Haemi Balgassi (born 1967) is a Korean American writer. She is the author of award-winning children's books including ''Peacebound Trains'' and ''Tae's Sonata.'' Balgassi was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Western Massachusetts. Her stories, articles, essays, and poetry have been published in numerous publications, including ''Cicada'', ''Hopscotch'', ''Liquorian'', ''Complete Woman'', romance magazines, and literary journals. Balgassi was one of 45 authors and illustrators featured in ''Children's Authors and Illustrators Too Good to Miss'', a reference book by ''Sharron L. McElmeel''.

Books

Balgassi's chapter book ''Peacebound Trains'' was illustrated by Chris Soentpiet and published by Clarion Books in 1997. It is a story about life in Seoul at the time of the Korean War, recounted by a character called Grandmother to her granddaughter Sumi. ''Peacebound Trains'' is based on the real-life experiences of Balgassi's mother. It was named a

Smithsonian (magazine) ''Smithsonian'' is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970. History The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life (magaz ...

Notable Children's Book, International Reading Association Notable Book for a Global Society, San Francisco Chronicle Best Children's Book, Society of Illustrators Gold Medalist,

National Council for the Social Studies The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is a U.S.-based association devoted to supporting social studies education. It is affiliated with various regional or state level social studies associations, including: the Middle States Council ...

/ Children's Book Council Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and

American Booksellers Association The American Booksellers Association (ABA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States. ABA's core members are key participants in their communities' local economy and culture, and t ...

Pick of the Lists. ''Peacebound Trains'' was featured on the ''United States of America Korean War Commemoration'' site, complete with a Teacher Activity Guide. It is the only book to receive this honor. In 2014, NPR included "All Aboard! A Reading List for the Rails. Balgassi's middle-grade novel, ''Tae's Sonata'', was published by Clarion Books in 1997. It tells the story of a Korean-American eighth-grader grappling with her identity as a

first-generation immigrant In sociology, people who permanently resettle to a new country are considered immigrants, regardless of the legal status of their citizenship or residency. The United States Census Bureau (USCB) uses the term "generational status" to refer to th ...

in the United States. The book weaves together Tae's experiences of prejudice and discrimination against her family with her own coming-of-age and first crush. ''Tae's Sonata'' was named a

/ Children's Book Council Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, an

Pick of the Lists, and nominated for the Maine Student Book Award. The novel won the 2000 Lamplighter Classic Award.

Bank Street College Bank Street College of Education is a private school and graduate school in New York City. It consists of a graduate-only teacher training college and an independent nursery-through-8th-grade school. In 2020 the graduate school had about 65 full ...

honored Best Children's Book. Children's 2006, Hampton-Brown, a branch of National Geographic School Publishing, selected ''Tae's Sonata'' for its ''inZone Books'' collection.

References

External links

NPR All Aboard! A Reading List For Riding The Rails

Bank Street College Best of Children's Books

U.S. of America Korean War Commemoration: For Teachers

* ttp://www.reading.ccsu.edu/TheDragonLode/DLVol182Sp2000/DLVol182Sp2000%2052-54.pdf ''Connecting Voices Through Generations''
''Cicada'' magazine

''Liguorian'' magazine

Interviews

* ttp://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/authors/interviews/HaemiBalgassi.html CynthiaLeitichSmith.com: "Interview with Children's and YA Author Haemi Balgassi"br>papertigers.org: "Interview with Korean American Author, Haemi Balgassi"
*''Commitment Magazine'': "Inspired to Write Stories for Children" {{DEFAULTSORT:Balgassi, Haemi American children's writers American writers of Korean descent 1967 births Living people People from Hampden County, Massachusetts South Korean emigrants to the United States