“Pippa is a magnetic heroine, funny and good-hearted.”—Booklist
Readers will cheer on Pippa Park in this wonderful middle school book about friendships, bullying, crushes, and family. In this relatable story, Pippa reinvents herself and discovers who she really is on and off the basketball court. Perfect for fans of The Baby-Sitters Club, Kelly Yang's Front Desk Series and Maizy Chen's Last Chance.
Life is full of great expectations for Korean American Pippa Park. It seems like everyone, from her family to the other kids at school, has a plan for how her life should look.
When Pippa gets a mysterious basketball scholarship to Lakeview Private, she jumps at the chance to reinvent herself. At school, Pippa juggles old and new friends, a crush, and the pressure to get As and score points while keeping her past and family’s laundromat a secret from her elite new classmates.
But when Pippa begins to receive a string of hateful, anonymous messages via social media, her carefully built persona is threatened. As things spiral out of control, Pippa wonders if she can keep her old and new lives separate, or if she should even try.
NEW Book 2! Pippa Park Crush at First Sight is now available
GREAT FOR READERS AGES 9–12
Now an AR Quiz!
Extra Content in the Book includes:
Discussion Questions, Author Q&A, and Korean Language Glossary with Pronunciation Guide?
Featured! Nevada Reading Week (2023)
Get Caught Reading Poster Pick! (2023)
Featured! The May Book Project (2022)
Nominated! Grand Canyon Reader Award - Tween (2023)
Battle of the Books Pick! (Chicago Public Schools, 2021-2022)
Bestselling AAPI and Girls Sports Series
Perfect for the School Classroom or Library!
Complimentary Guides: AAPI Discussion and Anti-Racism Resource
Common Core Language Arts Guide
Tween Book Club with printable activities
Includes word games, make-your-own-book playlist, fortune teller, and discussion questions
The Series is a Contemporary Reimagining of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Erin Yun grew up in Frisco, Texas. She attended New York University and received her MA in creative writing at Cambridge. Erin is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She developed the Pippa Park Author Program, an interactive writing workshop, which she has conducted in person and virtually at schools, libraries, and bookstores. Yes, she used to play basketball as a middle grader!
“This charming and fast-paced middle-grade novel highlights family, friendship, and identity... Readers will relate to Pippa's struggles adjusting to life at her new school...Tweens will appreciate how Pippa learns to embrace her roots and her family's unconditional love.”
— Common Sense Media
“Pippa is a magnetic heroine, funny and good-hearted, and young readers will relate as she makes one honest mistake after another in an effort to fit in. A nice balancing act between sports action, middle-school drama, and the struggles of an underprivileged immigrant family that will appeal to a wide audience.”
— Booklist
“An empowering celebration of identity, friendship, and embracing one’s roots... Yun writes of Korean-American family life with heartwarming, authentic detail... Tall, athletic, and brash, she is an unforced subversion of female Asian-American stereotypes even as she confronts challenges unique to Asian-American teens.”
— Publishers Weekly
“In this reimagining of Charles Dickens’s
Great Expectations, familiar themes and predictability are offset by the depiction of Korean culture and language, which add texture and depth to the narrative. Readers will sympathize with this likable heroine as she struggles to succeed. VERDICT An enjoyable read with a buoyant contemporary twist on an old classic.”
— School Library Journal
“This is a highly engaging and relevant title for schools that takes up issues of social class, ethnic identity, and the venture of staying true to oneself which will lend itself well to educators and parents looking to support growth in today's tweens. Highly Recommended.”
— School Library Connection
“In Erin Yun’s enchanting
Pippa Park Raises Her Game, a girl starts a new school and tries to reinvent her image... an exciting middle grade novel about middle school struggles and feeling out of place.”
— Foreword Reviews
