Brother's Keeper

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. (July)

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

"In its portrayal of hardship and survival, "Brother's Keeper" joins a rich tradition of stories about children on wartime journeys"—The Wall Street Journal

"The narrative makes a painful reality of the deprivation that people faced when fleeing their homes . . . At its heart, Brother's Keeper is about families and how they overcome hardship and loss. The Korean War and Korean culture act as a powerful setting for this work, and the strength and sorrow of Sora and Youngsoo are haunting." —Foreword Reviews