You just cannot stop turning the pages with these plot twists one after the other and the writing style of Linda Sue Park.Īs I mentioned before, Park effectively changes between Sun-Hee's and Tae-yul's point of view, generally rotating between each chapter.

Sun-Hee stays at home dealing with the guilt of causing Uncle to leave which in turn caused Tae-yul to leave. Tae-yul is drafted into the military to help uncle by turning the eyes of the government away.

Uncle runs away after Sun-Hee mistakenly gave a false warning. Despite the forced change of names, confiscation of various household items, and the decreased food rations, the Kim family eventually gets separated. Once Korea is captured by the Japanese, everything in the Kim family goes awry. The story ' told from both Sun-Hee's and Tae-yul's point of view ' captures the attention of many middle-school students, and deserves my two-thumbs-up. When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park narrates a story of family, secrets, lies, and the desperate times of World War II that call for desperate measures. Of course, I wasn't exactly there, but through the words of Linda Sue Park, I was there. Fortunately, Jean and Mou-sien Tseng's animated black-and-white drawings fill in many details missing in the text concerning dress and setting. Though the novel glosses over the meaning of the Dutch sailors' appearance, a closing author's note helps to put it into context. Readers gain little insight into Jade's relationship with other members of her household or her daily routine. For example, Jade says how much her view of the mountains affects her, yet she never describes what it is about the vista that moves her. She conceals herself in a basket on market day and catches her first glimpse of the mountains as well as a group of imprisoned Dutch sailors, whom she describes as wearing what looks like ''yellow or brown sheep's wool on their cheeks and chins.'' Park manages to get across many of society's restrictions on girls and women, but often relies on telling rather than showing. With all the temerity of a 1990s girl, Jade plays tricks on her brother (with the help of her cousin Willow), and her yearning to see the world outside of her family's walled household ultimately leads her into trouble. This first novel set in 17th-century Korea centers on 12-year-old Jade Blossom, daughter of one of the king's advisers.

When my name was keoko sparknotes