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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2020 Freeman Book Award Winner
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2021 International Literacy Association Children's and Young Adults' Book Award Winner
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2020 Jane Addams Children's Book Award Finalist
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2021 ALA Notable Children's Book
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Junior Library Guild Selection
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2021 ALA Rise Selection
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2021-2022 VA Reads Selection
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2020 Booklist Lasting Connections Selection
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2021 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year - with Outstanding Merit
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Kirkus Best Middle Grade Book of 2020
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Kirkus 10 Top Middle-Grade Summer Read of 2020
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Booklist Top 10 First Novels for Youth 2020
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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