When I read this book, I enjoyed the meaning behind it. This story is about a young Korean girl that has to survive and take care of her family. After losing her mother, she understands she has to become stronger and wiser. One day, she finds a magical turtle, just knowing it is a normal turtle. She comes upon a town which young girls are sacrificed to save the town. She decides to be the sacrifice because after, hr family would be rewarded. The magical turtle saves the girl from being sacrificed and wants her to live. She then is able to help her father and live on.
I would read this book to elementary grades because of the stories meaning and compare and contrast with other folktales. ( )

This story is about a girl girl who lost her mother at a really young age. Maya lives on her own with her poor father. As she grows up, she matures and becomes more wise by the day. One day when walking home, she finds a magical turtle, but she does not know this. Her father shortly becomes too ill to take care of her and the turtle. So, it is up to Maya to figure out what to do. On this journey, she finds a town that is overrun by a enormous bug. This city sacrifices one young girl to it each year to keep it away. She decides that she should be the one to be scarified because those families of the ones that have been scarified receive great rewards. When she is about to be sacrificed, the magical turtle saves her so she can continue on with her life. In the end, she is able to provide for her family and continue to live. Overall, I loved the meaning behind this book. At the same time, I would read this book to upper elementary first because of the story line that is used. ( )

[I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads' First Reads.]

The illustrations are gorgeous. I especially enjoyed the footnotes about Korean culture throughout. The footnotes were sometimes also humorous little asides from the story, which I enjoyed!

I wish there were more to the story, and would second other reviewers that the ending seemed really abrupt. ( )