King verdict， the story gives us the perspective of a Korean-American middle schooler and delves into issues like systemic racism， justice （and injustice）， and the challenges faced by immigrant families-- all while t I really enjoyed this book- it balances some weighty themes with a briskly-paced plot in a way that really works for its target audience。 It's a thought-provoking page-turner with a relatable main character。 Set at the start of the 1992 Los Angeles riots that ensued after the Rodney King verdict， the story gives us the perspective of a Korean-American middle schooler and delves into issues like systemic racism， justice （and injustice）， and the challenges faced by immigrant families-- all while the main character is on an action-packed trek across the city to help his dad protect the family's store。 The story gives the reader a lot to think about， and John Cho's author's poignant note provides additional matter for discussion as he points out that many of the conflicts in 1992 are still around today。 I really appreciate that he decided to tell this story。 On a personal note， as a late Gen-X'er， I would like to lodge a COMPLAINT that 1992 is now considered historical fiction。 ;） But in all seriousness， the '90s setting was well done- it was subtle， but I enjoyed the parts of the plot where characters had to jump through a lot of hoops to make a call on a pay phone， find information， or even find each other。 It was ROUGH back then， kids！ 。。。more
Shannon Hunt
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This had great pacing， characters， & “lessons”。 **Important to note， however: the entire plot is about a kid who’s hiding a gun in his backpack on a mission to his father’s convenience store during the LA riots in order to provide him protection from looting。 Not a light subject or for super young readers。
Ms。 Yingling
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ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusIt's 1992， and Jordan has had some trouble in school recently。 Having come from Korea， he and his family run a convenience store， and his older sister Sarah excels at school。 His Umma， Appa， and Harabeoji （mother， father and grandfather）， have high expectations for him as well， but he keeps messing up。 He's just been suspended from school for cheating on a Spanish quiz （after a long line of similar instances）， he is friends with some kids who are often in trouble， a ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusIt's 1992， and Jordan has had some trouble in school recently。 Having come from Korea， he and his family run a convenience store， and his older sister Sarah excels at school。 His Umma， Appa， and Harabeoji （mother， father and grandfather）， have high expectations for him as well， but he keeps messing up。 He's just been suspended from school for cheating on a Spanish quiz （after a long line of similar instances）， he is friends with some kids who are often in trouble， and he's had a nasty fight with his father， who is now avoiding him。 When he comes home from school and finds Umma at home， he's worried。 There are riots in LA because of the Rodney King verdict， and the family store is far too close to where this is happening。 Umma says not to worry， but Jordan is afraid for his father， especially since he doesn't have a gun。 The recent shooting of a young girl， Latasha Harlins， by a Korean store owner has caused his father to lock up the weapon at home and tell Jordan not to touch it。 Jordan decides that the way to mend things with Appa is to take the gun to the store for him。 He doesn't tell Umma， but gets a ride from a friend。 It's not a great time to be out， at night， with riots happening nearby， and Jordan and his friends don't make the best choices。 Will he be able to get to his father before something terrible happens？A close knit， supportive family like Jordan's is always good to see， and his relationship with his sister is especially charming。 Even though he makes bad choices， he doesn't want to disappoint anyone， but doesn't understand how worried about him Sarah is。 She feels it is her responsiblity to keep him safe， something her parents have inculcated in her from a young age。 Jordan's fight with his father， and the lingering silence and resentment， along with bad feelings， is something many middle grade readers will relate to。 The history of almost thirty years ago is especially poignant set against the continuing racial problems the US is facing。 The Rodney King beating and its ramifications has come up in the news over the past two years after George Floyd's death， so young readers might have some passing knowledge of it and appreciate seeing how circumstances were different in 1992。。。 and how they have regretfully stayed the same。 There have been a growing number of excellent books by authors of Asian descent about different facets of the Asian American experience likeYang's Front Desk， but it's good to see more books specifically about the Korean American experience， such as Kim's Stand Up， Yumi Chung， Yun's Pippa Park Raises Her Game， Park's Prarie Lotus， and Ahn's Krista Kim-Bap。 Readers who enjoy recent historical books or have an interest in racial justice will find Troublemaker an intriguing title。 I would have liked to see more decade specific details about daily life， and more information about the historical event of the Rodney King beating and its fallout would help young readers who didn't live through this time period。 Jordan's misbehavior didn't seem to have much of a reason behind it， and his motivation to take the gun to his father didn't quite click。 This was a perfectly serviceable novel， but I had higher hopes for the setting and topic。 。。。more
Mandy
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My forever crush John Cho is writing a middle grade novel！？！？！ INSTANT ADD。
A Lil' Bit
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