Starred review from May 15, 2020
Grades 3-7 *Starred Review* Life in North Korea for 12-year-old Sora and her family has been hard since the Russians liberated it from Japanese rule. Enticed by tales of their grandfather who had lived in America, Sora and her younger brother, Youngsoo, dream of living away from the rigid controls and brainwashing of the Communist regime. When war erupts, Sora's family flees toward the freedom of South Korea. But soon, she and Youngsoo become separated from their parents, who are seemingly killed in an explosion. Sora and her brother continue their journey alone to Busan on the southern coast of South Korea, which is still in American hands. To make it, they must avoid capture, scramble for food, and rely on the kindness of other refugees. Through her journey, Sora transforms from a precocious girl into a courageous and intelligent hero. Lee captures Sora's internal journey alongside the physical one, and in the process details the struggles of a refugee from the ground level. Even after Sora arrives at her destination, her battles do not end, as she still must combat the social norms that deny her agency simply for being female. An amazing debut and an important book that explores a part of history few younger readers are taught in school.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

Starred review from June 1, 2020
Lee’s urgent debut begins at the outset of the Korean War as experienced by 12-year-old Sora Pak, only daughter and eldest of three, who lives in communist North Korea. After learning that the North and South are at war, the Paks, terrified by the prospect of a continued life under communism, flee in the dark of night for the Southern city of Busan, nearly 400 miles away. A bombing soon separates Sora and her eight-year-old brother, Youngsoo, from their parents, and the children must make the unknown journey on their own. Sora’s responsibility to Youngsoo grows fraught when he becomes ill, and she fights to care for him under increasingly impossible conditions. Sora, who yearns for an education as much as she longs to be valued as an individual by her family and her culture, is a compelling and sympathetic narrator whose deep love for Youngsoo is mixed with resentment at his revered status as a son. Her anger at her beleaguered mother whom she can never please is also a source of grief. A moving, suspenseful refugee story, based loosely on the author’s mother’s experiences, the book is at heart a poignant exploration of a girl’s struggle against traditional female roles and her determination to succeed on her own terms. Ages 8–12.

Starred review from June 1, 2020

Gr 3-7-A harrowing, heartbreaking tale of hope, love, and survival against insurmountable odds. Twelve-year-old Sora and her family live under the oppressive North Korean communist regime of 1950. As the South Korean army begins to lose ground to the Red Army, hope of liberation dwindles. Sora's stubborn, overbearing mother believes the family should keep their heads down and obey the law. But her father knows that their family's nonconformist political and religious beliefs mean they will never be safe, and convinces the family to flee south to Busan where his brother lives. Whip-smart Sora hopes that Busan will provide freedom from her mother's restrictive expectations of her as a woman and enable her to return to school. The family embarks upon the long journey by foot, but are separated in a sudden aerial bombardment. Sora and her eight-year-old brother Youngsoo must now attempt to complete the journey alone in hopes of reuniting with their family. They face threats at every turn-the elements, other people, lack of resources, and illness-but their strength carries them even as Youngsoo becomes ill. With an artful and expressive narrative voice, and inspiration drawn from her mother's experiences in Korea as a young woman, debut novelist Lee enthralls and enlightens. VERDICT A surefire recommendation all around, this title will be of particular interest to readers seeking excellent historical fiction, survival stories, family drama, or a good tearjerker. Librarians and teachers should be aware that a character suffers a protracted illness and then dies from pneumonia.-Darla Salva Cruz, Suffolk Cooperative Lib. Syst., Bellport, NY

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 1, 2020
Sora is 12 when she and her younger brother trek hundreds of miles to safety during the Korean War. In the summer of 1950, the 38th parallel is closing, separating North and South Korea. Those caught in the northern part of the country will live under a Communist regime, full of harsh regulations, limited freedoms, and indoctrination. The novel, told in three parts, begins as the Pak family finally decides to escape to Busan, a city on the ocean at the southern tip of the peninsula--370 miles away. Almost immediately, Sora and 8-year-old Youngsoo are separated from their parents. Basing her story in part on her mother's own experiences in North Korea, debut author Lee paints this gripping and emotional midwinter escape with the eye of a wartime journalist and the determined heart of a young girl. As Youngsoo weakens from hunger and sickness, Sora carries him for the rest of their journey, across frozen rivers and through dangerous cities, past the front line. Flashbacks to her family's experiences during the Japanese occupation of Korea provide Sora strength and comfort and provide additional context for readers. Sora struggles against the Korean cultural norms of male supremacy, the low status of girls clear from her mother's constant verbal abuse. Still, she rises. A journey of wartime survival parallels the strength Sora needs to fight for her own dreams. (author's note, photographs, glossary, maps, timeline) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

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