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

• 2020 Freeman Book Award Winner 

• 2021 International Literacy Association Children's and Young Adults' Book Award Winner

• 2020 Jane Addams Children's Book Award Finalist

• 2021 ALA Notable Children's Book

• Junior Library Guild Selection

• 2021 ALA Rise Selection

• 2021-2022 VA Reads Selection

• 2020 Booklist Lasting Connections Selection

• A 2021 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year - with Outstanding Merit

• Kirkus Best Middle Grade Book of 2020

• A Kirkus 10 Top Middle-Grade Summer Read of 2020

• Booklist Top 10 First Novels for Youth 2020

• 4 Starred Reviews

"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

★ “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

★ "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." - Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "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

"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."  - Shelf Awareness