SYNOPSIS

When Myung-gi is 9 years old, he begins experiencing the Korean War’s devastating impact on his family.

His father, made school principal at the start of North Korea’s communist regime, is then ousted for his “bourgeois” beliefs.

Myung-gi is mocked for being a good student and seeks solace in foreign books found by dad until they get banned.

When Myung-gi is 14, his dad is arrested and disappears a day before the family’s planned escape to the South.

Myung-gi leads his mother and younger sister on a treacherous passage to a South Korean refugee camp to await dad’s arrival.

Desperate to find him, at 16 Myung-gi enlists in the South Korean army and is immediately sent into battle.

His miraculous survival is due to a fortuitous tunnel he falls in, a friendly mouse, and a rescue unit.

He reunites with his mom and sister but never finds his dad – who also survives the war, remains in North Korea and forms a new family but never stops mourning the loss of his “first” one.

PERFECT AGE 11+

We love

• Unique perspective into an especially horrible period in modern history, told with appropriate care and balance for its audience
• Myung-gi’s bond with his dad is both inspiring and heartbreaking, as is his grief and dedication to finding him despite the odds.
• The beautiful portrayals of the mom before and after the wars is so sad and poignant.
• As the author shares in her P.S. note, this book is a rare instance of homage paid to the thousands of child soldiers used in the Korean War.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

• Myung-gi struggles with powerful guilt over his father’s capture. What would you tell him to allay his worry?
• The author refers to many situations at school and in public in North Korea where people can get in trouble for saying or doing the wrong thing – what does she mean?
• When Sora’s family arrives in the refugee camp, Myung-gi refuses to speak to them – why do you think that is?
• Can you draw parallels between this historical time and another time in history you have learned about?
• Do you know the current status of the two Korean states? Let’s learn more together!