Yay For Middle Grade Books! Interview With Jenna Yoon!

Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Jenna Yoon, the author of Lia Park and the Missing Jewel, which is out now!

Would you please tell us a little about your book, Lia Park and the Missing Jewel?

Lia Park and the Missing Jewel is the first book in a series and is perfect for fans for Storm Runner and the Aru Shah series. It is a thrilling middle grade contemporary fantasy that follows the adventures of a young girl as she ventures into the underworld kingdom of the Dragon King to save her parents from an evil diviner spirit. Lia Park and the Missing Jewel blends Korean art history, mythology and language into a fun, fast-paced, fantasy adventure to create an easily accessible entry point into Korean culture for all kids, and spark their curiosity. 

Lia Park is a Korean-American tween, who just wants to fit in. Her family belongs to a secret magic organization that Lia always wanted to join. Except for one big problem. She has no magic – or so she thinks. Lia decides to be a part of the normal people world instead. When she receives an invitation to the birthday bash of the year, her over protective parents forbid her from going. But Lia sneaks off and goes anyway because she believes that this will change her life. This sets off a chain of events leading to her parents being kidnapped by an evil diviner spirit. Lia travels to Korea with her best friend Joon, and must follow the clues left behind by her parents and recover the jewel before it’s too late.

Did you always want to write MG books?

I actually started off writing picture books but then quickly realized that the stories I wanted to tell would be a better fit for middle grade. So I switched to writing books for middle grade and couldn’t be happier. I think it’s an absolutely magical age range and am having so much fun writing.

Random Question! What’s your favorite holiday?

My favorite holidays are Christmas and New Years because that’s usually when the whole family could get together. We live in different countries and states, so those few weeks of winter holiday is such a special time for us to all come together and celebrate. I’ve also enjoyed creating new traditions with my kids such as having them pick out books to gift to another person in the family.

If you're able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?

Currently, I am working on Book 2 of the Lia Park series. I’m so excited to share more of Lia’s adventures with you.

What are some of your favorite MG books you've read recently? And what are some that you're looking forward to reading?

Some favorite middle grade books I’ve recently read were Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation by Sylvia Liu and Freddie Vs.the Family Curse by Tracy Badua, and The Lost Ryu by Emi Watanabe Cohen. I’m looking forward to reading Molly and the Machine by Erik Jon Slangerup, Etta Invincible by Reese Eschmann, and the Ghost of Spruce Point by Nancy Tandon.

Thank you to Jenna Yoon for participating in this event! :)

Author Bio: Jenna Yoon studied Art History at Wellesley College and received her Masters degree in Korean Art History from Ewha Woman’s University. She’s lived about half her life in both Korea and the United States. When she’s not writing, Jenna loves to travel, find yummy eats, play board games and takes skin care very seriously. Currently, she lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and two kids.

LIA PARK AND THE MISSING JEWEL is Jenna’s debut MG book and will be published by Aladdin/Simon & Schuster in Summer 2022.

She is represented by Penny Moore at Aevitas Creative Management. 

Here are a few links:

Her Website

Her Twitter

Her Instagram