Synopses & Reviews
With biblical references as a starting point, Linda Sue Park tells a unique Christmas/Epiphany tale about the third gift brought to the infant Jesus by the Magi, the gift of myrrh.A boy and his father are gatherers of myrrh, a precious substance used in important ceremonies. It's the sap of certain trees, hardened into pearl-like beads, and the gatherers look for it on the tree trunks. The boy narrator finds one big enough to fill his two hands. When they take their myrrh to market, this extraordinary "pearl" is bought by three strangers in colorful robes . . . as a baby gift. And as the three men ride off into the desert, the young narrator is proud to have made such a fine discovery, and he wonders about the baby. Luminous, exquisitely detailed paintings of the desert landscape, the myrrh gatherers, and the marketplace make this story breathtaking as well as unforgettable. An author's note discusses the origins of the story and the little-known facts about myrrh.
Review
In seventeenth-century Korea, a 12-year-old girl becomes aware of the complexities of class and gender differences in this historically enlightening story. Being of good family, Jade Blossom is forbidden to leave home until she marries. But curiosity leads Jade to secretly leave the Inner Court, a brief but eye-opening adventure that reveals heart-wrenching poverty, unexpected beauty, and the knowledge that her home's high walls offer both shelter and imprisonment. However, Jade discovers that creativity and imagination are powerful tools that can provide comfort and internal freedom. In descriptive, engaging prose, the story portrays the culture, traditions, and daily lives of the Korean aristocracy in a time of political and cultural change. Park sympathetically conveys the challenges and joys of becoming an adult, and offers perspective on the many meanings of "privileged." The lovely, delicate illustrations detail traditional clothing, architecture, and decorative arts for visualization and context. An author's note briefly explains Korean history and the lives of aristocratic women in the 1600s. Bibliography.
Booklist, ALA
"The evocative descriptions and Jade's intensity in creating new ways to learn will capture and hold readers." Kirkus Reviews
"Park's novel offers readers a brief but enticing glimpose at another time and place." School Library Journal
"A wonderful and exciting book." Children's Book Review Service
Review
"There have been several books about the lost boys of Sudan for adults, teens, and even for elementary-school readers. But [this] spare, immediate account, based on a true story, adds a stirring contemporary dimension. . . . Young readers will be stunned by the triumphant climax." —
Booklist, starred review "[This] spare, hard-hitting novel delivers a memorable portrait of two children in Sudan. . . . Tragic and harrowing."— Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Two narratives intersect in a quiet conclusion that is filled with hope."—School Library Journal, starred review
"This powerful dual narrative packs suspense and introspection into Park's characteristic spare description; while there are lots of details offered to the reader, they come not in long, prosaic lines but in simple, detached observations. Both Salva's and Nya's stories are told with brutal, simple honesty, and they deliver remarkable perspective on the Sudanese conflict. The novel's brevity and factual basis makes the reality of life in Sudan very accessible, and readers will find both the story and the style extremely moving."—The Bulletin
"Park simply yet convincingly depicts the chaos of war and an unforgiving landscape. . . . A heartfelt account."—Kirkus Reviews
"Brilliant. . . . A touching narrative about strife and survival on a scale most American readers will never see."— Book Page
"Riveting."—The Horn Book
"[A] fast, page-turning read. . . . A great book for high school students and an important novel for young adults who enjoy learning about other world cultures."—VOYA
Review
"With ease and grace, Park brings these long-ago children to life." --SLJ, Starred School Library Journal, Starred
Review
In Korea in the early 1800s, news from the countryside reached the king by means of signal fires. On one mountaintop after another, a fire was lit when all was well. If the king did not see a fire, that meant trouble, and he would send out his army. Linda Sue Park's first picture book for Clarion is about Sang-hee, son of the village firekeeper. When his father is unable to light the fire one night, young Sang-hee must take his place. Sang-hee knows how important it is for the fire to be lit-but he wishes that he could see soldiers . . . just once.
Mountains, firelight and shadow, and Sunhee's struggle with a hard choice are rendered in radiant paintings, which tell their own story of a turning point in a child's life. Afterword. "handsome, watercolor-and-pastel double-page pictures personalize the history...panoramic views...as the boy tends the flame that preserves peace" BOOKLIST Booklist, ALA
"a tale rooted in...history...watercolor illustrations glow with vibrancy... especially striking...A lovely telling that will bring readers back" KIRKUS REVIEWS Kirkus Reviews
"Suspenseful...Assured, empathetic storytelling involves readers in Sang-hee's inner conflict...Downing amplifies the tension with dramatically composed watercolor-and-pastel illustrations ...fascinating" PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review Publishers Weekly, Starred
"An attractive celebration of unity, peace, and family heritage, Sang-hee's story also emphasizes...beauty, power, and responsibility." THE BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"...compelling...Lyrical prose... Children will be intrigued...caught up in the riveting dilemma, and satisfied by the resolution." School Library Journal
Review
A sijo, a traditional Korean verse form, has a fixed number of stressed syllables and a humorous or ironic twist at the end. Like haiku, sijo are brief and accessible, and the witty last line winds up each poem with a surprise. The verses in this book illuminate funny, unexpected, amazing aspects of the everyday--of breakfast, thunder and lightning, houseplants, tennis, freshly laundered socks. Carefully crafted and deceptively simple, Linda Sue Park's sijo are a pleasure to read and an irresistible invitation to experiment with an unfamiliar poetic form. Istvan Banyai's irrepressibly giddy and sophisticated illustrations add a one-of-a-kind luster to a book that is truly a gem."Fresh and collegial, this offering stands out." Kirkus Reviews, Starred
Banyai's illustrations enhance the collection with an extra element of wit and imaginative freedom.
Horn Book
Park wants readers to try sijo for themselves, and in an extensive author's note she offers history, advice and encouagement.
Publishers Weekly
A smart and appealing introduction to an overlooked poetic form.
School Library Journal, Starred
With this lighthearted collection of her own sijo, the form will take a flying leap into the consciousness of both children and teachers.
Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
Review
"Newbery Medalist Parks lean, well-paced story bridges the ordinary and the sacred to powerful effect."-Publishers Weekly, starred review
Review
"Newbery Medalist Parkand#8217;s lean, well-paced story bridges the ordinary and the sacred to powerful effect."-Publishers Weekly, starred review
"This gorgeous picture book sheds thoughtful light on a fascinating facet of the Christmas story."-School Library Journal "This is a beautiful book for giving and an excellent selection for sharing, both around the holidays and at any time of year."--Bulletin, starred review
Review
"Bouncy rhymes . . . and loving depictions of the joys of being mom's sous-chef . . . unabashedly happy and . . . catchy." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Publishers Weekly
"Bouncy-rhyming . . . vivacity and charm . . . from a child's-eye point of view" KIRKUS REVIEWS Kirkus Reviews
"Park captures the exciting rush of dinnertime preparations...Lee's watercolors extend the flurry of activity, humor, and delight." BOOKLIST Booklist, ALA
"Expressive, child's-eye watercolors get in on all the activity...in this celebration of a well-loved cultural dish." HORN BOOK GUIDE Horn Book Guide
Review
"Although the jacket image shoes a girl at a baseball stadium, Newbery Medalist Park's (A Single Shard) Korean War-era novel is best approached not as a sports story but as a powerful attempt to grapple with loss. Margaret Olivia Fontini, named after Joe DiMaggio ("Maggie-o, get it?"), loves Brooklyn's beloved but doomed Dodgers with a passion. When a new fireman arrives at her father's station wearing his allegiance to the arch-enemy Giants on his sleeve, Maggie keeps her distance until he teachers her how to score the game, a practice Maggie embraces with gusto, believing that recording every pitch and play might actually help Dem Bums finally win. And when Jim is drafted and sent to Korea, he and Maggie write, until Jim's letters abruptly stop. Park evokes the characters and settings with her customary skill and talent for detail; she shows unusual sensitivity in writing about war and the atrocity that, Maggie learns, has traumatized Jim into silence. Readers will be moved by Maggie's hard earned revelation, that every instance of keeping score "had been a chance to hope for something good to happen," and that "hope always comes first."--
Publishers Weekly,
starred review "In 1950s Brooklyn, everyone is baseball mad. Maggie says daily prayers and follows careful rituals to "help" the Dodgers. She listens intently to games on the radio, often with her friends at the firehouse. With firefighter Jim's help, even if he is a Giants fan, she learns to score the games meticulously. Jim is drafted and sent to Korea, where his experiences lead to a severe breakdown. Maggie writes to Jim faithfully, scores Giants games for him and says heartfelt prayers for his recovery. But her efforts meet with little success. She is disillusioned and heartbroken by the war, by Jim's inability to cope and by the constant disappointments provided by the Dodgers. But she never completely gives up, and there is a ray of hope for both Jim and the Dodgers as the 1955 season begins. Park's deeply layered plot is built as slowly and as meticulously as Maggie's scoring. As Maggie matures from age nine to 13, she never loses her compassion and openhearted nature. An author's note adds historical information. A winner at every level."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"In 1951, Maggie, nine, and her older brother, Joey-Mick, are dedicated baseball fans though their beloved Brooklyn Dodgers always disappoint them at season's end. Maggie enjoys listening to the games with the firefighters in her neighborhood station; her dad worked there before an injury forced him to accept a desk job. When a new firefighter, Jim, joins the crew, he teaches Maggie how to keep score and she comes to share his admiration for Giants' great Willie Mays. Then Jim is drafted and sent to Korea. They writer to one another until his letters abruptly stop. Maggie, frustrated and worried, tries to understand the conflict by researching it at her local library and even drawing her own maps tracing the war's progress on the Korean peninsula. Eventually, she learns that Jim suffered traumatic shock after a horrific battle and has been sent home with a medical discharge. Park paints a vividly detailed account of life in 1950s Brooklyn. Maggie's perspective is authentically childlike and engaging, and her relations with her family and friends ring true. Jim's tragic experience raises difficult, troubling questions for Maggie, but her grief eventually brings her to the conclusion that "hope is what gets everything started." Baseball fans will savor her first visit to Ebbets Fields, but this finely crafted novel should resonate with a wide audience of readers.."--School Library Journal
"Park, author of the Newbery-winning A Single Shard (2001), opens this thoroughly researched novel in Brooklyn with the 1951 baseball season half gone. Nine-year-old Maggie likes to hang out at the fire station, where she listens to the Dodger games with the firemen. The new guy, Jim, teaches Maggie how to score a game, and after Jim is drafted and sent to Korea, Maggie writes him letters. When she learns that he has been traumatized and sent home unresponsive and unable to function on his own, Maggie works on a plan to bring Jim back to himself and his own life. To her credit, Park doesn't make Maggie's goal seem easy or even realistic. The involving story spans several years with only a glimmer of hope for Jim's recovery. Still, readers will find plenty to root for as they get to know determined, persistent Maggie, who feels that the first words she ever learned must have been "Wait till next year."--Booklist
Review
"handsome, watercolor-and-pastel double-page pictures personalize the history...panoramic views...as the boy tends the flame that preserves peace" BOOKLIST Booklist, ALA
"a tale rooted in...history...watercolor illustrations glow with vibrancy... especially striking...A lovely telling that will bring readers back" KIRKUS REVIEWS Kirkus Reviews
"Suspenseful...Assured, empathetic storytelling involves readers in Sang-hee's inner conflict...Downing amplifies the tension with dramatically composed watercolor-and-pastel illustrations ...fascinating" PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review Publishers Weekly, Starred
"An attractive celebration of unity, peace, and family heritage, Sang-hee's story also emphasizes...beauty, power, and responsibility." THE BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"...compelling...Lyrical prose... Children will be intrigued...caught up in the riveting dilemma, and satisfied by the resolution." School Library Journal
Review
"An exciting novel for male readers, both reluctant and engaged." Kirkus Reviews
"The relationship between Kevin and Archie, and their race against the clock...will keep the pages turning." Publishers Weekly
"This new offering from the Newbery Medal-winning author of A SINGLE SHARD...will intrigue and amuse readers." *Starred* Review KLIATT
"Effective storytelling, middle-grade humor, and a quick pace" Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Review
"Compelling characters and their passionate differences...drive the plot...unforgettable family and friendship story...a great cross-curriculum title." BOOKLIST, starred Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
"Park creates a Korean-American seventh-grader so lifelike she jumps off the page....introduces many issues relevant to budding adolescents." PW Publishers Weekly
"A rich work that treats serious issues with warmth, respect, and a good deal of humor." KIRKUS REVIEWS, starred Kirkus Reviews, Starred
"This skillfully written tale will have wide appeal." SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, starred School Library Journal, Starred
"Park has a sensitive ear for the nuances of self-doubt and burgeoning self-awareness that permeate junior-high experience." THE BULLETIN Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Julia is a vivacious character...provide[s] interesting glimpses into how fiction is written." HORN BOOK Horn Book
Synopsis
Jade never ventures beyond the walls of her family's Inner Court; in seventeenth-century Korea, a girl of good family does not leave home until she marries. She is enthralled by her older brother's stories about trips to the market and to the ancestral grave sites in the mountains, about reading and painting, about his conversations with their father about business and politics and adventures only boys can have. Jade accepts her destiny, and yet she is endlessly curious about what lies beyond the walls. A lively story with a vividly realized historical setting, "Seesaw Girl" recounts Jade Blossom's daring attempts to enlarge her world.
Synopsis
The New York Times bestseller A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan, a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nyas in an astonishing and moving way.
Synopsis
In a riveting narrative set in fifteenth-century Korea, two brothers discover a shared passion for kites. Kee-sup can craft a kite unequaled in strength and beauty, but his younger brother, Young-sup, can fly a kite as if he controlled the wind itself. Their combined skills attract the notice of Korea's young king, who chooses Young-sup to fly the royal kite in the New Year kite-flying competition--an honor that is also an awesome responsibility. Although tradition decrees, and the boys' father insists, that the older brother represent the family, both brothers know that this time the family's honor is best left in Young-sup's hands. This touching and suspenseful story, filled with the authentic detail and flavor of traditional Korean kite fighting, brings a remarkable setting vividly to life. AUTHOR'S NOTE.
Synopsis
Bee-bim bop (the name translates as mix-mix rice”) is a traditional Korean dish of rice topped, and then mixed, with meat and vegetables. In bouncy rhyming text, a hungry child tells about helping her mother make bee-bim bop: shopping, preparing ingredients, setting the table, and finally sitting down with her family to enjoy a favorite meal. The energy and enthusiasm of the young narrator are conveyed in the whimsical illustrations, which bring details from the artists childhood in Korea to his depiction of a modern Korean American family. Even young readers who arent familiar with the dish will recognize the pride that comes from helping Mama, the fun of mixing ingredients together in a bowl, and the pleasure of sharing delicious food. Includes authors own recipe.
Synopsis
From two extraordinary talents, a beautifully crafted picture book for the Christmas season.
The three wise men, or the three kings, are familiar figures in the Christmas tradition. Newbery medalist Linda Sue Park has taken the brief biblical references to the three as the starting point for a new story. In it we meet a boy who is learning his fatherand#8217;s trade; a man who gathers resin from certain trees; a merchant in the marketplace; and three strangers in brightly colored robes who are shopping for a gift for a baby. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline with exquisite paintings, this simple, moving tale of ordinary people involved in an extraordinary event brings new resonance to the well-known gift list of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Includes an authorand#8217;s note.
Synopsis
Both Maggie Fortini and her brother, Joey-Mick, were named for baseball great Joe DiMaggio. Unlike Joey-Mick, Maggie doesnt play baseball—but at almost ten years old, she is a dyed-in-the-wool fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Maggie can recite all the players statistics and understands the subtleties of the game. Unfortunately, Jim Maine is a Giants fan, but its Jim who teaches Maggie the fine art of scoring a baseball game. Not only can she revisit every play of every inning, but by keeping score she feels shes more than just a fan: shes helping her team.
Jim is drafted into the army and sent to Korea, and although Maggie writes to him often, his silence is just one of a string of disappointments—being a Brooklyn Dodgers fan in the early 1950s meant season after season of near misses and year after year of dashed hopes. But Maggie goes on trying to help the Dodgers, and when she finds out that Jim needs help, too, shes determined to provide it. Against a background of major league baseball and the Korean War on the home front, Maggie looks for, and finds, a way to make a difference.
Even those readers who think they dont care about baseball will be drawn into the world of the true and ardent fan. Linda Sue Parks captivating story will, of course, delight those who are already keeping score.
Synopsis
In Korea in the early 1800s, news from the countryside reached the king by means of signal fires. On one mountaintop after another, a fire was lit when all was well. If the king did not see a fire, that meant trouble, and he would send out his army. Linda Sue Park's first picture book for Clarion is about Sang-hee, son of the village firekeeper. When his father is unable to light the fire one night, young Sang-hee must take his place. Sang-hee knows how important it is for the fire to be lit-but he wishes that he could see soldiers . . . just once.
Mountains, firelight and shadow, and Sunhee's struggle with a hard choice are rendered in radiant paintings, which tell their own story of a turning point in a child's life. Afterword.
Synopsis
In Dorchester, New York, Kevin is doing his homework when suddenly an arrow comes out of nowhere and pins his baseball cap to the wall. The man who shot the arrow claims he fell off a tiger . . . and wound up in Kevins room. Its not long before Kevin realizes that the man, who calls himself Chu-mong, or Great Archer, is no ordinary burglar, but a traveler from far away in both space and time.
A visit to the local museum confirms that there was a king named Chu-mong in ancient Korea who was legendary for many accomplishments, including exceptional skill with bow and arrow. Kevin knows little about his own Korean heritage, but he understands that unless Archer returns to his people and his throne, history will be changed forever. And hes determined to help Archer go back, no matter what it takes.
Award-winning novelist Linda Sue Park has created a funny and suspenseful adventure, incorporating intriguing bits of Korean history and lore, that will captivate even reluctant readers and will add to her audience of devoted fans. Authors note.
Synopsis
Julia Song and her friend Patrick would love to win a blue ribbon, maybe even two, at the state fair. Theyve always done projects together, and they work well as a team. This time, though, theyre having trouble coming up with just the right plan. Then Julias mother offers a suggestion: They can raise silkworms, as she did when she was a girl in Korea.
Patrick thinks its a great idea. Of course there are obstaclesfor example, where will they get mulberry leaves, the only thing silkworms eat?but nothing they cant handle.
Julia isnt so sure. The club where kids do their projects is all about traditional American stuff, and raising silkworms just doesnt fit in. Moreover, the author, Ms. Park, seems determined to make Julias life as complicated as possible, no matter how hard Julia tries to talk her out of it.
In her first novel with a contemporary setting, Linda Sue Park delivers a funny, lively story that illuminates both the process of writing a novel and the meaning of growing up American.
About the Author
Lindaand#160;Sue Park is the author of historical and contemporary fiction, poetry, and picture book texts for young readers. Her third book,
A Single Shard, received the 2002 Newbery Medal. Ms. Park is now one of the most prominent figures in the children's literature community and has traveled widely, both nationally and internationally, to promote her books.She is Korean American, from the Midwest; was educated at Stanford University and University College Dublin;and#160;and has worked as an advertising copywriter, a journalist, and a teacher of English as a second language. She lives in Rochester, NY, with her husband. They have two grown children.
Bagram Ibatoulline was born in Omsk, Russia, and attended the State Academic Institute of Arts in Moscow. He has worked in fine arts, graphic arts, mural design, and textile design, and is adept at painting in different styles. Among the many successful children's books he has illustrated is the Newbery Medal book The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. He lives in Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania.