Jessica Kim writes about Asian American girls finding their way in the world. Before she was an author, Jessica studied education at UC Berkeley and spent ten years teaching third, fourth, and fifth grades in public schools. Like Yumi, Jessica lives with her family in Southern California and can't get enough Hot Cheetos, stand-up comedy, BTS, and Korean barbecue.

FOR FANS OF books bursting with heart (like Front Desk by Kelly Yang), featuring kids with big dreams (like Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle), and with irresistible characters (like Frazzled by Booki Vivat).

This book is for any kid who has ever saved up their lunch money to buy joke books from the Scholastic bookfair. It's for any kid who dreams of being the next ALI WONG, MINDY KALING, OR HASAN MINHAJ.

A MANIFESTO FOR SHY, AWKWARD KIDS who are ready to bust out! This is a story about being brave enough to share your talents with the world.

TREMENDOUS KID APPEAL: The plot is pure wish fulfillment. A case of mistaken identity gives Yumi the chance to start fresh and be the person she's always wanted to be.

LIGHTHEARTED DELIVERY OF IMPORTANT THEMES: Humor is used to frame thoughtful discussions about gentrification, financial hardship, bullying, and the generation and culture gap between immigrant parents and their American-born children.

PERFECT CLASSROOM READ ALOUD because of the kid-appealing humor, light touch, and discussable themes. We expect to see this one thrive at bookfairs and pop up on state reading lists.

Comedy can be used to talk about RESILIENCE: We're often taught to fear failure, but coping with failure (and bouncing back) is a necessary skill of comedy performance and life.

A LOVE LETTER TO taco-truck chasing, boba-tea-drinking SoCal (Los Angeles's Koreatown specifically).

WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS: Fulfills Kokila's mission of centering stories from the margins, celebrating the full range of authors' experiences, and answering the call for more diverse children's literature.