Underrated Books Part 4

 Well, what do you think? More book I barely see anyone online talk about that need more love! 

Three of these I read this year and one I read last year. There will be links to full reviews and to the authors' websites too, if applicable.

1. Flip the Script by Lyla Lee. Hana is a Korean-American teenage actress who lives in South Korea. She gets to be the lead role in a new K-Drama, and she gets to act alongside Bryan, who is a popular teenage K Pop star. He plays the love interest in the story. However, the initial ratings for the show don't look so good, and the company president wants them to fake date, thinking it will boost ratings. They're reluctant at first, but Hana and Bryan agree to it. Eventually, things get more complicated when the director decides to add a love triangle to the K Drama, and the other love interest gets played by none other than veteran K-Drama actress Minjee. Minjee is also Hana's best friend, and Hana has secretly had a crush on her for a long time. Hana, Minjee, and Bryan are all queer (Hana and Minjee are bi, Bryan is pan), and they all want to pursue their own love lives, but they are worried how it will affect the K Drama they're filming. So content warning for some queerphobia, but everything is handled well and of course it has a happy ending. Read this if you want a small look into the K-Drama industry and a small look into some experiences on being queer in South Korea! Full review by me here. 

2. Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa. Sentaro is an ex-convict who is paying off debt he owns by working at a small dorayaki shop. One day an elderly woman with crooked fingers named Tokue stops by the shop and notices the "Now Hiring" sign. She asks Sentaro if she can work there. Sentaro is skeptical at first, but when Tokue shows him her own sweet bean paste recipe, he likes it a lot, and hires her. Pretty soon business is booming for the little shop thanks to Tokue. They even become friends with a teenage girl named Wakana, who stops by the shop frequently since she doesn't have the best life at home. Unfortunately, Sentaro is forced by his boss (the shop owner) to fire Tokue when she finds out Tokue had leprosy, and even though Tokue is cured, she is afraid that the disease will spread from the shop. Sentaro and Wakana still go to visit Tokue and her friends at the sanatorium she lives in, and they learn more about Tokue herself, what it is like living with leprosy, and other things about life. This was such a heartfelt and beautiful piece of literary fiction! I recommend it if you need a pick-me-up kind of book. Full review by me here.

3. The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo. This book is historical fiction with a French-inspired setting. Peter is an orphan and is living and training to be a soldier with an elderly soldier named Vilnia Lutz. Peter does not have the best life with him. One day while he is supposed to be shopping for food, he instead gets a reading from a fortune teller telling him that his sister Adele is actually still alive and an elephant will bring them together. Peter wonders how that can happen, since he's never seen an elephant in the city before. At the same time a magician has a magic show, and he accidentally summons an elephant for one of his acts. The elephant lands on a noblewoman named Madame LaVaughn and she loses the use of her legs. The magician is then arrested and the elephant is taken in by a countess for the whole city to see. The elephant obviously is not happy about this. Peter's long lost sister Adele is living in an orphanage on the other side of town, and she keeps having recurring dreams of an elephant visiting her. If you couldn't already tell, these three separate storylines eventually come together. This is a short book but it is a very emotionally impactful one. Go read this if you want a whimsical atmosphere! It also got an animated movie adaptation earlier this year. I might watch it sometime. Full review here. 

4. Ronia, the Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgren. Ronia is the daughter of a leader of a gang of thieves named Matt. She likes to play outside in the forest a lot but has no other kids her age to play with. One day while playing outside, she meets Birk, a boy her age, who is actually the son of her father's rival, Borka. Borka is the leader of another gang of thieves who live on the opposite side of the forest. Ronia and Birk start to hang out together in secret, but then their fathers catch on and a fight breaks loose over the two gangs. Matt and Borka then disown their kids, and Ronia and Birk run away to go live in a cave and try to survive off the land there and they wonder if their two clans could ever get along. Once again, it's a short book but there is so much happening! It also has an anime adaptation by Studio Ghibli (a tv series, not a movie). I might also watch it sometime. Full review here.

Let me know what you think of these books!