K-Pop books for children and teens
K-pop books give children and teens a lively way into the music, stars, fandoms and wider culture of Korean pop. There is plenty of variety, from colourful guides and biographies to novels about trainee idols, friendships and life on stage. For readers already hooked on K-pop, these books can make reading feel instantly more appealing while opening up conversations about Korean culture, creativity, ambition, teamwork and finding your place. This list features books by Jessica Jung, Axie Oh, Maurene Goo, Kat Cho, Lyla Lee, Luan Goldie, Catherine Saunders, Stephan Lee, Malcolm Croft, and Adrian Besley.
K-pop books for children and teens – our recommendations
K-pop books for 7-12 year olds – our recommendations
The World of K-Pop: The Ultimate Unofficial Fan Guide Packed with Facts, Stats and Quizzes by Catherine Saunders, illustrated by Dave Pratt
From how K-pop stars are recruited and trained to profiles of BTS, BLACKPINK, Stray Kids and SEVENTEEN, this unofficial guide covers the people and processes behind the music for readers aged 7+. Catherine Saunders also includes quizzes, quotes, stats and facts, while Dave Pratt provides the immersive illustrations.
KPop Demon Hunters: The Official Junior Novelisation by Jessica Yoon
Rumi, Mira and Zoey are the world-famous girl group HUNTR/X, selling out stadiums while also protecting the world from demons. For 7-10 year olds, this official junior novelisation retells their clash with the Saja Boys, a rival boy band who are demons in disguise. Highly readable.
100% Unofficial: More Idols of K-Pop by Natasha Mulenga
Hit songs, dance moves and rising K-pop stars are the focus of this unofficial guide for 8+ year old readers. Natasha Mulenga looks beyond BTS and BLACKPINK to introduce more performers while exploring the language, clothes and dances of the K-pop world.
The World of BTS: The Ultimate Unofficial Fan Guide Packed with Facts, Stats and Quizzes by Catherine Saunders, illustrated by Dave Pratt
BTS’s journey from formation to stadium tours, solo careers and military service forms the backbone of this unofficial guide for KS2 aged readers. Alongside the band’s story, Catherine Saunders covers their biggest hits, hairstyles, fandom and individual projects, with quizzes, quotes, stats and fascinating facts throughout.
K-Pop Spirit Academy by Joheun Lee, illustrated by Silvia Brunetti
Shy Sanha enrols at an elite idol training school, only to discover that it secretly teaches pupils to fight monsters as well as perform. Sanha and three new friends combine magical combat training with an undercover K-pop performance when her sister is kidnapped. It’s well pitched to 8+ year olds.
K-Pop Academy: Tiger’s Eye by Mina Finch
Moving into the trainee dorms brings Hana and her friends face-to-face with two animal avatars: a watchful tiger and a mischievous little bird. Preparations for their debut music video take a supernatural turn when the bird is revealed as a shadow spirit, and the group must decide whether to trust the tiger. An immersive story for 8+ year olds.
K-Pop Academy: Cursed Spotlight by Mina Finch
Each year, one trainee wins the Spotlight Solo, and academy legend says every winner is cursed. Nari is chosen for the solo just as shadow demons begin exploiting the superstition around her, leaving her to confront them while preparing to perform. It’s another great K-Pop-themed read for 8+ year olds.
K-Pop Academy: The Stage of Shadows by Mina Finch
Twelve-year-old Hana Kim arrives in Seoul on a scholarship to the prestigious K-Pop Academy, determined to train as an idol. But her first term takes a supernatural turn when demons appear in the rehearsal rooms and feed on students’ fear of failure, prompting Hana and her new friends to try to save the school.
K-pop: Making the Band by Lucy Tandon Copp
Sammie wins a place at a prestigious K-pop bootcamp in Los Angeles, where six months of training could earn her a spot in new girl band ECLIPSE. 11+ year olds will enjoy this fast-paced story in which the competition brings rigorous training, rivalries, friendship trouble and insecurities as Sammie and the other trainees work towards the final selection.
Skylar and the K-pop Headteacher by Luan Goldie
9+-year-olds will love the laugh-out-loud adventure in Skylar and the K-Pop Headteacher! When 11-year-old K-Pop enthusiast Skylar swaps bodies with her strict 71-year-old headteacher, Ms Callus, chaos ensues. From viral dancing grannies to risking being stuck as a headteacher forever, Skylar’s journey is filled with fun, friendship, dreams and empathy. With relatable characters and a hilarious premise, this middle-grade novel is perfect for fans of Freaky Friday and K-pop enthusiasts. Your Year 6 class will love it.
Oops, I Kidnapped a Pharaoh! by Luan Goldie
A ride in Nana’s new tuktuk sends Skylar and her best friend Dana travelling through time, where they accidentally kidnap King Tut and turn the pharaoh into a K-pop sensation. Their attempt to repair history takes them across different eras, with Marie Curie and Shakespeare among the famous figures they encounter.
We Love K-Pop: All the hottest K-Pop groups! by Mortimer Children’s Books
Songs, styles and stories from K-pop groups and solo artists fill this photo-packed guide for readers aged 10+. It also looks at the journey from trainee to idol, invites readers to rate music videos and compares key statistics, placing the Korean Wave and its performers at the heart of this impressively detailed book.
K-pop books for teens – our recommendations
Sogumi the Fennec Fox: Cute Magical-Adventure Colouring by Sogumi
A tiny fennec fox and cactus companion, Soso, travel through dreamlike scenes, from relaxing beneath the sea to riding a scooter through a doughnut-filled sky. Perfect for colourists aged 12+, this fabulously imaginative activity book pairs 64 full-colour reference pages with 64 black-and-white line illustrations to complete, offering a calming pastime for fans of cute Korean artwork and immersive imaginative settings. Highly recommended.
K-Pop Revolution by Stephan Lee
After speaking out about injustices in the K-pop industry, Candace Park debuts in S.A.Y. Entertainment’s first all-girl group, THE GIRLS. For readers aged 12+, the sequel sees her balance school, idol life and her relationship with YoungBae while the company’s reforms start to show cracks and old pressures reappear.
Fireworks by Alice Lin
Seventeen-year-old Lulu Li’s last summer before college changes when childhood friend Kite Xu returns from South Korea, where he has debuted in K-pop boy group Karnival. Lulu and Kite reconnect while he is taking a break from idol life for reasons he has not explained, and his sister Connie warns Lulu not to get too close. It’s an engrossing read for 12+ year olds.
Idol Gossip: A K-Pop dream come true by Alexandra Leigh Young
Seventeen-year-old Alice Choy moves from San Francisco to Seoul and is soon scouted by Top10 Entertainment, taking her through Star Academy and into the prospective group A-List. The road to debut includes early-morning cardio, dance drills, calorie-controlled meals, rivalries and anti-fans, while an influential blogger jeopardises the group’s chances.
Wish Upon a K-Star by Kat Cho
Former K-pop star Shin Hyeri is building a new career as a K-drama actress when a backstage encounter with WDB member Moon Minseok, known as Moonster, creates fresh tabloid trouble. The solution is a fake relationship played out on the variety show Our Celebrity Marriage, where celebrities pretend to be married while taking on newlywed challenges. Ideal for 13+ year old K-Pop fans.
Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho
When Elena Soo and Robbie Choi were ten, they promised to go to prom together. The story picks up seven years later, when Robbie is a member of world-famous K-pop group WDB and arrives on Elena’s doorstep to ask her to fulfil their childhood promise.
Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo
K-pop star Lucky slips out after a concert in Hong Kong in search of a hamburger and crosses paths with Jack, a Korean American aspiring photographer. Their day together unfolds across the city while Lucky hides her identity and Jack secretly plans to sell photographs of their time together to a tabloid. A thought-provoking read for 12+ year olds.
Shine by Jessica Jung
Korean American Rachel Kim has spent six years training in Seoul for DB Entertainment, and as a senior trainee, she knows this is her last chance to debut in a girl group. A disastrous audition with DB star Jason Lee adds another obstacle as Rachel competes within the agency’s demanding trainee system. Ideal for 12+ year olds.
Bright by Jessica Jung
Rachel Kim is now an international K-pop star in nine-member group Girls Forever, topping charts and touring internationally. For 12+ year olds, this gripping sequel finds Rachel planning her own fashion line and pursuing a secret relationship with fellow Korean American Alex Jeon while navigating DB Entertainment and relationships within the group.
ASAP by Axie Oh
In this companion novel to XOXO. Sori, a K-pop hopeful, is caught between her mother’s expectations and her father’s political dreams. And she faces pressure to maintain a squeaky-clean public image. So when she offers her scandal-hit ex-boyfriend refuge, Sori must decide if a second chance at love is worth sacrificing her future for. Exploring parental expectations and dreams of fame, through the lens of swoon-worthy second chance love story, this YA romance is perfect for teen fans of K-Pop culture.
K-Pop Confidential by Stephan Lee
Fifteen-year-old Candace Park keeps her K-pop fandom quiet until an advert for local auditions persuades her to try out for a new group. Success takes the Korean American teenager from Fort Lee, New Jersey, to Seoul for a summer inside the K-pop trainee system. It’s ideal for 12+ year old fans of K-Pop.
I’ll Be the One by Lyla Lee
Skye Shin has spent years being told that fat girls should not dance, wear bright colours or draw attention to themselves, but she intends to pursue K-pop anyway. But that means entering an internationally televised competition in search of the next K-pop star and challenging thousands of other performers. How will she cope?
XOXO by Axie Oh
Classical cellist Jenny meets Jaewoo during an unexpected night out in Los Angeles, then finds him again after moving with her mother to Seoul and enrolling at Seoul Arts Academy. Jenny discovers that Jaewoo is the lead singer of K-pop group XOXO and, like most K-pop idols, is strictly forbidden from dating. A fascinating read for early teens.
Bingsu for Two by Sujin Witherspoon
River Langston-Lee’s life unravels after walking out of his exams, losing his girlfriend and quitting his job, leading him to work at the struggling Bingsu for Two Korean café. There, he meets Sarang Cho, a goth co-worker with a no-nonsense attitude. When their viral antics spark a fake romance to save the café, River is thrown into a whirlwind of fame, family drama, and tough decisions about love and self-identity. With humour, heart, and a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers arc, this book offers a delightful, chaotic journey. Highly recommended.
Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng
Two years after Mina’s death ended their girl group Sweet Cadence, Sunny Lee enters a K-pop workshop where former bandmate Candie Tsai is also competing. Sunny wants answers about what happened to Mina, but as the workshop continues, strange events begin affecting the other trainees and echo the night her friend died. A compelling thriller for teens.
The Unofficial KPop Demon Hunters Handbook: A Fan Guide & Activity Book That Slays by Princess Gabbara
Movie trivia and K-culture facts sit alongside word searches, scrambles, colouring pages, drawing prompts and recipes in this unofficial handbook for KPop Demon Hunters fans of all ages. Rumi, Mira and Zoey are at the centre of activities that include designing a stage backdrop and fan sign, finding character and song names, and making ramyeon inspired by HUNTR/X.
The Little Guide to K-POP: The Korean Music Wave by Malcolm Croft
This pocket-sized hardback introduces K-pop and the Korean music wave through the performers, bands and musical culture behind the genre’s international popularity. Part of Orange Hippo’s Little Guide series, it provides a compact introduction to K-pop for readers interested in the artists and sounds that have carried Korean popular music to audiences around the world.
K-Pop: The Ultimate Fan Book: Your Essential Guide to the Hottest K-Pop Bands by Malcolm Croft
BLACKPINK, Stray Kids, TWICE and SEVENTEEN are among the acts profiled in this photographic guide for K-pop lovers of all ages. Chapters also explore the fashion, dances and songs associated with K-pop, while BTS, HUNTR/X and the Saja Boys place both established stars and more recent pop-culture phenomena within its survey of the genre.
K-POP Now!: The Korean Music Revolution by Mark James Russell
Profiles of Korean pop artists sit alongside 250 photographs in this introduction to the K-pop phenomenon. Mark James Russell covers major groups and acts from the genre’s rise, while a guide to Seoul points readers towards places where they can explore K-pop culture for themselves. Interviews and material on Korean popular music add further context to the performers featured.
BTS: Icons of K-Pop by Adrian Besley
RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook take centre stage in this revised biography of BTS for teens. Adrian Besley traces the individual members’ backstories, the formation of the group and their rise from their 2013 debut in South Korea to international success. This updated edition runs to 320 pages and includes eight pages of colour photographs chronicling the band’s career. Gloriously detailed.
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K-pop resources for teachers
- The Korean Education Centre in the UK, part of the Korean Embassy, supports Korean after-school clubs in UK schools with Korean language teachers, textbooks and resources for traditional cultural activities. Schools interested in starting a club can also apply directly to the centre for support.
- The V&A’s K-pop design activity encourages children to invent their own K-pop group, design stage costumes and posters, explore Korean fashion, plan dance moves and experiment with soft circuits. It offers useful cross-curricular ideas for art, design and technology, music and creative projects.
- Also from the V&A, K-pop fandom explores the history and international growth of K-pop, the role of social media, fan communities, activism and the way Korean words have entered international fan culture. It provides particularly useful background material for secondary music, media studies and discussions about digital culture.
- Twinkl’s KS2 K-Pop Music Activity is a free classroom resource that asks children to research K-pop and use what they discover to create their own group. Related resources include a K-pop PowerPoint, mind map, South Korea materials and activities exploring Hangul.
- For pupils aged 8-12, Into Film’s KPop Demon Hunters film guide uses the hugely popular animated film to explore musical acts, pop music and being yourself. It provides a particularly accessible way to connect children’s enthusiasm for K-pop with film literacy and classroom discussion.
- The Nuri King Sejong Institute provides extensive Korean language and culture materials, including textbooks, video and audio resources, classroom supplementary materials, teaching plans and teacher training. Its K-Culture section also includes dedicated material on K-pop and the wider Korean Wave.
- The Media Education Lab’s K-content literacy resources offer an excellent starting point for secondary teachers examining how Korea is represented through K-pop, film and other global media. The collection includes discussion questions, a lesson plan and activities encouraging pupils to consider who creates media, who it is made for, what it emphasises and what it leaves out.
- Ohio State University’s K-Pop Resources page brings together lesson plans, documentaries, background reading and academic resources. Of particular interest to teachers are lesson plans exploring what K-pop can reveal about Korea and how Korean popular culture extends beyond Gangnam Style.
- For detailed teacher background reading, the Encyclopedia of Hallyu, produced by the National Folk Museum of Korea, explains hundreds of terms associated with the Korean Wave. The English-language edition is available as a free PDF and covers popular culture alongside Korean food, fashion, language, traditions and everyday life.
- UNESCO’s SEVENTEEN and Youth resources include video and speeches from the K-pop group’s appearance at the UNESCO Youth Forum. For secondary schools, these provide an unusual way to connect K-pop with PSHE, citizenship, youth participation, climate change and discussion about how musicians and other public figures can influence social issues.
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