Frances Park

Chocolate, Chocolate is a sweet, true story about two sisters who dream of opening a chocolate store in Washington D.C. When their father dies unexpectedly just as he is about to achieve his lifelong goals, Ginger and Frances are devastated. With the small savings he leaves them they work to realize their own goal of opening a sweets stop, but it turns out to be a little harder than they expect. First they must find the perfect, jewel box storefront, but the landlord turns out to be the Evil show more Empire. Then they hire a charming, cheap, and ultimately useless contractor who swindles them. As they bravely open anyway Ginger and Frances find themselves in an all too often empty store with the shelves literally crashing to the floor around them and huge cracks appearing in the floor. But the two are determined to honor their father and, together, they believe the magic of chocolate will pull them through.

What really makes this cute little book are the characters constantly wandering in and out of Chocolate, Chocolate. It quickly becomes clear that the sisters like their customers almost as much as they like their chocolate! The endearing vignettes of the various people they meet and befriend are enough to make anyone envy the girls their profession. As Kahlua Lady, the Bulldog, and Our Girl Friday come and go Ginger and Frances rent a typewritter and begin writing their stories in between helping customers. Its a charming picture that they create and reading the book is like being invited to join in the fun. Chocolate, Chocolate is a sweet, feel good, easy read that goes down as smooth as a House Truffle! show less

I enjoyed reading the journey of a Korean family learning to adjust to America while continuing their culture. The plot was simple and easy to follow as less customers visit the food stand until the family decides to make Korean food. I liked that the characterization was multi-dimensional with curious children and wise grandparents whose views change throughout. I did not like the unrealistic Korean people illustrations. I felt they were very stereotypical. The message of this story is to show more be careful not to assimilate while you adjust to new experiences. The family business improved when they chose to sell their Korean food rather than American hot dogs. show less

In my opinion, this was a good book. It is about a Korean family who has a food cart where they sell food on the corner of a street. The Grandmother had recently moved to America and she was reluctant to accept her new surroundings. After other food carts moved closer to the corner, the family began to lose money. The grandson and grandmother had the idea of selling authentic Korean food. Once they started selling this, they began to prosper again. The language was descriptive and also had show more Korean terms dispersed throughout the book. I thought that this was very beneficial because the reader can learn about different parts of the Korean culture. The characters were well-developed; the grandmother showed reluctance, but once she felt more comfortable and had more of her Korean culture around her she began looking to the future. The illustrations enhanced the story and were appropriate. When the family started to lose business, the weather became very stormy and gloomy and, as a result, the illustrations were much darker. But as soon as they started selling the Korean food, and business began to prosper, the weather improved and the illustrations became brighter. Thus, the illustrations effectively reflected the mood of the story. The big idea of this book was that it is important to incorporate ones culture throughout different aspects of ones life. show less

"My Freedom Trip" is both a heart-breaking and insightful look into the human aspect of the Korean divide from the eyes of a young girl whose family was separated by the circumstances of the war.
The reader is put right there with little Soo, witnessing the bravery of her father, mother, and the guide who helped her cross the border, and feel the sacrifice and yearning of these events.

The writing and illustrations are equally descriptive and beautiful. Soo's experiences and feelings are show more easily relayed through prose, and the illustration depict the emotions and setting of the book wonderfully.

I love the quote at the end of the book where Soo remembers and reflects on her mother's last words to her, and which really bring together the moral and feeling of the story: "When the evening is full of moon and warm winds, I can still hear her cry- 'Be brave, Soo!' Brave for the rest of my life." show less