Triumphant, moving, and unforgettable.
Two young strangers dream of better lives outside North Korea.
Ten-year-old Yunho cares for his halmoni and sells rusty nails and bits of iron that he finds in the dirt. “Fifth-grade dropout” Myunghee, 11, has become a street seller, supporting herself and her sick great-aunt. In 2013, North Korea is a tough place to live. Both children’s communities have been devastated by famine, poverty, and a cruel government that forbids freedom of thought. A dramatic life-or-death moment briefly brings the young people together before their paths diverge. When the timing is right, each child risks everything to illegally cross North Korea’s border into China. Myunghee and Yunho travel alone, facing dangers, until Yunho is reunited with his omma, who's sent for him from China. Soon, another chance encounter compels the three to become traveling companions. They must obtain new identities and avoid arrest; capture could mean death or imprisonment in a concentration camp. This graphic novel serves up a feast of swirling and kinetic digital illustrations. Smooth swaths of muted color sweep across the pages in alternating cool and warm tones. The shifting palette builds tension and contrasts dire moments with the hope and the comfort of found family. Told from their alternating perspectives in welcoming, conversational verse, Yunho’s and Myunghee’s suspenseful, harrowing journeys provide readers with a realistic and devastating portrayal of life under one of the most oppressive regimes in the world.
Triumphant, moving, and unforgettable. (historical note) (Verse graphic adventure. 9-12)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9780063011083
Page Count: 224
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel.
Sandy and his family, Japanese Canadians, experience hatred and incarceration during World War II.
Sandy Saito loves baseball, and the Vancouver Asahi ballplayers are his heroes. But when they lose in the 1941 semifinals, Sandy’s dad calls it a bad omen. Sure enough, in December 1941, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor in the U.S. The Canadian government begins to ban Japanese people from certain areas, moving them to “dormitories” and setting a curfew. Sandy wants to spend time with his father, but as a doctor, his dad is busy, often sneaking out past curfew to work. One night Papa is taken to “where he [is] needed most,” and the family is forced into an internment camp. Life at the camp isn’t easy, and even with some of the Asahi players playing ball there, it just isn’t the same. Trying to understand and find joy again, Sandy struggles with his new reality and relationship with his father. Based on the true experiences of Japanese Canadians and the Vancouver Asahi team, this graphic novel is a glimpse of how their lives were affected by WWII. The end is a bit abrupt, but it’s still an inspiring and sweet look at how baseball helped them through hardship. The illustrations are all in a sepia tone, giving it an antique look and conveying the emotions and struggles. None of the illustrations of their experiences are overly graphic, making it a good introduction to this upsetting topic for middle-grade readers.
An emotional, much-needed historical graphic novel. (afterword, further resources) (Graphic historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0334-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Heartwarming fare for young pet owners who feel the love and loyalty going both ways.
Devotion permeates this tale of a small dog who’s swept up in a peasants’ revolt against a greedy king.
Inflamed with righteousness in the wake of yet another tax hike, 12-year-old Tom has defied his parents to slip away and join the revolutionary Reds. Stoutly declaring that he’s a good dog, 5-year-old Rebel chases after him to bring his beloved boy back—and discovers a wide new world beyond the farm, fraught with dangers but also rich in animal friends offering help and advice. Just as beguiling as the furry narrator’s dog’s-eye view of events are his ongoing arguments with Jaxon, a gruff feral hound he meets along the way, who urges him to find his wild inner True Dog. Jaxon’s refusal to be bound by emotional attachments ultimately clashes with Rebel’s big, uncomplicated heart. Following a brush with death, Rebel encounters a mystical Companion, who offers him glimpses of dog heaven; when the climactic battle arrives, Rebel declares, “I get to decide what I do with my one and only life. And if I use it for anything, I’m going to use it for love.” The author brings the odyssey to a satisfactory conclusion with one last, pure affirmation of love. In this story set in an alternate Britain reminiscent of its 17th-century Civil War, Rebel distinguishes humans in the cast by their voices, smell, and dress.
Heartwarming fare for young pet owners who feel the love and loyalty going both ways. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781536246797
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
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