A Japanese mother and her two daughters make the difficult journey from North Korea to Japan at the end of World War Two. An absolutely gripping first novel, based on the author's childhood experiences, recreates the aftermath of war as a time when society, with its rules and conventions, has completely deteriorated; what remains are individual acts of honor and dishonor. The strength of the family is evident, as a mother and her daughters stay together and act as a group, staking out their territory in box cars and train stations as they make the arduous journey home. Winner, 1986 CCBC Newbery Discussion. (Age 12 and older)

In the final days of World War II, Koreans were determined to take back control of their country from the Japanese and end the suffering caused by the Japanese occupation. As an eleven-year-old girl living with her Japanese family in northern Korea, Yoko is suddenly fleeing for her life with her mother and older sister, Ko, trying to escape to Japan, a country Yoko hardly knows.

Their journey is terrifying—and remarkable. It's a true story of courage and survival that highlights the plight of individual people in wartime. In the midst of suffering, acts of kindness, as exemplified by a family of Koreans who risk their own lives to help Yoko's brother, are inspiring reminders of the strength and resilience of the human spirit.