description: In this first novel, a young girl describes her family's bittersweet experience in the United States after their emigration from Korea. While going up and up into the sky on the flight from Korea to California, four-year-old Young Ju concludes that they are on their way to heaven - America is heaven! After they arrive, however, Young Ju and her parents and little brother struggle in their new world, weighed down by the difficulty of learning English, their insular family life, and the traditions of the country they left behind. An Na's striking language authentically reflects the process of acculturation as Young Ju grows from a child to an adult.
language: English
title: Step from Heaven
titlecomplete: Step from Heaven
genres: Fiction, Cultural, Coming Of Age, Teen, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Asian Literature, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Historical Fiction
ratings_count: 8262
places: California
awards: awardedAt: 1009872000000
name: Michael L. Printz Award, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Vermont Golden Dome Book Award, awardedAt: 1009872000000
name: IRA Children’s and Young Adult’s Book Award
category: Young Adult–Fiction, awardedAt: 978336000000
name: National Book Award Finalist
category: Young People's Literature, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature
category: Children and Young Adult, awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: Gateway Readers Award
publisher: Allen & Unwin