Pippa Park Raises Her Game
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- Create Date：2021-04-10 11:51:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Erin Yun
- ISBN：1944020284
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Summary
A Contemporary Reimagining of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens for Middle Graders
Life is full of great expectations for Korean American Pippa Park。 It seems like everyone， from her family to the other kids at school， has a plan for how her life should look。 So when Pippa gets a mysterious basketball scholarship to Lakeview Private， she jumps at the chance to reinvent herself by following the “Rules of Cool。”
At Lakeview， Pippa juggles old and new friends， an unrequited crush， and the pressure to perform academically and athletically while keeping her past and her family’s laundromat a secret from her elite new classmates。 But when Pippa begins to receive a string of hateful， anonymous messages via social media， her carefully built persona is threatened。
As things begin to spiral out of control， Pippa discovers the real reason she was admitted to Lakeview and wonders if she can keep her old and new lives separate， or if she should even try。
Bonus Content
Discussion Questions， Author Q&A， and Korean Language Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
Life is full of great expectations for Korean American Pippa Park。 It seems like everyone， from her family to the other kids at school， has a plan for how her life should look。 So when Pippa gets a mysterious basketball scholarship to Lakeview Private， she jumps at the chance to reinvent herself by following the “Rules of Cool。”
At Lakeview， Pippa juggles old and new friends， an unrequited crush， and the pressure to perform academically and athletically while keeping her past and her family’s laundromat a secret from her elite new classmates。 But when Pippa begins to receive a string of hateful， anonymous messages via social media， her carefully built persona is threatened。
As things begin to spiral out of control， Pippa discovers the real reason she was admitted to Lakeview and wonders if she can keep her old and new lives separate， or if she should even try。
Bonus Content
Discussion Questions， Author Q&A， and Korean Language Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
Reviews
Afentra Allen
，
Pippa Park Raises Her GametPippa Park is Korean。 She lives with her sister and her husband。 Everything changes in her life when she goes to a private school。 Now Pippa is changing her ways to fit in and roll along with the “rules of cool”。 Whether it’s trying to be cool around the popular girls， trying not to embarrass herself in front of the boy she likes， keeping her previous life a secret， and making things better between her best friend， it seems like the world is upside down， especially aft Pippa Park Raises Her GametPippa Park is Korean。 She lives with her sister and her husband。 Everything changes in her life when she goes to a private school。 Now Pippa is changing her ways to fit in and roll along with the “rules of cool”。 Whether it’s trying to be cool around the popular girls， trying not to embarrass herself in front of the boy she likes， keeping her previous life a secret， and making things better between her best friend， it seems like the world is upside down， especially after her mom is in a car crash。 tThis book shows who real and fake friends are。 By Erin Yun， Pippa Park Raises her Game is a book that tells young people of the friendships you will make and how to keep them。 。。。more
Emmie Must
，
Oh no！ I was looking for a cute romance and didn't find any of that， but it was okay， just okay。 I little Dark for a middle grade read though Oh no！ I was looking for a cute romance and didn't find any of that， but it was okay， just okay。 I little Dark for a middle grade read though 。。。more
Olpark27
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kind of fun
Annie
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I loved this book。 The characters were so relatable and well portrayed。 The plot was good and made you want to keep reading。 Pippa was such a fun character and you learned to love her， but also had to take the ride with her as she learned her lessons throughout the book。
Vivienne
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Best book this year and a very fun read with ups and downs throughout the story！
aem
，
A spoiled & selfish Korean American girl tries to reinvent herself when she receives an athletic scholarship to a private school。。。 She eventually matures and realizes how lucky she is to have family who care about her and true friendship。
Arifah
，
Nice book， I thought it will be super cheesy and cringe but the execution of this book is fun。 I like how the main character is normal girl with some flaws here and there， she is not super likable but at the same time， I found her relatable。 I also think the book is really spot on， when you start becoming teenager， one of the main issues is how you want to fit in， but at the end， what really matters is find your own crowd where they really care for who you are。
Bekka
，
My girls wanted a lighter read than some of our recent ones。 This was a good book， not too Dork Diaries for me， and just enough middle school melodramatics for us all。 It’s a reimagined “Great Expectations” with a little glimpse into another culture as well as the world of private schools。 It facilitated some good convos about being yourself， and by the end we couldn’t help but cheer for Pippa Park。
Ellie
，
I really liked this book！ I loved how it was about a girl in 7th grade just like me！ I think the story line was very interesting， and I quickly fell into it。 I had a hard time putting this book down！ I reccomend this to everyone especially young girls！
Steph L
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Title: Pippa Park Raises Her GameAuthor: Erin YunGenre: Middle GradeRating: 5 stars （*****）I grabbed this book as a read on Edelweiss + because I wanted to read E-Arcs。 I was drawn to the title of this book， and that it seemed like it would be a fun read。 I have not read many books with athletes， especially sports playing such a big part in the story。 Overall， I enjoyed reading this book and learning about Pippa。 The plot of this story was something that took me by surprise。 I’m not really a spo Title: Pippa Park Raises Her GameAuthor: Erin YunGenre: Middle GradeRating: 5 stars （*****）I grabbed this book as a read on Edelweiss + because I wanted to read E-Arcs。 I was drawn to the title of this book， and that it seemed like it would be a fun read。 I have not read many books with athletes， especially sports playing such a big part in the story。 Overall， I enjoyed reading this book and learning about Pippa。 The plot of this story was something that took me by surprise。 I’m not really a sports person， so I read this on a whim。 What I found early on was that this was not just a story about a basketball player， this was a story about growth， change， finding yourself， and finding who your loyal friends are。 The other themes of this book were family， earning money， and grief。 I loved these themes because I feel like not only middle-grade readers， but anyone can relate to this book。 The book opens with Pippa at one school， and then she moves schools to play for the Basketball team， I loved this because it showed that Pippa was growing both as an athlete， and as a person。 Pippa lived with her sister- and brother-in-law， as her mother was back home in Korea。 In the novel， we find out that Pippa’s mom is sick after a car accident， and Pippa learns that she must grieve on her own without being able to see her mother because she has school。 Not to spoil the book， but the subplot of the book involves a group called the royals; and how they treat Pippa from when they meet her， to the end of the book。 Another thing I loved about this book is that it taught kids that from a young age， you can earn your own money because Pippa works at her sister’s laundry mat。 The characters in this story are memorable and well developed。 With any book， including books of this genre， we want to find characters who are real， and we want to find something we can relate to， so we can find a connection with them。 What Erin Yun does expertly in this book is keeping the characters real， and anyone， no matter what their age， will find something that they can relate to in the book。 The other thing about these characters is that they’re flawed， and their flaws take center stage as the story progresses。 I cared about Pippa， and I wanted to see how she would grow from the beginning to the end of the novel。 Pippa’s friends Helen and Buddy are also memorable side characters。 When writing a book for a middle grade that deals with heavy themes such as this one， the writing needs to be easy to understand， and still fit the story。 Erin Yun does a wonderful job of balancing， making the story easy for middle schoolers to understand， while still keeping in mind the story happening in the novel。 I enjoyed this book， and the writing was one highlight for me。 This book has themes that not only middle schoolers but anyone could learn from and enjoy。 。。。more
Ella
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Three words， Best Book Ever！！！！
Mervin Wilson
，
In the book， Pippa tries to balance her grades， basketball， new friends， and her job at the family laundromat but runs into trouble as she tries to juggle it all and hide parts of herself （being Korean and working at the laundromat） from her new friends at school。 When she is bullied for these secrets， Pippa turns to Jung-Hwa her brother-in-law and friends for help and learns a lot about being herself。 It is a good book for kids who are involved in a lot of things at school。 It lets them know th In the book， Pippa tries to balance her grades， basketball， new friends， and her job at the family laundromat but runs into trouble as she tries to juggle it all and hide parts of herself （being Korean and working at the laundromat） from her new friends at school。 When she is bullied for these secrets， Pippa turns to Jung-Hwa her brother-in-law and friends for help and learns a lot about being herself。 It is a good book for kids who are involved in a lot of things at school。 It lets them know that they are not alone in the balancing act。 。。。more
Mary
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Meh？ Not my favorite middle grade of the year。 The main character， Pippa felt a little flat to me。 She didn’t seem to have any agency of her own， and I didn’t care for her at all through the book。 I only made it to page 150， and then skimmed the rest。 I think some of my students will love this， it just wasn’t for me。
PottWab Regional Library
，
E
Ariel
，
Pippa is a young Korean immigrant girl with a gift for basketball， a fresh， warm personality， and zero talent for math。 She lives with her sister and brother-in-law and helps out with their laundromat while her mother recuperates from cancer in Korea。 Her sister forbids her to play basketball until her math grades rise。。。until she gets recruited with a sports scholarship to the local private school。 But it all hinges on Pippa keeping up her math grades。 Pippa feels the pressure to pretend she's Pippa is a young Korean immigrant girl with a gift for basketball， a fresh， warm personality， and zero talent for math。 She lives with her sister and brother-in-law and helps out with their laundromat while her mother recuperates from cancer in Korea。 Her sister forbids her to play basketball until her math grades rise。。。until she gets recruited with a sports scholarship to the local private school。 But it all hinges on Pippa keeping up her math grades。 Pippa feels the pressure to pretend she's someone else in her new school， and that pressure leads her to do some very unwise things and alienate her old friends from public school。 She also gets involved in a family drama of the headmaster's family which is reminiscent of "Great Expectations。" The plot is a bit melodramatic but Pippa's fresh warm personality and wit bring the story to life。 The book does a good job of illustrating the peer pressures on immigrant kids and scholarship kids trying to fit into worlds where they fear they are unwelcome。 。。。more
Emily
，
Pippa is a Korean-American middle school girl living with her sister and brother in law。 Years before the book begins， her mother’s visa expired and her mother went back to South Korea， leaving Pippa to stay in America。 Pippa is a star basketball player with friends when she is offered a scholarship to play basketball at the nearby private school。 With this， the books meanders into some tired cliches of students。 However， I enjoyed the subtle discussions and observations of Korean culture and ho Pippa is a Korean-American middle school girl living with her sister and brother in law。 Years before the book begins， her mother’s visa expired and her mother went back to South Korea， leaving Pippa to stay in America。 Pippa is a star basketball player with friends when she is offered a scholarship to play basketball at the nearby private school。 With this， the books meanders into some tired cliches of students。 However， I enjoyed the subtle discussions and observations of Korean culture and how Pippa struggles to hide it to fit in。 There aren’t enough Korean voices in middle grade novels， so this was a fresh perspective that is often ignored。 There is also some “intrigue” with the cute cool guy that opens Pippa’s eyes to the idea that she stereotyped people as well。 6/7th graders would enjoy。 。。。more
Danielle Booey
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Apparently this is a reimagining of Great Expectations， which I had no idea of until I came onto this website to review the book。 Although now that I think about it， that's makes a lot of sense and also points out how not familiar I am with the source material haha。In this version Pippa Park is a great basketball player with dismal grades in math。 She lives with her sister Mina and her brother-in-law Jung-Hwa because her mother couldn't get another work visa and had to go back to South Korea。Aft Apparently this is a reimagining of Great Expectations， which I had no idea of until I came onto this website to review the book。 Although now that I think about it， that's makes a lot of sense and also points out how not familiar I am with the source material haha。In this version Pippa Park is a great basketball player with dismal grades in math。 She lives with her sister Mina and her brother-in-law Jung-Hwa because her mother couldn't get another work visa and had to go back to South Korea。After a chance encounter gives Pippa a chance to attend a prestigious private school and completely reinvent herself， she decides to follow the rules of being "cool" from a Teen Magazine and not give her new classmates all the details of her life。 She might get to sit with the "Royals" at lunch， but she has a cyber bully attempting to out her real life to her classmates， a sick mother， a best friend that won't talk to her， and a math grade that isn't getting any better。Contains a fairly typical and cringe-worthy crush on a classmate that bored me， but other parts of the book are so wholesome and cute。 Like Pippa's relationship with Jung-Hwe and his words of wisdom when her house of lies come tumbling down。 。。。more
Kathy
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A cute middle grade story
Danielle
，
I haven't read Great Expectations in years， so it was nice to recognize some of the original characters but not totally expect the plot to be the same。 This was so frustrating at points for good reasons - it really highlighted how kids in poverty are held to different standards than their wealthier peers， and how it's so easy to fall behind when so many factors are stacked against you。 Having Pippa and her family be Korean American instead of the default white was also a really great change that I haven't read Great Expectations in years， so it was nice to recognize some of the original characters but not totally expect the plot to be the same。 This was so frustrating at points for good reasons - it really highlighted how kids in poverty are held to different standards than their wealthier peers， and how it's so easy to fall behind when so many factors are stacked against you。 Having Pippa and her family be Korean American instead of the default white was also a really great change that gave more depth to the story。 。。。more
Ron
，
This is the story of Pippa Park who is a middle school， Korean girl living with her sister and brother-in-law。 She is very good at basketball and goes to a public school。 She gets a scholarship offer to go to the prep school to play basketball if she can keep her grades up。 She doesn't know who got her the scholarship and she struggles to fit in as a scholarship student at a very rich prep school。 She gets herself int trouble with both old and new friends。 Her journey through this makes for a ve This is the story of Pippa Park who is a middle school， Korean girl living with her sister and brother-in-law。 She is very good at basketball and goes to a public school。 She gets a scholarship offer to go to the prep school to play basketball if she can keep her grades up。 She doesn't know who got her the scholarship and she struggles to fit in as a scholarship student at a very rich prep school。 She gets herself int trouble with both old and new friends。 Her journey through this makes for a very good read。 。。。more
Hope Lee
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really liked this book。 Though I have never been to a public school where the people there look down on public schools， I can relate to being Korean。 I love korean foods， and I don’t really like math， and the stereotype about Asians “needing” to be good at math really gets under my skin。
Crystal
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Review Copy: Digital ARC via EdelweissI'm not a sports fan so realistic sports novels aren't usually my first pick。 I have to admit sports are a bit of a reading gap for me。 Many times though， the stories are great and I end up wondering why I don't read more of them。 Pippa Park is one of those books。 Basketball isn't why I picked it up， but it also didn't make me stop reading。 When a character is passionate and enthusiastic about any one thing， it makes me want to stick with them and see where Review Copy: Digital ARC via EdelweissI'm not a sports fan so realistic sports novels aren't usually my first pick。 I have to admit sports are a bit of a reading gap for me。 Many times though， the stories are great and I end up wondering why I don't read more of them。 Pippa Park is one of those books。 Basketball isn't why I picked it up， but it also didn't make me stop reading。 When a character is passionate and enthusiastic about any one thing， it makes me want to stick with them and see where they go with it。 Pippa runs into many roadblocks， but she does not stop pursuing her dreams。Strangely enough， I didn't go into this knowing about the Great Expectations connection。 That let me see that even if readers are unfamiliar （I imagine not many middle grade readers are）， they will still be able to follow and enjoy the story。 For those who do know the original， there may be times when things are obviously echoing the first telling of the story starting right off with her name and economic challenges。Many readers will likely be able to empathize with Pippa as she bends over backwards trying to keep up appearances and trying to fit in at her new school。 They will also have opportunities for laughter even as Pippa does her balancing act between academics， basketball， working at the laundromat， making and maintaining friendships， and basically trying to remake herself。It's a cute and fun read about a girl trying to figure out how to fit in and be herself in both her school and her family。 She doesn't want to let down her family， but their wishes for her don't always match Pippa's dreams。 Added to typical issues of growing up are the specific issues that come up for immigrants。Recommendation: If you're looking for more sports related realistic fiction with a dash of comedy， this would be a great pick。 Pippa is charming and the story is entertaining and just unique enough to keep readers flipping the pages。 This will do especially well with fans of K-dramas and K-Pop though some of the references are a little dated。 Quite a few of the shows and music mentioned were popular just after current middle schoolers were born。 I believe fans will still be excited to see mention of Korean media even if they may not know the specific titles。 。。。more
Carol
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Girl book。 MC is grade 7， but seems older， dealing with private school peer pressure。 Korean identity less important than poverty identity。 Basketball
Angeline Ma
，
"For the first time in the whole semester， I didn’t feel like I was pretending。 I just felt like me: a little awkward， a little too enthusiastic， a little uncool。 But a hundred percent Pippa Park。"apparently these closing lines are the author's favorite。 they're mine， too <3 "For the first time in the whole semester， I didn’t feel like I was pretending。 I just felt like me: a little awkward， a little too enthusiastic， a little uncool。 But a hundred percent Pippa Park。"apparently these closing lines are the author's favorite。 they're mine， too <3 。。。more
Hollyn
，
Although older than the targeted audience， I cannot express the power and representation of being able to imagine yourself as the protagonist。 Too often， minority characters are relegated to the sidekick， usually just to tick the ‘diversity’ box。 Here， we see a strong， kind， capable and relatable young girl， Pippa Park， as our hero but more importantly， as our friend。 There are many Korean name droppings including TV shows， bands， and many delicious Korean dishes。 Instead of explaining to us wha Although older than the targeted audience， I cannot express the power and representation of being able to imagine yourself as the protagonist。 Too often， minority characters are relegated to the sidekick， usually just to tick the ‘diversity’ box。 Here， we see a strong， kind， capable and relatable young girl， Pippa Park， as our hero but more importantly， as our friend。 There are many Korean name droppings including TV shows， bands， and many delicious Korean dishes。 Instead of explaining to us what each and every dish is or why we should like such and such band， the author gives us the opportunity to research and further delve into Korean culture without forcing it down our throats。 Too quickly， this story could become into a giant lesson in Korean history， turning Pippa into merely an educational device。 Instead， she is a fully-fleshed our character， even if her friends are not。 Overall， an enjoyable and sweet coming-of-age story。 Younger audiences will be more forgiving of its few faults。 Pippa Park might not be remembered for her unique and adventurous story， but she will surely be remembered for normalizing Asian representation in YA literature。 That is something that I will always be onboard for。 。。。more
Ariel
，
I feel like I've seen some version of this a million times in Young Adult novels， but not in Middle Grade。 I was very excited to see what this book had to offer and I wasn't disappointed！I loved getting to know Pippa。 She made a lot of mistakes during the book and it was interesting to be inside her head to see why she did and said the things she did。 Throughout the book， she just wants to fit in and be more than she was at her old school。 I think we can all relate to that feeling of wanting to I feel like I've seen some version of this a million times in Young Adult novels， but not in Middle Grade。 I was very excited to see what this book had to offer and I wasn't disappointed！I loved getting to know Pippa。 She made a lot of mistakes during the book and it was interesting to be inside her head to see why she did and said the things she did。 Throughout the book， she just wants to fit in and be more than she was at her old school。 I think we can all relate to that feeling of wanting to fit in， no matter what our age。 It's nice to feel wanted and appreciated and missed。 I love that the author brought this into the book。I also really like all the small lessons we learn along the way。 It was great to compare some of the things young Pippa was going through with things in my life currently or in the past。 Yun did a great job of making me think， even if that wasn't her intention。Overall， this was a very enjoyable middle-grade novel that I think could be beneficial to children and adults alike。 I'll be recommending this one for those who enjoy MG。 Also， this cover is fabulous！Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。Blog | Instagram | Twitter 。。。more
Dana
，
Very cute book！！ I adored the Korean-American representation in this book。 It had genuine （and not basic） references to dramas and food。 It had celebrations of culture， while Pippa also battled with trying to fit in and hiding parts of her life。 I think it was a good and realistic balance of an immigrant trying to live the American Dream。 I thought the raw conversations in the book were very good and honest and open -- it led to her understanding the Korean harsh culture and how her family was r Very cute book！！ I adored the Korean-American representation in this book。 It had genuine （and not basic） references to dramas and food。 It had celebrations of culture， while Pippa also battled with trying to fit in and hiding parts of her life。 I think it was a good and realistic balance of an immigrant trying to live the American Dream。 I thought the raw conversations in the book were very good and honest and open -- it led to her understanding the Korean harsh culture and how her family was raising her。I also liked that it wasn't the classic story of an Asian kid who plays classical music， aces all their tests， and is striving for an Ivy league school。 I enjoyed the way it was written。In general， it addressed important things ALL middle schoolers go through - not just in an immigrant experience - about faking who you are， craving popularity， cyber bullying， taking responsibility for your actions， and rising up after you fall。Beautiful story I would encourage all older-elementary to middle school to high school kids to read。（Only qualms are that some of these middle school kids are way too nice and understanding hahaha。 Also the love interest is white and blonde and blue eyed like every other minority-interracial-love-interest。 But alas， tis our world） 。。。more
Ana Lopes
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*4。5
Jeannie
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Korean American Pippa is an excellent basketball player。 When she gets a scholarship to Lakeview， a private school she is thrilled。 But just who recommended her for the this scholarship is a mystery。 She feels the pressure of balancing new and old friends and nealy loses both。 Accepted by the queen bees of the in-crowd she desparatedly tries to hie her humble background。 Her family runs a laudromat and she is on scholarship。 Mean， hateful， threatening text messages arrive and she neaaerly crumbl Korean American Pippa is an excellent basketball player。 When she gets a scholarship to Lakeview， a private school she is thrilled。 But just who recommended her for the this scholarship is a mystery。 She feels the pressure of balancing new and old friends and nealy loses both。 Accepted by the queen bees of the in-crowd she desparatedly tries to hie her humble background。 Her family runs a laudromat and she is on scholarship。 Mean， hateful， threatening text messages arrive and she neaaerly crumbles。 this is a wll written story and the discrimination is well handled。 Readers will learn a few lessons here！ 。。。more
Gisselle
，