Sora's family had originally welcomed the Communists who liberated their country of North Korea from Japan. They soon discovered they had traded one task master for another, just a cruel. As people in their village who sympathize with South Korea and the Americans start to be seized, and some say, killed, Sora's father decides they need to flee to the south. Sora is big sister to two younger brothers, and when she and her nine-year-old brother are separated from their parents, Sora understands that it is her job to get her brother safely to her uncle's house in South Korea. As she toils on her quest to find the rest of her family, Sora begins to understand that the Communists are not the only ones standing in the way of a bright future for her.
This was published in July and instantly garnered many starred reviews. Like When Stars are Scattered, this is a heart wrenching refugee narrative. Though not based on a single historical figure, this story is roughly based on Lee's grandmother's experience. I wasn't aware of the masses of refugees that felt North Korea to the South during the Korean war. I am glad I read it because it gave me new knowledge of history, but I found this story harder to read than When Stars are Scattered. It had more violent content, and a less happy ending. It is emotionally very heavy and I wouldn't recommend it to a child unless I knew that they were interested in this kind of book and could handle it. (320 p. 2020)
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