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When My Name Was Keoko Linda Sue Park Paperback | Dell Yearling | January 2004 | $5.50 | 0-440-41944-1 | Ages 10 up

Think about your most favorite things, food, and places. Then imagine that the government took them all away and replaced them with things that meant nothing to you. That is exactly what happens to Sun-hee and all the people in Korea when the Japanese occupied their country before and during World War II. Sun-hee and most children her age could not speak or write Korean because it had been decreed illegal by the Emperor of Japan, as had other Korean customs and traditions. Even their names were changed from Korean to Japanese, as well as the food they ate. Many young Korean girls and boys were forced into service by the Japanese, and people were put in prison or tortured for defying the Japanese government.

The story of Sun-hee and her family will make you cry and laugh, but reading it will help you understand the privilege of freedom.

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Prepared by Susan Geye, Library Media Specialist, Crowley Ninth Grade Campus, Crowley, TX

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