Reaching for the Stars ✨ 🧑🎤 Our July Selection for Kids: The Discovery of K-Pop and How I Hacked the Moon
The Discovery of K-pop by Oliver Chin and Phil Amara
Illustrated by Juan Calle
Book
Published by Immedium
World
Rights Available
➡️ Age Range: 7 - 9 years
This marvelously illustrated adventure explores how K-pop evolved to become a global sensation.
Korean pop music has never been more popular. Fueled by decades of musical advances and then the Netflix movie KPop Demon Hunters, more people enjoy K-pop than ever before. But do fans know how K-pop began?
Travel to ancient Korea to see how music moved armies and rebels. Then zip back to the future as K-pop moved west, conquering continents, countries, and the internet! Learn about iconic bands, legendary singers, and the entertaining cultural impact of the Korean wave.
Generations of readers will develop a greater appreciation of K-pop! This is the fifth adventure in our series on cool inventions created in Asia. The cute red panda Dao makes history come alive by transporting the kids Emma and Ethan back in time. Now they explore the origin and evolution of K-pop!
Teachers and librarians will find this a welcome addition to their children’s picture book and illustrated collections. The influence of K-pop is everywhere!
Reviews
“2025 has been a phenomenal year for Korean music, with idols challenging their artistic boundaries, transcending genres, crossing over into films and K-dramas, and making bold personal decisions.” — Rolling Stone
“K-pop is over three decades old as a form, and in the past 10 years has asserted itself worldwide, remaking pop music in the macro by out-innovating its competitors.” — The New York Times
“TikTok Sees K-Culture Spend Doubling to $143 Billion by 2030. Social media has amplified global interest in Korean exports. TikTok has been at the epicenter of K-pop fandom online.” — Bloomberg.com
“Long touted as a badge of honor in both fan wars and press releases, the concept of going ‘global’ has been an arguably unrealized goal for much of the K-pop industry prior to 2025. Yet the past 12 months have proven to be the scene’s most expansive year yet, reaching new heights and mainstream milestones.... 2025 truly was the year K-pop became a certified global sensation.” — Billboard
Phil Amara was an editor at Kitchen Sink Press and Dark Horse Comics, and writer of the The Nevermen comic book series and the book So, You Wanna Be A Comic Book Artist?: How To Break Into Comics! The Ultimate Guide For Kids. Currently he is a elementary school teacher in Massachusetts.
Oliver Chin is the author of the popular annual children's book series Tales from the Chinese Zodiac. This remains the only series in English on the animals of the Lunar New Year, which is increasingly celebrated worldwide. He presents at schools, libraries, and museums nationwide and teaches artists of all ages how to create their own comic books.
A former biologist turned science illustrator for more than 15 years, Juan trained on the Science Illustration program at UC Monterey Bay. He worked early on his illustrator career for field guides of plants and animals of his country of origin, Colombia, and now owns and works in his art studio, LIBERUM DONUM, creating concept art, storyboarding and his passion: comic books.
How I Hacked The Moon by R.A. Dines
Published by Macky Mountain Press
World Rights Available
➡️ Age Range: 10 - 12 years
Semi-Finalist in the Booklife Prize by Publisher's Weekly; Finalist in the Wishing Shelf Awards
At the first coding academy on the moon, constant surveillance doesn’t stop the smartest misfits from plotting their escape—even if it costs them their freedom.
Life at the Lunar Coding Complex is boring, not that thirteen-year-old Moon Girl cares. She finds comfort in its predictability—her first real friend and her love of AI coding keep her anxiety in check. When a harmless prank with her charismatic bestie attracts the attention of rebel hackers led by Moon Girl’s crush Dovrin, she’s thrilled to join their crew. But as they uncover Big Smile Corp’s dangerous secrets, Moon Girl faces impossible choices: her friendship, her crush, or everyone’s safety. Even if they crack the system, do they want to escape back to Earth? And if they fail, what will the sinister corporation do to silence them?
Fans of The Last Day on Mars and His Dark Materials will enjoy How I Hacked the Moon, a thrilling adventure for pre-teens to adults.
Reviews
"Moon Girl just turned 13 and is experiencing all that comes with growing up, but she’ll need to add saving her home to that list." — The BookLife Prize by Publishers Weekly
“A thrilling coming-of-age sci-fi adventure about friendship, rebellion and survival, How I Hacked the Moon follows a brilliant young coder who must uncover corporate secrets and decide how far she's willing to go to save her home. A FINALIST and highly recommended!” — Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Ever since she first laid her hands on a keyboard, R. A. Dines has been fascinated with the intersection of art and technology. Dines spent the first two decades of her career in big tech and startups and is now in the second chapter of her career as a full-time author and creative. These days, you can find her reading, writing, coding, and 3D printing with her family outside Boston. How I Hacked the Moon, an instant Amazon bestseller, is her debut middle-grade novel.
