Good Enough

Patty's immigrant parents expect her to be a “P.K.D” (perfect Korean daughter), which means that between AP classes, violin, church and Ivy League applications, Patty gets little time—and less encouragement—to figure out what she wants for herself. When she develops a crush on a new boy and forms a friendship with him, her romantic feelings go unrequited but he does show her to think more broadly, encouraging her to take her violin teacher's advice and apply to Juilliard (her parents insist there is “no security in music”). While Patty is full-out nerdy, she has a great sense of humor, shown through interludes in which she posits her dilemmas as SAT questions or lists “how not to be a P.K.D.”: “Instead of translating Vergil's Aeneid you spend two hours talking on the phone with Susan about how cute Ben is.” Yoo (The Sammy Lee Story ) writes with particular fluency of Patty's love of music. Readers will appreciate, too, that the author does not demonize Patty's high-pressure parents: they may bark “HarvardYalePrinceton ” at her but their love is never in doubt. An overneat ending doesn't significantly detract from a funny story that will hit home for many readers. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)