Brother’s Keeper
Brother’s Keeper by Julie Lee, published by Holiday House on July 12, 2022, is a compelling narrative set against the backdrop of North Korea in December 1950. This 320-page novel follows twelve-year-old Sora and her family as they navigate the oppressive rules of their regime. With war looming and winter approaching, Sora’s family devises a plan to escape their mountain village and reach the South Korean city of Busan. However, when an unexpected bombing alters their course, Sora and her younger brother Young must undertake the perilous journey alone.
Readers will find a gripping tale of survival as Sora and Young confront the dangers of a war-torn landscape, including border guards and enemy soldiers. The story delves into themes of resilience and the harsh realities faced by those living under a totalitarian regime. Through Sora’s eyes, the narrative provides insight into a historical moment that shaped the Korean Peninsula, making it a poignant exploration of courage and determination in the face of adversity.
Official synopsis Publisher
With war looming on the horizon and winter setting in, can two children escape North Korea on their own?
Winner of the Freeman Book Award!
North Korea. December, 1950.
Twelve-year-old Sora and her family live under an iron set of rules: No travel without a permit. No criticism of the government. No absences from Communist meetings. Wear red. Hang pictures of the Great Leader. Don’t trust your neighbors. Don’t speak your mind. You are being watched.
But war is coming, war between North and South Korea, between the Soviets and the Americans. War causes chaos–and war is the perfect time to escape. The plan is simple: Sora and her family will walk hundreds of miles to the South Korean city of Busan from their tiny mountain village. They just need to avoid napalm, frostbite, border guards, and enemy soldiers.
But they can’t. And when an incendiary bombing changes everything, Sora and her little brother Young will have to get to Busan on their own. Can a twelve-year-old girl and her eight-year-old brother survive three hundred miles of warzone in winter?
Haunting, timely, and beautiful, this harrowing novel from a searing new talent offers readers a glimpse into a vanished time and a closed nation.
A Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Finalist
An ILA Intermediate Fiction Award Winner
An American Library Association Notable Children’s Book
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year
“Will ultimately be recognized as one of the best books… on the Korean War.”—Education About Asia, the Association for Asian Studies
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