BROTHER'S KEEPER
North Korea, 1950:
No travel without a permit.
No criticism of the government.
No absences from communist meetings.
Repeat slogans.
Don't trust your neighbors.
Don't speak your mind.
You are being watched.
RECOGNITION AND REVIEWS
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A Junior Library Guild Selection
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A Kirkus Top 10 Middle-Grade Summer Read
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A Kirkus Best Middle Grade Book of 2020
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A Booklist Top 10 First Novels for Youth 2020
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A 2020 Jane Addams Children's Book Award Finalist
★ “Debut author Lee paints this gripping and emotional midwinter escape with the eye of a wartime journalist and the determined heart of a young girl.”
-- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ "Through her journey, Sora transforms from a precocious girl into a courageous and intelligent hero. Lee captures Sora's internal journey alongside the physical one, and in the process details the struggles of a refugee from the ground level. . . . An amazing debut and an important book that explores a part of history few younger readers are taught in school."
-- Booklist, starred review
-- Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ "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."
★ "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."
-- School Library Journal, starred review
"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
"Lee's Brother's Keeper is a compelling #OwnVoices middle-grade novel that is both edifying and inspiring...Overlapping historical accuracy with personal testimony, Lee presents a nuanced story of strength, tenacity and everlasting family bonds."