I loved this book because it is a great story, but I also really loved how the authors told the story and how the pictures enhanced the story. They described the surroundings and the setting so well that even without the pictures, I could envision what the character was seeing. The story is based off of their mother’s journey from North Korea to South Korea before the war and even though I, and possibly a lot of other readers, can’t personally relate to the characters and their situation, I and many others could relate to feeling scared about the unknown. The story is told in English, but the characters do speak a little Korean to each other and at the top of each page there are Korean symbols. There is also a page at the beginning of the book with all these symbols and their English translation, which is a great way for the authors to expose the reader to the language. ( )

I like this book for three reasons. First, I like the plot of the story. There were lots of great tension as the mom and Sue wait for the father’s news after he left to go to South Korea and during Sue’s journey to South Korea. They were constantly hiding from soldiers and nearly die having to cross the river that separated North and South Korea. Second, I like the bigger issue the author wants her readers to obtain from reading the book. The idea of crossing the broader is not as easy as it sounds and most of the time, it caused death. Lastly, I like the illustration of the book. Before the idea of going to South Korea was introduced, the colors were bright and warm but after the idea was introduced, the color changed to be dark and cool. All of the different components of the book adds to the bigger issue the author wants her readers to obtain from reading. ( )

"My Freedom Trip" by Frances Park and Ginger Park is about a child's escape from the oppressive North Korea. I liked this book because it portrays a child's thoughts and perspective on escaping North Korea. It is in first person point of view, from the eyes of the little girl. It is historic. The language displays an unknown to the child, Soo. First her father left and she didn't understand "danger" She did not understand everything that was going on, but she obeyed the man taking her over the border. The writing is suspenseful and very engaging. The main purpose of this story is to show the stress and difficulty of escaping oppression in the middle of the night.

"My Freedom Trip" is both a heart-breaking and insightful look into the human aspect of the Korean divide from the eyes of a young girl whose family was separated by the circumstances of the war.
The reader is put right there with little Soo, witnessing the bravery of her father, mother, and the guide who helped her cross the border, and feel the sacrifice and yearning of these events.

The writing and illustrations are equally descriptive and beautiful. Soo's experiences and feelings are easily relayed through prose, and the illustration depict the emotions and setting of the book wonderfully.

I love the quote at the end of the book where Soo remembers and reflects on her mother's last words to her, and which really bring together the moral and feeling of the story: "When the evening is full of moon and warm winds, I can still hear her cry- 'Be brave, Soo!' Brave for the rest of my life." ( )

I like this book because the flow of the book is well organized. Although most of the readers might not be able to read Korean, there is one Korean word. In each page, there is the main theme. The one word shows how the theme is about, such as peace, promise, fear etc. Where the page is about that Soo’s father had promised to get Soo, there is word Promise in Korean on top of the writing. Where the page is about Soo’s first trip, it says Trip on top of the page. It wouldn’t be helpful to students who do not speak Korean since it is in Korean, but it will be helpful to Korean students who care not fluent in English. Students could see the word that describes the theme of the page and guess what will happen next. ( )