A brush with magic

Gr 3--7--When their parents get stuck home in California with an urgent work project, 12-year-old Yumi and 16-year-old Minji are sent to Seoul for a summer break with their widowed grandfather. That Minji immediately chooses to spend time with their cousins without Yumi understandably leaves Yumi--who's always tried to emulate perfect Minji--feeling abandoned. Even their kind grandfather with his painting and fairy tales can't alleviate her loneliness. When Yumi buys an elaborate ink brush at a local art store, she's shocked to discover it comes with its own dokkaebi--mythical goblin. Dodo, as Yumi names her, makes paintings come to life. She's also a boisterous tour guide… until her enthusiasm spins out of control. Biracial Korean American actor Bell's bilingual fluency is notably appreciated as Yumi and Dodo explore Seoul's many must-do destinations. VERDICT Bell turns contemporary magical realism into convincing multicultural exploration.

A California girl makes an unexpected friend during a summer abroad visiting relatives in Seoul. Twelve-year-old Yumi is taking her first trip to South Korea, her parents' homeland, along with her 16-year-old sister, Minji. Yumi hopes the trip will help the sisters be close again, but she soon feels left out when Minji leaves her behind to explore with their teenage cousins. Forlorn, Yumi spends her days with Harabujee, her beloved grandfather, who teaches her brush painting, tells her Korean fairy tales, and shares old memories of Yumi's mom's childhood. One day, Yumi goes to a neighborhood art store, where she finds an unusually beautiful brush. But when she brings it home and tries to paint with it, a dokkaebi, or Korean goblin, emerges. At first it seems that Dodo, the goblin, will alleviate Yumi's loneliness. She shape-shifts into Yumi's look-alike, makes paintings come to life, and leads her on adventures through the city. But Dodo's erratic behavior soon has Yumi wondering whether she can trust her, while simultaneously allowing her insights into Minji's own feelings about growing up. Apt details of contemporary Korean life are woven naturally throughout the narrative, and the well-rounded characters are welcome representations of the diversity of modern-day Korean youth. Fantastical elements are seamlessly woven into this engaging, entertaining story. Park's charming brush painting--style spot art adorns the text. A universal coming-of-age tale becomes extraordinary through an encounter with Korean folk magic.(Adventure. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Yumi dropped the brush--but instead of landing on the table, it floated in the air. She pushed her chair back and stood up to get away from it. What was happening? A big ink droplet dangled from the tip of the brush. Yumi watched as the droplet grew bigger and bigger until it was almost the same size as her. Then, with a loud pop, the droplet burst, and there in front of her stood a terrifying creature. Its skin was blue and armored like a rhinoceros and it was tall enough to tower over her and some of the smaller trees in the courtyard. Its face was gruesome but familiar--like one of the ghoulish figures on the brush handle. And to top it all off, it had small horns and sharp teeth that it flashed with a sneer. Yumi took a step back and screamed. The creature raised up its hands and screamed back. Excerpted from A Brush with Magic by Flora Ahn All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.