If loving K-Pop music is wrong, I know a lot of people who are very openly wrong. I mean, I know of a woman who is a grandmother of an early teen, who is a BTS fan. I mean fan girl fan level. But hey, I was a New Kids on the Block Fan so who am I to judge? We all have our boy band(s) to love regardless of the decades behind our years.
However, what I know about K-Pop can fit on a piece of 8X10 paper and probably have space to spare. I know that it is music. I know that it is Korean based. I know that they made a really popular movie about some girls who play with a tiger named Derpy who has a friend bird in an awesome hat (and I guess they, you know, save the world or something). I know that there is a look and style. I know a few other things, but not like what Oliver Chin, Juan Calle and Phil Amara give us in The Discovery of K-pop: The Asian Hall of Fame.
Due in mid September 2026, I found an online reader copy. And like so many books I find this way, I almost didn’t read it. I mean I’m not really a fan of K-Pop or learning about it. Especially I thought, with something as young looking as the cover was giving off. Yes, that is one of two issues I have with the book, but the rest is good
The cover makes this journey into the past, present and a little bit of the future look for the younger crowd, but the story fits the at least 5 to 10 group (younger ten). The story follows the kids from previous books along with the little red panda who is ready to time travel… wait, you don’t know what I mean? Okay, back up. This is part of a series that covers a piece of Asian history in an accessible and fun manner. We’ve read about the history of chess, ramen, fireworks and gunpowder and anime and manga (or I have except anime and manga, and I’m trying to remember fireworks and gunpowder). These subjects in many ways are ones that are not usually on the typical kids radar, but are more than fascinating and should be on their radar.
So, we learn how K-Pop was started really in ancient times. Okay, maybe not exactly that far back, but honestly, it’s all connected. The history of the country is the history of this music. And this is my second issue. We had a strong start, but it fizzled a bit at the end. I never 100% felt completely educated about the subject. Still, it is a good book, with fun and colorful images and a great way to get your kids interested in reading and not just doing the latest Gangnam Style
