The Other Side of Tomorrow

Author

Tina Cho

Illustrator

Deb Jj Lee

Publication Date

November 12, 2024

Genre / Grade Band

Fiction / 6^th − 8^th

Language

English

Content Tags

Scariness & Traumatic Experiences

Format

Graphic Novel

Paperback

Hardcover

Description

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Perfect for fans of Illegal and When Stars Are Scattered, this poignant and moving graphic novel in verse captures the dangers and hope that come with fleeing North Korea and reaching for a brighter future through the lives of Yunho and Myunghee.

From never knowing where they'll find their next meal to avoiding soldiers lurking at every corner, many North Koreans have learned that sticking around can be just as deadly as attempting to flee . . . almost.

Both shy, resourceful Yunho and fierce, vibrant Myunghee know this. So when they each resolve to run away from the bleak futures they face, it's with the knowledge that they could be facing a fate worse than death.

While Yunho hopes to reunite with his omma, who snuck across the border years ago, Myunghee is reaching for dreams that are bigger than anything the regime would allow her to have. The two are strangers to each other until a chance encounter unwittingly intertwines their fates and Myunghee saves Yunho's life.

Kept together by their dreams for a brighter future, they face a road plagued by poisonous jungle snakes, corrupt soldiers, and the daily fear of discovery and imprisonment. But with every step toward freedom, there is also hope. Will it be enough for both of them to make it to safety without losing each other along the way?

Publication date

November 12, 2024

Genre

Fiction

Page Count

224

ISBN-13

9780063011076

Publisher

Harperalley

BISAC categories

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

In 2013, to survive deprivation and starvation in North Korea, two tweens scavenge to support their families and risk even greater hardships seeking freedom. On his 10th birthday, Yunho, who lives with his grandmother, finds himself missing his mother more than ever, remembering how "we ate creatively./ One day a mouse/ ran through our house/ until it was no more./ Omma made plans/ after that dinner./ She could find work and food in China." Since his mother's departure two years ago, Yunho has waited for his own way out. Eleven-year-old Myunghee sells vegetables and forages medicinal plants for her sickly great-aunt, but she dreams of pop stardom while singing along to South Korean DVDs--contraband media that could spell trouble for her family. Omma finally sends for Yunho, but when escape plans go awry, he crosses paths with Myunghee, who saves him. This gripping graphic novel by Cho (God's Little Astronomer) and Lee (In Limbo) about childhood under dictator Kim Jong Un balances horror and wonder in both its poetic language and vibrant imagery. Lee's dynamic Procreate illustrations emphasize light and shadow to brilliantly illuminate the tweens' harrowing situations in this intimate, cohesive collaboration. A note on North Korean history concludes. Ages 8-12. (Nov.)

ALA/Booklist

Triumphant, moving, and unforgettable.

Tina Cho

Golden Kite Awards

Middle Grade Winner 2025

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