Mia, who was adopted from Korea, discovers forbidden photos while visiting North Korea with her father and brother. When police seize their father, the siblings attempt to escape, carrying proof of government atrocities. Narrator Jackie Chung’s delivery of the precise, stilted English of the government guides suggests Mia’s sense of being an outsider. However, Chung truly sets the mood of otherworldliness in her vocalizations of the gross contradiction inherent in every aspect of North Korean life—soaring pride in contributing to the grandiose glorification of the nation and abject terror of reprisal for failing to meet the Supreme Leader’s expectations. The thoughts of North Koreans swing from rapturous to terrified—like balancing on a knife blade. As depicted by Chung, Mia and Simon are desperate and believable. Tension is palpable in this middle-grade thriller. L.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
In the Shadow of the Sun
Narrated by Jackie Chung
Anne Sibley O'BrienUnabridged — 8 hours, 56 minutes
In the Shadow of the Sun
Narrated by Jackie Chung
Anne Sibley O'BrienUnabridged — 8 hours, 56 minutes
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Overview
Editorial Reviews
04/24/2017
Twelve-year old Mia, adopted from South Korea and raised in Connecticut, has mixed feelings about her aid-worker father’s decision to take her and her older brother, Simon, on a tour of North Korea. After arriving there, she further questions the reasons behind the trip after witnessing her father attend late-night rendezvous and discovering an illegal cell phone containing shocking photographs of conditions in the political prisons. When her father is arrested and held by the government, Mia and Simon must find a way to escape to China. Though Mia is initially unobtrusive and meek, she proves to be resourceful and determined under pressure, taking charge, navigating, scouting for sustenance, and using her knowledge of Korean language and culture. In her first novel, picture book author O’Brien (I’m New Here) presents a nuanced portrayal of North Korea; the government is restrictive and the police force divided, but the citizens’ complex perspectives and attitudes are revealed in thoughtful, interspersed dispatches. Mia’s reflections about being Korean in Connecticut versus in Korea are powerful, as is her assertion that she is “growing into both her names.” Ages 8–12. Agent: Lara Perkins, Andrea Brown Literary. (June)
Praise for In the Shadow of the Sun:iBooks Best Books of June"A thrilling and immersive experience reminiscent of the best spy and wilderness adventure stories.... A riveting work that will appeal to a wide range of readers." — Kirkus Reviews"Thought-provoking....This fast-paced and tense survivalist thriller, made all the more compelling for its fascinating setting, should find broad appeal." — Booklist"A nuanced portrayal of North Korea; the government is restrictive and the police force divided, but the citizens' complex perspectives and attitudes are revealed in thoughtful, interspersed dispatches." — Publishers Weekly'O'Brien draws from a deep well of personal experience in her first novel...'In the Shadow of the Sun' is a compelling thriller...but is also an incisive and insightful portrait of a closed society that is largely unknown to the world...Fascinating and illuminating." — Maine Sunday Telegram
04/01/2018
Gr 4–6—"Who in their right mind tries to bond with their kids by taking them on a tour of North Korea?'" American aid worker Mark Andrews does when he arrives in Pyongyang with 16-year-old son Simon and 12-year-old daughter Mia. He's convinced "the trip would be an opportunity for Mia to connect with her heritage," despite her having been born in South Korea. When Mark gets arrested—involving a phone loaded with horrific photographs of labor camps—Simon and Mia are forced to flee. The siblings' harrowing odyssey finally mends their difficult relationship as typical-sullen-teenager Simon realizes his "perfectly ordinary, scaredy-cat little sister" just might be "some kind of Spy Girl" who, with her language skills and backpack filled with a map, dictionary, and dried food, might lead them to freedom. Although reader Jackie Chung occasionally stumbles over the Korean words and phrases (appropriately for Mia, not apt for native North Koreans), she fluently modulates her youthful voice to the frustration, fear, and relief of the diverse cast, enhancing the narrative with energy and empathy. VERDICT O'Brien, who grew up in South Korea and considers it "home," adds much-needed humanity to the proliferating headlines highlighting North Korean threats.—Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC
06/01/2017
Gr 4–6—Mia Andrews doesn't know a lot about North Korea. She's heard that it's controlled by a dictator, that there's an ongoing famine, and that people who break laws are sent to harsh labor camps as punishment. It doesn't sound like the best place for a family to visit on vacation, and when Mia's aid worker father takes her and her brother Simon there, she gets more than she bargained for. Her father is arrested for spying, and illegal photographs fall into Mia's possession. Suddenly, Mia and Simon are on the run from soldiers as they try to flee to safety in a country where they do not speak the language and have no access to food, transportation, money, or the Internet. This is an intriguing read, driven by plot and characters. Mia is a likable and smart protagonist who grapples with her identity as a South Korean girl adopted into a white family, while Simon is a typical angry teenager. The tension of their escape, however, is rather lacking. For example, the description of Simon's leg injury should be harrowing but isn't. It is obvious that O'Brien did her research on North Korean life. Peppered throughout are segments written from the points of view of characters the Andrews siblings encounter, offering different perspectives. Overall, the book is well researched, but despite the engaging premise, it's hardly an astounding thriller. VERDICT Suitable for readers on the younger end of the middle grade spectrum or collections where novels set in North Korea are in demand.—Paige Garrison, The Davis Academy, Sandy Springs, GA
Mia, who was adopted from Korea, discovers forbidden photos while visiting North Korea with her father and brother. When police seize their father, the siblings attempt to escape, carrying proof of government atrocities. Narrator Jackie Chung’s delivery of the precise, stilted English of the government guides suggests Mia’s sense of being an outsider. However, Chung truly sets the mood of otherworldliness in her vocalizations of the gross contradiction inherent in every aspect of North Korean life—soaring pride in contributing to the grandiose glorification of the nation and abject terror of reprisal for failing to meet the Supreme Leader’s expectations. The thoughts of North Koreans swing from rapturous to terrified—like balancing on a knife blade. As depicted by Chung, Mia and Simon are desperate and believable. Tension is palpable in this middle-grade thriller. L.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
2017-03-29
A family holiday goes badly awry, leaving two siblings racing for freedom in a totalitarian nation armed with little more than an outdated guidebook and a few packets of airline peanuts. Adopted from South Korea as an infant by a white Connecticut family, 12-year-old Mia has grown up feeling conspicuously different from her family and peers. To help heal the rift from a serious fight with her older brother, Simon, and to encourage Mia to connect with her cultural roots, the teens travel with their father to North Korea, a country he knows well as a foreign aid worker. Mundane sightseeing gives way to danger following Mia's discovery of a cellphone containing shocking photos from a prison camp and her father's abduction by authorities. Simon and Mia embark on a daring cross-country journey in an effort to reach safety and alert authorities to their father's plight. The action is punctuated by short profiles of individual (fictional) North Koreans, tantalizingly pulling back the veil of secrecy, but readers are soon plunged back into a thrilling and immersive experience reminiscent of the best spy and wilderness adventure stories. Character development is not sacrificed to action, as the siblings mature in their relationship, gaining insight into family and racial dynamics, culture, and identity. Opening information from the fictional tour agency gives readers enough background about the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to fully understand the peril the family is in. An author's note illuminates O'Brien's strong personal ties to Korea and gives suggestions for further reading. A riveting work that will appeal to a wide range of readers. (Thriller. 9-13)
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940171291556 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Scholastic, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 06/27/2017 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
| Age Range: | 8 - 11 Years |
Read an Excerpt
From In the Shadow of the Sun:A black car came careening into the far end of the lot. It sped toward the group in the center, screeching to a halt, the doors flying open. Four uniformed men spilled out and sprinted towards Dad and the guides. The soldiers took hold of Dad's arms and began to walk him back towards the black car. "Simon!" Mia grabbed his shoulder.At the car, the soldiers pushed Dad into the back seat, one holding his head down, just like on TV cop shows. The doors closed. The black car circled forward and swept out of the parking lot. They turned to look at each other. Simon's eyes were wide, his mouth open. "What the—?" He shook his head. "What was that?"Mia pressed clenched fists against her cheeks."We definitely can't go back, not now." Simon swiveled in his crouched position, looking behind them. "We've got to get out of here."Mia stared at him. "Get out of here? But Dad—"His head swung back. "Squeak, if we don't get away they'll arrest us, too.""But we have to help Dad!" She had to work to keep her voice steady. "If we give them the phone, they'll let him go." "Mia, think! If we give them this phone, the photos will be used as evidence against Dad!" His voice cracked again. He was scared. Simon was scared. "We can't go back. They just took Dad away. You've heard his stories: when they arrest people, they take their relatives, too, send whole families to prison camps. When they execute people, they kill everyone down to their grandchildren!" Mia inhaled fast through her nose, eyes wide. Simon tipped his head back and huffed out. "Okay, probably not Americans. But we could be held for ages." He glanced back towards the bus. "We've got to get these pictures out of here now, to protect Dad. You go back if you want, but I'm taking the phone that way."Mia looked back at the tour bus. A wave of nausea flooded her gut. She turned back, but Simon was no longer behind her. He had already started off, crawling low across the ground. She could follow or be left behind. Feeling as if she was being ripped in two, Mia dropped to her belly in the dry grass. She kept repeating Simon's phrase in her mind. To protect Dad.
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