When My Name Was Keoko

Park, who won the 2002 Newbery Medal for her previous book, THE SINGLE SHARD, is back with a fascinating look at Korea under Japanese occupation at the outbreak of WWII. Brother and sister Sun-hee and Tal-yule are forced to learn Japanese and give up all things Korean, including their names, Keoko and Nobuo. This story casts light on an era and place little known by young people in America today and, like all good history, lends an understanding of current events. Despite the help that everyone must give to the war preparations, not everyone is willing to defend Japan. Keoko and her brother take their own risks in their efforts to resist. This is a powerful and riveting tale, marred only by a narration that seems at times flat and without emotion. It is, however, delivered with beautiful clarity and crisp pronunciation of foreign terms. D.G. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

January 19, 2004
"A brother and sister alternate as narrators in this well-constructed novel, which takes place from 1940–1945 in Japanese-occupied Korea," wrote PW
in a starred review. "Through the use of the shifting narrators, Park subtly points up the differences between male and female roles in Korean society and telling details provide a clear picture of the siblings and their world." Ages 10-up.