In December 1950, Sora, 12, and her family live under oppressive Communist rule in North Korea. Within her family, only-daughter Sora struggles under oppressive traditional gender roles. Her mother (Omahni) has forced her to drop out to of school care for her youngest brother, Jisoo, and learn to cook and keep house. When the war front approaches their village, the family flees for South Korea, hoping to join relatives in Busan. On the road, Sora and her 8-year-old brother, Youngsoo, are separated from their parents and younger brother during a violent attack. Uncertain if their parents and little brother are alive, the two continue the journey south. Over and over Sora must make life-and-death decisions, trying to keep them safe and alive. She carries Youngsoo on her back when he is too weak from starvation and illness to walk. Against the odds they arrive in Busan, but the relief for Sora proves only temporary as Youngsoo's health continues to decline and her dream of returning to school is denied. The push and pull between Sora's bitterness over the favoritism her mother and society give to her brothers and her genuine love for Youngsoo is painful and believable in a story that sees Sora's understanding of family, loss, and love deepening. Above all, however, it's affirmation of her own value that is transformative in this moving work. (Ages 9-12)