ABOUT THIS BOOK

Sun-hee and her older brother Tae-yul are proud of their Korean heritage. Yet they live their lives under Japanese occupation. All students must read and write in Japanese and no one can fly the Korean flag. Hardest of all is when the Japanese Emperor forces all Koreans to take Japanese names. Sun-hee and Tae-yul become Keoko and Nobuo. Korea is torn apart by their Japanese invaders during World War II. Everyone must help with war preparations, but it doesn’t mean they are willing to defend Japan. Tae-yul is about to risk his life to help his family, while Sun-hee stays home guarding life-and-death secrets.


REVIEWS

“This powerful and riveting tale of one close-knit, proud Korean family movingly addresses life-and-death issues of courage and collaboration, injustice, and death-defying determination in the face of totalitarian oppression.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred


AWARDS

WINNER 2003 - ALA Best Books for Young Adults
WINNER 2003 - ALA Notable Children's Book
NOMINEE 2005 - Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award



RELATED LINKS

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