My Freedom Trip

Title: My Freedom Trip

Author: Frances Park

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary: Soo lives in North Korea. She walked home from school alone because her best friends, Eumi, Eunook and Miyook, left their homes in the middle of the night to cross the border to the freedom land. Soo’s father awoke her late one night to tell her that a man named Mr. Han would be taking him to South Korea because he knew of a secret passage. He told Soo that Mr. Han would soon be returning for her and then her mother. Soo only wanted to go together, but her father tried to explain that they can only go one at a time because it would be less dangerous. He promised to be waiting for her on the other side. One night, Soo and her mother heard a tap at the door. It was Mr. Han. He said that Soo’s father was safe and he was now waiting for her on the other side. That night, Soo went on her freedom trip with Mr. Han. It began by train. Soo and Mr. Han slipped away from the train and hiked up a mountain. Every so often, they would stop and listen for footsteps. Suddenly, they heard footsteps and remained still. They had to stay the night because the moon was bright that night and the soldiers could see their shadows. Be brave, Soo, she thought. Those were the last words her mother had said to her. In time, the moon vanished. Suddenly, they were face to face with a soldier who told them that they couldn’t cross the river. Mr. Han begged to let Soo go, and finally, the soldier told Soo to go quickly. She ran across the river and saw her father. Soon after Soo’s freedom, the Korean war broke out. She had never seen her mother again.

Characters: Soo, her father, her mother, Mr. Han, soldiers

Plot: Get to freedom in South Korea

Theme: freedom

Setting: North Korea, South Korea

Opinion: I thought this book was very touching. It was nice to see Soo get to her father again, but it’s sad that she didn’t see her mother again. It was nice to read because it wasn’t too long, and it had good historical background behind it. I think it would be helpful when talking about the Korea war or even just freedom and how hard it was to become free past all of the soldiers and obstacles that they faced daily.