In the Shadow of the Sun

Mia is a bit puzzled by her dad's decision to bring her and her older brother Simon on a trip to North Korea.  It has one of the most repressive governments in the world, and people can be imprisoned for the slightest mistake.  But here they are.  Mia, who was adopted from South Korea as a child is making the best of things.  She can read signs and communicate a little thanks to Korean Saturday school, but Simon is angry and closed off about the whole trip.

Her father has traveled to North Korea before helping to get food to the starving population, but he's never been there as a tourist.  After Mia finds forbidden photos of conditions in the labor camps, her father is arrested for spying.  She and Simon decide the best way to save their father is to get the photos out of the country so the damaging evidence can't be connected to him.

Now the two Americans are headed out across North Korea on foot in an attempt to cross the border into China.  They will face hunger, the wilderness, North Korean soldiers, and their own strained relationship as they try to escape.

I particularly enjoyed the short profiles of North Korean characters sprinkled throughout the book to give the reader a sense of what life is like in the DPRK and the varying political ideologies of its people.

This new book by Anne Sibley O'Brien is inspired by her own experience growing up in South Korea and the feeling of always being a stranger in her home.  This theme of otherness in transracial adoptions is deftly woven into this action-packed adventure.  This will appeal to kids on many levels especially considering the current political climate.  Recommended.