A Soundtrack for This YA book Should Include K-pop's The Rose Singing "Alive"
This YA novel has all the makings for a fun tale with just the right amount of teen frustration with parents and a dash of Mark Twain's 'The Prince and The Pauper' since two young characters in New York have the same Korean name. In this case, however, it's more than two different socio-economic backgrounds because there's the potential for mutual attraction. Adding to the sense of adventure, both teens sense that they will feel more alive when they are outside the grips of their parents.
A strong point about Susan Lee’s YA novel THE NAME DROP is the realistic interaction between the eighteen-year-old characters and their parents. Jessica is a Southern California girl with parents that seem to still treat her like a fourth grader, reminding her to say thank you to flight attendants on her flight to New York. However, they also seem very concerned about finances, providing awkward advice like rolling up toilet paper from the bathrooms of her summer internship office to take home for bathroom supplies. Yet even as Jessica assures her mother and father that they have trained her and prepared her to act as they want, she can hardly wait to get away from them and enjoy the change. She wants so much change that her plans include legally changing her name which is still Yoo-Jin Lee on her driver's license.
Conversely, Elijah, whose father is a corporate VIP, is dreading his summer internship in executive training. He has arrived with his Korean passport in a Prada backpack. It is clear that his family is not concerned about pinching pennies; as their chauffeur pulls up to the curb, Elijah’s mother talks about going to The Met to catch the latest “hot new show.” Her other big concern is that her son might not have brunch at Balthazar, a top French restaurant. This helicopter parenting with nonstop work to force Elijah into a mold that will make them the envy of other Korean parents back home that has sapped the happiness right out of Elijah’s life.
The only problem readers will have? Waiting until mid September when this book goes on sale!
A strong point about Susan Lee’s YA novel THE NAME DROP is the realistic interaction between the eighteen-year-old characters and their parents. Jessica is a Southern California girl with parents that seem to still treat her like a fourth grader, reminding her to say thank you to flight attendants on her flight to New York. However, they also seem very concerned about finances, providing awkward advice like rolling up toilet paper from the bathrooms of her summer internship office to take home for bathroom supplies. Yet even as Jessica assures her mother and father that they have trained her and prepared her to act as they want, she can hardly wait to get away from them and enjoy the change. She wants so much change that her plans include legally changing her name which is still Yoo-Jin Lee on her driver's license.
Conversely, Elijah, whose father is a corporate VIP, is dreading his summer internship in executive training. He has arrived with his Korean passport in a Prada backpack. It is clear that his family is not concerned about pinching pennies; as their chauffeur pulls up to the curb, Elijah’s mother talks about going to The Met to catch the latest “hot new show.” Her other big concern is that her son might not have brunch at Balthazar, a top French restaurant. This helicopter parenting with nonstop work to force Elijah into a mold that will make them the envy of other Korean parents back home that has sapped the happiness right out of Elijah’s life.
The only problem readers will have? Waiting until mid September when this book goes on sale!