The Noh Family

Gr 9 Up–Korean-American Chloe Chang and her two best friends, Hazel and Seb, have just graduated from their Oklahoma high school, but while they are off to USC and UCLA, Chloe has only community college to look forward to, despite her acceptance to FIT. Chloe’s mom is a nurse, and her dad died before she was born, just after they emigrated from Korea. When a cousin contacts Chloe through 23andMe, she’s ecstatic to connect with her dad’s side of the family, despite her mom’s wishes; she flies to Korea to meet them and discovers that they are chaebol (high society). Her life turns into a real-life K-drama, complete with a fortune-teller, facials, and fashion shows, but as much as Chloe wants to be part of the Noh family, she is afraid she’ll never fit in. Her cousin’s behavior doesn’t match the messages he sent on 23andMe (savvy readers might suspect their true author before Chloe does), and her halmoni (grandmother) wants her to be a liver donor for her uncle, but won’t let her meet him. Chloe is determined to learn more about her dad, despite red flags indicating the Noh family’s acceptance of her is conditional. The drama comes to a head at a dinner party followed by a hasty exit; an epilogue provides a satisfying conclusion.