I Want That Watermelon

When six children stumble upon a watermelon and impulsively pick it, their hearts split six ways. Just as a single crack can split a whole melon wide open, hairline fractures begin to spread through a friendship that once seemed unbreakable…. Beloved in and beyond the classroom ever since it appeared in a seventh-grade Korean language textbook, "I Want That Watermelon" returns in a brand-new edition. Author Jang Ju-sik, celebrated for weaving the weighty themes of conscience and choice into a deceptively breezy short story, has enriched and deepened the narrative, and with the addition of crisp, refreshing illustrations, the book is reborn as the perfect gateway to young-adult literature.
One summer day during PE class, Dajeong and her friends discover a ripe watermelon growing in the flower bed beside the school assembly platform. "I want that watermelon!" Before anyone can stop her, Jiwon reaches right over at Dajeong's offhand remark and picks it clean off the vine. Eunbi draws a firm line, insisting it's wrong to take something without permission; Yeongju quietly slips away; Jiwon suggests they sneak into the bathroom to eat it in secret. As each friend's convictions collide, Dajeong finds herself torn between not wanting to fracture her friendships and the nagging voice of conscience telling her to come clean. Where will her heart lead? The rest of the story—untold in the textbook version—leaves a taste at once sweet and bittersweet, crisp and cool: one lingering bite of summer.